I am considering the purchase of an O"Day LE with wheel steering and a diesal engine. Any pro's or con's would be greatly appreciated. I currently own a Laguna L-26
Thanks Ted
Thanks Ted
O'Day 727 LE consideration
- Thread starter night2owl
- Start date
- Status
I helped a friend of mine deliver his 1986 272 from Cape Cod to Bristol RI., a year ago. This boat wasn't the Limited Edition. It had tiller steering and an outboard. I found that in this particular boat, it was very uncomfortable to sleep in the Port aft settee because the aft portion of the boat set a little higher. I had to turn around and sleep with my head facing the stern. I think that the reason for this has to do with the minus 500 LBS of having no inboard engine and wheel steering pedestal steering, but I may be wrong. Outside of that, the boat sailed quite well with it's wing keel and was able to get into shallow areas, which would really appeal to me for the sailing that I do. The inside of that boat was beautiful. I noticed that all the halyards and control lines came over the cabin and into the cockpit, which isn't something that I'm used to, but it's a good feature I suppose. The 272 LE is the better boat. There's no question about it. Ordinarily, I would sleep up forward in the V birth, but he had a lot of stuff in there, and there wasn't much room at the time. One of our YC members has a 1986 O'Day 26 with an outboard on the transom and tiller steering, and I noticed that his boat sits a little higher in the stern when it's at the mooring. So, I think that the weight may have a little something to do with it. Normally, if you're laying down in a quarter birth, you want to have your feet pointing toward the stern and the rest of your body should be higher than your feet. Otherwise, it isn't too good for someone like myself who has Acid Reflux Disease. I really don't think that this will be an issue with the 272 LE. Outside of that, I thought that it was a great boat.
Joe
Joe
Attachments
Last edited by a moderator:
We've had our O'day 272 LE since 1986...she's still beautiful and still a great boat. We live on her on weekends and cook on her, in her and have really had no reason to buy a bigger boat. We installed Mermaid Air Conditioning two years ago. I could tell you more about that and the boat if you want. The 2'-11 inch draft means you can anchor or sail in a wading pool if you want. We sail in Wichita, Kansas where it is quite
breezy at times and often if it is windy, just sail with our new doyle stackpak main. I would be really happy to answer any questions for you.....by the way, I drove to the lake today to say hello and check the bubbler thermostat. Arrived just at sunrise and she was very pretty in her slip. She is still a very beautiful boat.
Patrick
breezy at times and often if it is windy, just sail with our new doyle stackpak main. I would be really happy to answer any questions for you.....by the way, I drove to the lake today to say hello and check the bubbler thermostat. Arrived just at sunrise and she was very pretty in her slip. She is still a very beautiful boat.
Patrick
272le
I happen to have an older 27' so the model is a bit different, but you can count on the O'Day quality. I like the fact that there's a lot of storage for a boat this size. Get a survey to make sure the boat is basically sound. If so , go for it!!
I happen to have an older 27' so the model is a bit different, but you can count on the O'Day quality. I like the fact that there's a lot of storage for a boat this size. Get a survey to make sure the boat is basically sound. If so , go for it!!
I just purchased an 88 272LE and am in love! I had her surveyed and while she wasn't the best maintained boat in recent years, had no major issues. I have a few minor leaks from stanchions to reseal. I love the room in the cabin since I am 6'3" and 260. The original roller furling is pretty shot since the drum is cracked, and I can not ID the manufacturer...
Overall I am excited to finish a few projects for cosmetics and mostly to get her out of the slip.
Sails great, solid design. However I am not a truly experienced sailor.
Overall I am excited to finish a few projects for cosmetics and mostly to get her out of the slip.
Sails great, solid design. However I am not a truly experienced sailor.
Joe,
I would be interested in your take on the wheel versus tiller. I prefer the tiller for the feel, simplicity and room in the cockpit when moored. Your thoughts?
I would be interested in your take on the wheel versus tiller. I prefer the tiller for the feel, simplicity and room in the cockpit when moored. Your thoughts?
I'm with you on this. I've tried wheel steering on a 30 something Columbia sloop and I didn't care for it. I also tried it on my late pal Walter's Mac 26 with a small wheel, and it wasn't too bad or hard to get use to. I prefer a tiller over a wheel. It's much simpler, and the autopilot for the tiller is a lot less expensive. It's all a matter of taste, I guess, and what you get use to.
Ahoy!
Joe
Don,
I think that you're going to love this boat. The LE is the Cadillac of the O'Day 272. Where you're a neophyte sailor, and ain't we all,-- I would mark off all the control lines and halyards so that you can identify them easily. I would also have at least two 30' lines for docking. I'm always amazed when I see guys come up to a dock under power and they don't even have their bow line ready. It may be attached to a bow cleat, but it's just left on the bow. So the person who is standing at the dock and ready to help them has to reach out and grab the bow line and put it in the chock and bring it out through the bow rail. My question is; Why not have the bow line attached to the cleat, have it in the chock and led outside of the lifeline rails to the stern rail, and attached it with a "Highwayman's Hitch" or a similar type of quick release hitch? If no one is at the dock to help you moor your boat, then you can step off your boat, if you're careful, with both the bow and stern lines in your hands. One thing that I've learned to do is, to use the wind and or the current to my advantage. This is where the Windex at the top of the mast comes in handy. Occasionally if the wind is right, I'll motor up along side of the dock and let the wind take her the rest of the way against the dock, and hop off and tie her up. I've learned that the most important thing in boating is to always have an alternative plan just in case the first plan doesn't work. This alone, has always kept me out of trouble most of the time. Good luck with the boat, Don!
Joe
I think that you're going to love this boat. The LE is the Cadillac of the O'Day 272. Where you're a neophyte sailor, and ain't we all,-- I would mark off all the control lines and halyards so that you can identify them easily. I would also have at least two 30' lines for docking. I'm always amazed when I see guys come up to a dock under power and they don't even have their bow line ready. It may be attached to a bow cleat, but it's just left on the bow. So the person who is standing at the dock and ready to help them has to reach out and grab the bow line and put it in the chock and bring it out through the bow rail. My question is; Why not have the bow line attached to the cleat, have it in the chock and led outside of the lifeline rails to the stern rail, and attached it with a "Highwayman's Hitch" or a similar type of quick release hitch? If no one is at the dock to help you moor your boat, then you can step off your boat, if you're careful, with both the bow and stern lines in your hands. One thing that I've learned to do is, to use the wind and or the current to my advantage. This is where the Windex at the top of the mast comes in handy. Occasionally if the wind is right, I'll motor up along side of the dock and let the wind take her the rest of the way against the dock, and hop off and tie her up. I've learned that the most important thing in boating is to always have an alternative plan just in case the first plan doesn't work. This alone, has always kept me out of trouble most of the time. Good luck with the boat, Don!
Joe
Attachments
We bought a 1987 272(not the LE) last March and the boat seems to have all the original rigging. The furler on ours is a cdi, plastic drum and dual channel furling stay with a Neil Pryde sail. Hope this helps. Dennis
OD25 Tiller v Wheel
Tom D
OD25
Bullocks Cove
Narragansett Bay, RI
Ev, My OD25 came fitted with an Edson wheel. My previous OD20 had a tiller. I agree the tiller gives more feel and cockpit room. When the wheel mechanics finally go, and they will eventually, I will return to the tiller.
Tom D
OD25
Bullocks Cove
Narragansett Bay, RI
I would think anything over 30 feet, you have to be looking at a wheel, but on a 25, the tiller is very nice. Being short on time in the sailing season, a lot of my enjoyment comes from a quick row out to the mooring after work and spending a few minutes on the boat. The wheel would just cut my social space right in half.
Thanks for the helpful information gang. I have been steadily working on her and we are making progress. I recently re-retired at the ripe old age of 53 and need something new in my life. I am working on building my own main cover. I bought the kit from Sailrite and it looks pretty easy to do.
We had her out in 20+ winds last Saturday and had a blast. I was originally worried about having enough room on board for friends, etc. but she handled a "crew" of six with no issues at all.
We had her out in 20+ winds last Saturday and had a blast. I was originally worried about having enough room on board for friends, etc. but she handled a "crew" of six with no issues at all.
- Status