Need rigging help

[Joe Tedeschi]

Bought a 30 year old Widgeon and need some help in getting it rigged. Any owner's manuals or operator's manuals out there to guide me?

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

Basic Info - Try Rudy

Joe -We can probably get you set up with some generic instructions - first, do you have everything you should? Mast, boom, rigging, halyards, pins, etc? Before you even try to rig it, put the mast next to the boat and mock it up on the ground the way it looks like it should go. You're pretty likely to get most of it right. If any major pieces seem to be missing, you'll be happy you're not trying to figure it out with the mast up.Check out the inventory and let us know.For an actual manual, try Rudy Nickerson -D & R Marine, Inc. 14 Water St. P.O. Box 921 Assonet, MA 02702 Telephone (508) 644-3001 Fax (508) 644-3002 Justin - O'day Owners' Web

 

[Joe Tedeschi]

Thanks Justin for Help on Rigging

Thanks for your response, Justin. Yes, I do believe I have all that I should have. Previous owner was fairly meticulous about keeping the boat in shape. I just need some basic stuff on how to rig up the lines in the cockpit. Main sail and jib look to be in good shape. I'm moving up from a Sunfish, so I need to know how to work two sails instead of one! I'll try Rudy for a manual. I expect I can get some help at our sailing club, but that is hit or miss, and I would really like to have my own information in hand. Are all O'Day's in Widgeon class similar in their cockpit controls, etc.? Would generic instructions do?

 

[Richard]

Rigging a Widgeon

The Widgeon is fairly easy to rig once you've done it a few times. I figured mine out ('79) on the third time. The jib is pretty straight forward. The main can be a logistical challenge if you've never worked with a Widgeon. The foot of the main sail does not wrap around the boom. That's probably your most crucial piece of information. The main sheet is more complex than it needs to be for a boat this size. Heck, I've used a windsurfer that had more sail area than my Widgeon! Rig as follows: From the main cleat on the center board housing, you run up (should be a block on boom) - then aft, through the block on the aft end of the boom, down and around the traveling block, and then back up and tied to aforementioned block.