O’Day built the Outlaw in the United States from 1965 to 1968, completing 80 boats. The tooling then passed to Northern Yachts of Ajax, Ontario, Canada, and the design continued as the Northern 25 in 1970.
Design and Construction
The Outlaw 26 is a fiberglass monohull with a long keel, spooned raked stem, and raised transom. Its solid fiberglass hull and deck carry teak exterior woodwork and trim. Hardware is chrome-plated bronze, stainless steel, or special marine alloy, and the bottom left the factory painted with anti-fouling paint.
The boat displaces 5,050 pounds, including 2,300 pounds of ballast in its fixed long keel. Beam is 8 feet, and the waterline is 19 feet. Rhodes gave the hull far less wetted surface area, following the trend toward narrower keels to improve speed and maneuverability. A keel-mounted rudder and tiller provide a direct connection at the helm.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The Outlaw is a masthead sloop with a Bermuda rig. Its anodized mast is stepped on deck, and the boom is also anodized. Standard working sail area is 291 square feet. A tall-rig version, intended for areas with lighter average winds, was available with a mast about two feet higher than standard.
The specified rigging includes wire halyards and Dacron running rigging. Deck equipment includes a full-width mainsheet traveler with a cam-action mainsheet cleat, roller reefing, winch pads, and two top-action jib and/or genoa winches.
The Outlaw responds to the lightest breezes yet handles admirably even in heavy weather. Its hull speed is 5.84 knots, while its C.C.A. and M.O.R.C. ratings are each approximately 22.5. The boat’s outstanding M.O.R.C. record confirms the racing credibility behind those figures.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The self-bailing cockpit is 8 feet long—deeper and bigger than those found on many much larger boats. It includes an outboard motor well, an outboard-well plug, and a stern flag socket.
Below, the Outlaw has four berths described as roomy and very sleepable. Storage shelves run above all the berths, and there is plenty of room for a galley, head, and stowage. Four fixed cabin ports and translucent hatches bring light into the cabin.
The galley unit has a Formica top, locker, and shelf, but the boat was delivered without a sink, tank, or pump. A molded, insulated icebox is fitted.
Propulsion and Production History
A small outboard in the transom well provides power for docking and maneuvering; there is no inboard auxiliary.
After O’Day ended production in 1968, the molds were sold to Northern Yachts of Ajax, Ontario, Canada. The design was developed into the Northern 25 in 1970, marking the end of the O’Day-built lineage.
The Verdict
The Outlaw 26 is a compact Rhodes cruiser with a real racing pedigree, a large self-bailing cockpit, and a straightforward outboard-well propulsion arrangement. It is small-volume and was sparsely equipped at delivery, but its handling and M.O.R.C. credentials make it a distinctive part of the O’Day story.
Pros
- Largest O’Day model built, with a Rhodes cruiser design and the scarcity of an 80-boat production run
- Low-wetted-surface hull influenced by the move toward narrower keels for speed and maneuverability
- 8-foot self-bailing cockpit, larger than those on many bigger boats
- Outstanding M.O.R.C. record, light-air responsiveness, and composure in heavy weather
Cons
- Galley delivered without a sink, tank, or pump
- Outboard-in-well propulsion rather than an inboard auxiliary
- Only 80 built, with the tooling leaving O’Day after 1968 and limiting the factory-support lineage
