Oday Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Oday Widgeon by Bill Staffeldt

Year built	1976
Location of boat	Helena, Montana
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	less than 10 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1989
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, I bought the boat and trailer for only $600. If I wanted to sell it, I could probably get more than that today.
Gear that's been added	None
Structural or complex improvements	Basic maintenance. Covers for the openings under the foredeck. I made a rack to fit the cockpit that stored lifejackets, sail bags, cooler, etc. and also held the mast and boom when I transported it on the trailer. I am thinking of blowing foam insulation under the seats from the bow in order to increase bouyancy. I want to use this as a tender for a larger sailboat.
The boat's best features	Low cost, mainsail and jib. good learning boat, easy to launch, Can sail in about 4" of water.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	This model has a centerboard that was lowered by pulling on a handle on a rope. It has always been hard to operate. I agree with the others about the rudder falling off. I once turtled the boat to demonstrate to the wife and kids how safe it was. The rudder fell out in about 25 feet of water. I managed to get it but wouldn't relish going down again for it. I put on a new safety line to attach it to the boat after that. The stainless steel spring clip is not enough to hold the weight of the rudder.
Sailing characterisitcs	I sail this boat on lakes in Montana. The winds shift off mountains and cliffs and make for some pretty tricky wind sheer. The worst I experienced was on Two Medicine Lake in Glacier Park.
Motoring characterisitcs	I used an electric motor a couple times and then just decided to remove the mounting bracket and sail where I need to go. The boat is not good to paddle, but if you paddle using a J stroke from the stern, you can make it go where you want.
Liveability	A large cockpit for lounging, room for 4, but not if you want to do much sailing. A fun family boat that you can pretty much turn the kids loose with.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	[builder]
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Private party sale.
Other comments	The boat cleans up great every spring with little effort. It is a well built little boat.

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