BoatsO'day 40

O'day 40

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · First built 1986

A 12-metre masthead sloop featuring an extended sugar scoop stern and a taller rig on later production models

Designed by Briand, Raymond Hunt Associates & Philippe Briand, built by Lear Siegler Marine.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

See her sail

The O'day 40, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 27 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 27
CoastalBluewater

1.93 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.93
LightHeavy

214 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 214
EasygoingPowered-up

16.3 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.3
TenderStiff

37% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 37%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

What the fleet has seen

The O'day 40, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The O'day 40 is a 12.1-meter masthead sloop designed by Philippe Briand, Raymond Hunt Associates, and built by Lear Siegler Marine and Bangor Punta Corp. from 1986. It features a fin keel with a spade rudder, a 3.8-meter beam, and an 8164 kg displacement. The design is based on the Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40 / O'day 39, with modifications including an extended 'sugar scoop' stern and a different interior layout.2:46 Later models, from hull #135 onward, received a taller rig.2:29 Practical Sailor reviewed the 1986 O'day 40, noting its 46-horsepower Westerbeke diesel engine, 6.5-foot headroom, and U-shaped saloon.3:11 The review characterized the O'day 40 as a coastal cruiser suitable for island hopping, with predictable sailing characteristics and manageable handling in 12–15 knots of breeze.4:28 Its construction includes a fiberglass structural grid and balsa-cored decks, requiring inspection of keel-to-grid bonding, deck hardware, and compression post integrity.6:38 The O'day 40 is not built to the heavy-duty bluewater standards of a Pacific Seacraft or Valiant.6:33 Approximately 180 units were produced.3:02

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The O'day 40 on video

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale
$50,000Median asking

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
36.7%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.3
Displacement / length
213.7
Comfort ratio
27.0
Capsize screening
1.93
Hull speed
7.8 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1508
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1986
Units built
180
Designer
Briand, Raymond Hunt Associates, Philippe Briand
Builder
Lear Siegler Marine, Bangor Punta Corp

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Beneteau Oceanis 4012.15 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA spacious fractional sloop from Berret-Racoupeau featuring a versatile optional shallow draft keel
He almost went home alone… nothing went as planned… Vlog 1220:49from Vagabond Voyages
J/40 Classic12.19 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.19-metre masthead sloop with a 1.98m draft, balanced for offshore cruising and production stability
On the Dock in Cherbourg 14:39from The Mariner
Dufour Yachts 405 Grand Large12.17 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12-meter cruiser featuring a 2.03m fin keel and a balanced displacement-to-ballast ratio for stable coastal passages
Dufour 405from SVN solovelanet
C&C Yachts 3911.96 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1971-1974 production masthead sloop with a moderate displacement-to-length ratio, balanced for coastal cruising
Its TYPICAL! TROPICAL! 1:32from Epiphany Sailing
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 4012.20 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 12.2-metre masthead sloop with a high sail area-to-displacement ratio, designed for spirited performance cruising
Life Aboard Isn’t Always Smooth Sailing! Ep-205from Leading the Escapade
Warrior 4012.00 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA cutter-rigged cruiser with a skeg-hung rudder and a 1.52m draft, built for steady offshore passages
BOAT FLIES OVER TABLE MOUNTAINfrom Adventures of an old Seadog

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

O'day 39A Philippe Briand-designed masthead sloop built under license from Jeanneau as the French Sun FizzO'day 37A C. Raymond Hunt-designed masthead sloop built for charter fleets and sold internationally as the Trinidad 37O'day 34A masthead sloop with a 40% ballast ratio, built for four years before evolving into the O'Day 35O'day 31A C. Raymond Hunt-designed masthead sloop offering a refined, extended evolution of the Ranger 30 platformO'day 30A 9.12-metre masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, later evolved into the O'Day 31

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the O'day 40, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the O'day 40

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue