Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Oday Widgeon by Rod Johnson

Year built
Location of boat	Wareham, Ma
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1988
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	In a heartbeat! The Widgeon was the first "real" sailboat that I owned, and I really enjoyed the 8 years that I owned her!
Gear that's been added	I added many items; Boom-vang, masthead fly, removeable running lights (NavLights), 3-part outhaul (O'Day called it "A Block-action outhaul), I built-in a covered stowage box between the forward seat/flotation chamber and the mast partner(seat), stern and bow cleats, a floorboard aft of the cd trunk, I also replaced/re-rigged the spinnaker gear on my boat. When I bought her she had a spinnaker, a spinnaker pole, the mast padeye for the pole, the eye for the pole lift, the spinnaker halyard, and the hooks on the side decks (just forward of the chainplates) for the spinnaker sheets. So, I added the spinnaker blocks near the stern and the camcleats amidships to rig the spinnaker sheets/guys, and made new sheets. I also added a compass. Also a tiller extension/hiking stick.
Structural or complex improvements	Mostly just the stowage box, which did include a bulkhead just below the forward adge of the mast partner(seat), this stiffened up the boat in the area of the mast and the shroud chainplates. O'Day had originally glassed in a steel bar under the seat that had long since come loose before I bought the boat. OH, I also ended up bolting the brackets for the wooden seats up to the mast partner(seat).
The boat's best features	It's small size, yet it is a true complete sailboat, not a sailing dinghy! With the spinnaker, and of course Main and Jib, I loved the feeling of sailing this minature "yacht". Singlehanding was easy on the Widgeon, even to the point of setting and dousing the spinnaker. I felt that the lever-operated centerboard was a great feature, since it was very simple to use, and when I hauled the boat out in the Fall...just remove 3 screws, pull out the lever and Woomp..out dropped the board! This made cleaning and painting the cb and it's trunk much easier! Also, all the smaller O'Day sloops were designed with large mansails, small jibs, this means that they sail VERY well under just the main while learning or in heavier winds!
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Well, no built in stowage was a problem, but The later models with a fordeck did have optional hatches to allow stowage under there. Other than that......nothing.
Sailing characterisitcs	Great sailer, mine pointed well, newer sails help!The widgeon is a very stable, safe boat when sailed as she was designed to be, this is not a rough water boat, she is a perfect boat for learning on and for relaxing sails.Use of a tiller extension to allow sitting on the side deck and keeping the mainsheet in your hand, ready to release at a moments notice are important. I quickly learned to keep the sheet in my hand (cleated in the camcleat) to be able to release it quickly. Because of that, I never capsized or came really close to capsizing.
Motoring characterisitcs	Well, no more that 2hp will really fit! Smaller motors will work fine. I mounted my motor off center to port and it worked fine, but I did need to be carefull when I tacked, since the mainsheet could easily get caught on the motor. An electric might be the best, but then you have to carry a big battery.
Liveability	Well, It was a comfortable day sailer for 1-2 people......but more would be cozy! Obviously, overnighting would not be practical.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	[builder]
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	private sail by previous owner
Other comments	Mine was a 1969 model with mahogany seats.

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