I'm grateful that I stumbled upon this group. Your posting of what
to look for when buying a used sunfish was very helpful when I
checked one out that appeared in yesterday's paper ($500.00 w/
trailer!)
I was able to determine it's age (1965) and, most importantly, was
informed enough (thanks to your sharing) to know that maybe I should
pass on this one. It had been stored under a deck for a few years
under it's cover, plug in place, on it's trailer whose tongue was
sitting in the dirt. The cover, heavy w/ water, sank in at the
cockpit. We bailed that out and lifted off the cover. Everything
looked promising, eventhough there was still water in the actual
cockpit. My wife continued bailing, while I checked out the spars
and sail. My excitment wained when she pointed to an open crack
that ran the length of the cockpit floor. When I tried to pick up
the tongue of the trailer (with the sunfish loaded) the owner poined
out that the reason I couldn't lift it was because it was a very
heavy boat that took four people to move the hull alone (and here I
was hoping for something I could car top!)
I'm hoping that you will let me know if I was correct to pass on
this one. My conclusion was that, even if the cost to repair the
crack was do-able, I wondered if the hull would EVER dry out. Water
had seeped into the crack, filling the interior (from the bow up
since the trailer was not level.) Was this boats' demise due to the
plug being left in while storing, or because it was stored upright?
Other than being waterlogged and the crack, it was in very good
shape considering it's age. Thanks, in advance, for your input.
John
