widgeon capsize experiences

[bob kehoe]

i just bought an '73 O'day Widgeon and was out sailing on the delaware bay when i shipped water over the rail(a lot) and the boat began to go down by the stern and rolled. i got out, got the centerboard out and tried to roll it like my previous dingy's. it just rolled back over and when i got it back up the cockpit was full of water. does anyone have any advise for righting this boat when you have a knockdown. also can anyone shed light on what the passenger/weight capacity of the boat is? there is no coastguard plate on it stating capacities.......thnx bobk

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

Capacity and rolling

Bob -I would guess two people are the max for pracitcal sailing, though maybe three if two are small. I don't have the rating but I would expect the boat to get sluggish with more teh 350 or so pounds aboard. I haven't experimented, though, so I don't know for sure.Righting these boats is tricky. I modified my daysailer with a big scupper aft in the transom. It was usually held shut by a wing nut but I could open it from the water to allow the boat to drain. The scupper was about three inches above the design waterline, so there would be some water left in the boat to bail, but you didn't have to worry about it flooding the boat in following seas.Justin - O'day Owners' Web