I kept my 1969 WIDGEON on a mooring for 8 seasons, worked for me! I was not the only Widgeo nowner in my area (Wareham, MA.) t okee pa Widgeon on a mooring and in fact over in Pocasset Harbor (part of Bourne) there used to be fleet of them moored at the local yacht club (might still be there).
I know the mast step couldn't rot out on my boat, it sat on a molded fiberglass box-beam, I think the newer ones were the same (the step was just burried below deck on the 1971-83 models.
If kept on a mooring, I would advise not leaving any loose gear aboard, I left my rudder aboard but had a lanyard toconnect it to the boat and kept equipment in a stowage compartment that I built forward of the mast. Newer boats (1971-83) had stowage under the forward deck, not all boats had the openings cut to allow that, since they were optional (D&R Marine has the specs if you needed to add those hatches). With a 1963-70 model, you will need to keep an eye on her to keep her bailed out after rainstorms, she wil lcollect a good amount of water before trouble will arise i nsheltered waters, but any wave action may require keeping her reasonable bailed out. The 1971-83 models should be a bit more safe from this problem, but are still not self-bailing. I always thought about riggin up some knd of portable, self-contained automatic bilge pump, but never got around to trying anything. however, in 8 seasons of ownership, she only filled and rolled over once during a sudden storm, and survived Hurricane BOB in 1991 on her mooring with the mast unstepped.
The latest version of the Widgeon (1985-89,1990-2005) should be OK, still wide open and will catch a lot of rainwater, but with the molded-in seats should not be a proble min sheltered waters on a mooring.
So, anyway.... if you were to keep your WIDGEON on a mooring for the season, you would join a group of many, many, many, former and presnt Widgeon owners who keep or have kept their boats on moorings without major problems!
