SunfishSailor@groups.io

Re: New member w/ cracks

kendall

--- In sunfish_sailor@..., "Wayne Carney" <wcarney@f...>
wrote:
Hi Chris,

The cracks in the cockpit do go all the way through.
One goes down the center. Ouch!



Then slide a piece of cardboard, mat and woven roving
under that crack and suspend it form a wire attached
to a piece of wood.  Let that dry, than fill the rest of
the way with resin.I don't know what experience you have with fiberglass, but cloth andeven
roving are very tough to work with when wet with resin. I suggestpracticing
a little before your first attempt.

A very good reference is the "Fiberglass Construction and RepairManual",
Jack Wiley, McGraw Hill.

When you fill the crack it will be strongest if you mix some milledglass
fiber with the resin. A teaspoon of milled fiber per ounce of resinshould
be good. In bigger openings, cut up some glass mat into loose fibers1/2" to
1/4" long. After you pour in the resin pile in the pieces of fiber.



I read in a few places to open the cracks up to 1"
...that sounds a little large to me.Probably, all depends on the crack and if you need to get behind it.Bigger
can be easier to work with and have better results in some cases - even
though it's more to fill.


What is "resin & milled fiber mix"?Milled fiberglass powder is added to polyester resins to increasestrength
and add surface toughness. You can find it by the can or bag at afiberglass
supplier.

See your yellow pages or surf the net on "fiberglass suppliers".

Here's a supply house on the net:


This one is way over the top, but it's everything you ever wanted to
know....


Gelcoat scratch repair guide:



...complete gelcoating on the hull...I have
all the tools (compressor and Devebliss spray gun, etc).
From what I heard you spray it on...Contact your DeVebliss dealer for the necessary gelcoat attachments and
specific "How To" information. I'm out of your league at this point.


I was planning on putting just aft of the
cargo compartment, but I believe there is
a piece of foam there... any suggestions
on placement of those?Take a look in the group PHOTOS and FILES areas. You'll see where other
people have had success.


Good Luck,

Wayne Also, make sure that the surfaces are CLEAN, sand it down and wipe it
off using a bit of acetone or the like, resin doesn't like dust or oil
of any type, and will seperate if it's not applied to a clean surface.

 all this info has been great information, but the most reliable
repair will be made if you first sand or grind the crack open 1/4" or
so wide, sand a MUCH wider taper on each side, (most people reccomend
at least 3 to 1 at the bare minimum, place something behind it to hold
both edges at the same level,(folded cardboard or something), then lay
up several layers of mat or cloth to fill the taper to level with the
surrounding area. then sand and finish as required. if you just open
up the crack and fill it with whatever you end up with what it amounts
to is a couple of chunks of fiberglass glued together on edge, and the
first strain it's subjected to will end up cracking it again. prove it
to yourself with elmers white glue and cardboard, two bits glued edge
to edge, and then two pieces lapped, which is what the taper gives you. 

merc

Re: tacking

Wayne Carney

#580

Hi Charles,

Oh I agree, waves can really effect how you tack. The trick is timing them
so they give you a boost rather than a block.

Wayne

Show quoted text

-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Neuman [mailto:charles@...]
Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 8:13 PM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: RE: [sunfish_sailor] tacking

Thanks for your comments. I will definitely think about them next time I'm
out.

Another thing just occured to me, which might explain the difference
between tacking one way and the other. I believe the last time I was out,
the wind was not blowing in the same direction as the waves. The waves
were going toward shore, and the wind was at an angle. Tacking in one
direction forced me into the waves, which might explain why I was
stalling. I'll keep an eye out next time I'm out.

Thanks,

Charles

Re: New member w/ cracks

Wayne Carney

#579

Hi Chris,

The cracks in the cockpit do go all the way through.
One goes down the center. Ouch!



Then slide a piece of cardboard, mat and woven roving
under that crack and suspend it form a wire attached
to a piece of wood.  Let that dry, than fill the rest of
the way with resin.I don't know what experience you have with fiberglass, but cloth and even
roving are very tough to work with when wet with resin. I suggest practicing
a little before your first attempt.

A very good reference is the "Fiberglass Construction and Repair Manual",
Jack Wiley, McGraw Hill.

When you fill the crack it will be strongest if you mix some milled glass
fiber with the resin. A teaspoon of milled fiber per ounce of resin should
be good. In bigger openings, cut up some glass mat into loose fibers 1/2" to
1/4" long. After you pour in the resin pile in the pieces of fiber.



I read in a few places to open the cracks up to 1"
...that sounds a little large to me.Probably, all depends on the crack and if you need to get behind it. Bigger
can be easier to work with and have better results in some cases - even
though it's more to fill.


What is "resin & milled fiber mix"?Milled fiberglass powder is added to polyester resins to increase strength
and add surface toughness. You can find it by the can or bag at a fiberglass
supplier.

See your yellow pages or surf the net on "fiberglass suppliers".

Here's a supply house on the net:


This one is way over the top, but it's everything you ever wanted to
know....


Gelcoat scratch repair guide:



...complete gelcoating on the hull...I have
all the tools (compressor and Devebliss spray gun, etc).
From what I heard you spray it on...Contact your DeVebliss dealer for the necessary gelcoat attachments and
specific "How To" information. I'm out of your league at this point.


I was planning on putting just aft of the
cargo compartment, but I believe there is
a piece of foam there... any suggestions
on placement of those?Take a look in the group PHOTOS and FILES areas. You'll see where other
people have had success.


Good Luck,

Wayne










-----Original Message-----
From: vissagoth@... [mailto:vissagoth@...]
Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 4:38 PM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Re: New member w/ cracks


The cracks in the cockpit do go all the way through. One goes down teh
center.  I believe they got there from ice freezing in there.  The one
in the hull is  under the cargo compartment in the cockpit.

My plan is to open all teh cracks up to 1/4".  Than slid a piece of
cardboard, mat and woven roving under that crack and suspend it form a
wire attached to a piece of wood.  Let that dry, than fill the rest of
teh way with resin.  If I have time I will use a dremel router to drop
it 1/16" (have the dremel, just need the router attachment) and than
finish it off with some gel coat.  I will be using polyester resin, as
I heard epoxy doesn't adhere to gel coat.  How does that sound?  I
read in a few places to open the cracks up to 1"... that sounds a
little large to me.

Since it is sailing weather now I will wait until winter to do a
complete gelcoating on the hull.  I have all the tools (compressor and
Devebliss spray gun, etc).  From what I heard you spray it on, than
cove rit with some form of wax paper or som sort of spray wax, let it
dry, than sand out any imperfections, etc.

What is "resin & milled fiber mix"?  Also, I am planning to put one
inspection port behind teh splash shield and in front of the dagger
board slip, teh oteh rone I was planning on putting just aft of the
cargo compartment, but I believe there is a piece of foam there... any
suggestions on placement of those?


Thanx,
    Chris

Re: tacking

#578

Thanks for your comments. I will definitely think about them next time I'm
out.

Another thing just occured to me, which might explain the difference
between tacking one way and the other. I believe the last time I was out,
the wind was not blowing in the same direction as the waves. The waves
were going toward shore, and the wind was at an angle. Tacking in one
direction forced me into the waves, which might explain why I was
stalling. I'll keep an eye out next time I'm out.

Thanks,

Charles

Show quoted text

On Mon, 5 Jul 2004, Wayne Carney wrote:
Hi Charles,

True the mast sets up some turbulence on Port Tack. I don't think this is
serious enough to make tacking (especially in a good breeze) any different
from one to the other.
[I'd love to see a wind tunnel evaluation to measure just how far reaching
the turbulence goes, however, it can't be much - my sail stays full and
doesn't flutter right up to where it bends around the mast]

From what you've said....So, while tacking from a port tack to
a starboard tack, if I push the tiller
hard, I lose a lot of speed, so that's
not a good strategy.I think it's important to have the normal "about" maneuver down as second
nature -

The rudder will act as a brake if pushed to far so my first suggestion is to
watch the rudder while you do some turns. Note where the blade stops acting
as a wing and starts plowing. Practice keeping the rudder in the zone where
it is working for and not against you. Do this until you know where it's at
by how the boat reacts and without looking.


...and while it's pointing into the wind,
it doesn't have as much power to keep the
boat moving forward. That might be the
source of the problem.The second action to execute for coming about smoothly is to sheet in the
sail as you come up.
The feel I believe you want is the resistance -or- tug on the mainsheet. It
should be about the same all the way up to the "no sail zone" (about 20
degrees either side of the actual wind). At this point the sail is nearly
centered and the rudder is positioned to steer you through without slowing
your momentum.  If the rudder brakes your progress or the sail flags, the
boat is likely to stall. As you come out of the zone steer to your new tack
and let the mainsheet out in a quick and controlled manner.

I think when you can execute the standard "About" maneuver smoothly, in any
breeze, without stalling, you can then apply the Roll Tack technique with
just a bit more practice and have great success.


Wayne










-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Neuman [mailto:charles@...]
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 8:53 PM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] tacking


I have been practicing tacking, and I'm a little stumped.

When I go from a starboard tack (the "good" tack) to a port tack, I can
make a pretty smooth tack. I'm working on a roll tack. I'd say I have the
motion down. I'm just a little conservative about it now. That is, I'm not
getting as wet as I should!

Anyway, when going the other way, from a port tack to a starboard tack, I
am more likely to stall. Often I make the tack too slowly to work in
strong winds. (The Sunfish is not symmetrical, and I don't think it points
as high on the port tack. That means while tacking, I have to turn the
boat through a greater angle, and while it's pointing into the wind, it
doesn't have as much power to keep the boat moving forward. That might be
the source of the problem.)

So, while tacking from a port tack to a starboard tack, if I push the
tiller hard, I lose a lot of speed, so that's not a good strategy. If I
ease into it first and then give the tiller a little more of a shove,
sometimes that works. Are there any techniques I should consider? I find
it harder to get the boat to lean to windward, which is what I want during
a roll tack. Should I just hike harder?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Charles Neuman
Long Island, NY

P.S. For those who don't know what a roll tack is, check out the Sunfish
Bible. It explains it with pictures. It's a technique of tacking that is
especially useful for racing.






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Re: tacking

Wayne Carney

#577

Hi Charles,

True the mast sets up some turbulence on Port Tack. I don't think this is
serious enough to make tacking (especially in a good breeze) any different
from one to the other.
[I'd love to see a wind tunnel evaluation to measure just how far reaching
the turbulence goes, however, it can't be much - my sail stays full and
doesn't flutter right up to where it bends around the mast]

From what you've said....

So, while tacking from a port tack to
a starboard tack, if I push the tiller
hard, I lose a lot of speed, so that's
not a good strategy.I think it's important to have the normal "about" maneuver down as second
nature -

The rudder will act as a brake if pushed to far so my first suggestion is to
watch the rudder while you do some turns. Note where the blade stops acting
as a wing and starts plowing. Practice keeping the rudder in the zone where
it is working for and not against you. Do this until you know where it's at
by how the boat reacts and without looking.


...and while it's pointing into the wind,
it doesn't have as much power to keep the
boat moving forward. That might be the
source of the problem.The second action to execute for coming about smoothly is to sheet in the
sail as you come up.
The feel I believe you want is the resistance -or- tug on the mainsheet. It
should be about the same all the way up to the "no sail zone" (about 20
degrees either side of the actual wind). At this point the sail is nearly
centered and the rudder is positioned to steer you through without slowing
your momentum.  If the rudder brakes your progress or the sail flags, the
boat is likely to stall. As you come out of the zone steer to your new tack
and let the mainsheet out in a quick and controlled manner.

I think when you can execute the standard "About" maneuver smoothly, in any
breeze, without stalling, you can then apply the Roll Tack technique with
just a bit more practice and have great success.


Wayne










-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Neuman [mailto:charles@...]
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 8:53 PM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] tacking


I have been practicing tacking, and I'm a little stumped.

When I go from a starboard tack (the "good" tack) to a port tack, I can
make a pretty smooth tack. I'm working on a roll tack. I'd say I have the
motion down. I'm just a little conservative about it now. That is, I'm not
getting as wet as I should!

Anyway, when going the other way, from a port tack to a starboard tack, I
am more likely to stall. Often I make the tack too slowly to work in
strong winds. (The Sunfish is not symmetrical, and I don't think it points
as high on the port tack. That means while tacking, I have to turn the
boat through a greater angle, and while it's pointing into the wind, it
doesn't have as much power to keep the boat moving forward. That might be
the source of the problem.)

So, while tacking from a port tack to a starboard tack, if I push the
tiller hard, I lose a lot of speed, so that's not a good strategy. If I
ease into it first and then give the tiller a little more of a shove,
sometimes that works. Are there any techniques I should consider? I find
it harder to get the boat to lean to windward, which is what I want during
a roll tack. Should I just hike harder?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Charles Neuman
Long Island, NY

P.S. For those who don't know what a roll tack is, check out the Sunfish
Bible. It explains it with pictures. It's a technique of tacking that is
especially useful for racing.

Re: New member w/ cracks

#576

The cracks in the cockpit do go all the way through. One goes down teh 
center.  I believe they got there from ice freezing in there.  The one 
in the hull is  under the cargo compartment in the cockpit.

My plan is to open all teh cracks up to 1/4".  Than slid a piece of 
cardboard, mat and woven roving under that crack and suspend it form a 
wire attached to a piece of wood.  Let that dry, than fill the rest of 
teh way with resin.  If I have time I will use a dremel router to drop 
it 1/16" (have the dremel, just need the router attachment) and than 
finish it off with some gel coat.  I will be using polyester resin, as 
I heard epoxy doesn't adhere to gel coat.  How does that sound?  I 
read in a few places to open the cracks up to 1"... that sounds a 
little large to me.  

Since it is sailing weather now I will wait until winter to do a 
complete gelcoating on the hull.  I have all the tools (compressor and 
Devebliss spray gun, etc).  From what I heard you spray it on, than 
cove rit with some form of wax paper or som sort of spray wax, let it 
dry, than sand out any imperfections, etc.

What is "resin & milled fiber mix"?  Also, I am planning to put one 
inspection port behind teh splash shield and in front of the dagger 
board slip, teh oteh rone I was planning on putting just aft of the 
cargo compartment, but I believe there is a piece of foam there... any 
suggestions on placement of those?


Thanx,
    Chris

--- In sunfish_sailor@..., "Wayne Carney" <wcarney@f...> 
wrote:
Hi Chris,

While trying to manuver the boat to get the water
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer
which put a 1' crack in it directly under the storage
area, which helped greatly in draining the hull.Hmmmmm...., A bit unorthodox, but it's one way to drain a hull.   8^)

If these cracks in the cockpit are splits that go clean through - that is
the glass mat and roving has been broken through, I think you should treat
them as holes and patch accordingly. I say this because they will benefit
from having reinforcement installed beneath the split. This may require that
you actually cut them wider. You are fortunate if the cracks are in places
you can reach after installing an inspection port, such as in the front
corners. You could do a down-and-dirty repair by shoving epoxy putty in the
crack. I just don't think it would last.

Your impromptu drain hole should probably be cut open a 1/4" - enough so
that you can get a roving patch behind it. Then fill with mat shreds and a
resin & milled fiber mix.

My approach to gelcoat over a patch is to first patch with fiberglass right
to the surface. Then I use a Dremel tool with the depth collar/router
attachment and mill bit. I set the depth to 1/16" and route out the surface
of the patched area + 1/4" overlap. This shallow recess gets filled with
gelcoat of the appropriate color. When the gelcoat is sanded smooth and
buffed it blends right in.

You can gelcoat an entire hull. Keep in mind gelcoat is simply colored
Polyester Resin (fiberglass resin). It requires a catalyzed mixture to be
sprayed on -or- a baking booth to set the gelcoat. If you have the
compressor, spray gun, etc. you can DIY. Professional re-coats run in the
neighborhood of $500+. A two-part epoxy marine bottom paint can be used to
repaint the hull instead of gelcoat. $70 for paint + throwaway brushes and
rollers -or- a spray rig if you have one. Least expensive is the pseudo
epoxy (EZ-poxy, etc) enamel bottom paints. They go on easily, but only last
a season or two... $50 paint + equipment. Personally I recommend just
patching, buffing out, and going sailing. If you don't want to apply gelcoat
at all, rename your boat "Spot" and then go have fun.


Wayne




-----Original Message-----
From: vissagoth@y... [mailto:vissagoth@y...]
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 10:11 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] New member w/ cracks


Hello.  I just found this group lastnight researching what to do with
the cracks I have in my sunfish.  It had been sitting out side, in
what I thougth was a covered area since the begining of this past
winter.  Went to move it yesterday and found it was full of water.

The ingress point was two cracks in the cockpit.  One about 4", the
other about 1.5'.  While trying to manuver the boat to get the water
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer which put a 1' crack
in it directly under the storage area, which helped greatly in
draining the hull.

I will be attempting the repair myself.

I have found several writeups on how to repair hole, where you cut it
out than use mat, roving and resin to seal it back up.  But is that to
be used for cracks as well?

Besides the repair I will be installing two inspection ports to help
dry it out.

Also, once I repair the cracks, how do I replace the Gel coat?  Would
it be possible for me to redo all the gel coat on the hull?

-Chris

Re: Pearson-built Sunfish

Mike Lester

#575

--- andyatwater2000 <andyatwater@...> wrote:
   I am looking at a Pearson-built Sunfish (1991),
and have heard 
some dire warnings to 'avoid them like the plague'.
After talking to 
several dealers, they seem to agree that if the boat
is not too heavy 
(as with all Sunfish), and has held up this long, it
should be ok.... 
   Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly
appreciated 

Andy  Atwater 
I had a '91 , in fact it was on of the last batch
built, dealrs screamed that they didn't get enough
boats and they went and stripped the factory of
remaining boats.
It only weighed 108 pounds so it was definitely one of
the lightest Fish ever built. The boat was raced
everyweekend day from Memorial day to Labor day
weekend for 8 years. It was roof top carried on a
bunker rack on a pickup, until I coiuldn't get it
on/off alone and I then purchased a Trailex trailer
any towed it for another 4 years. 
When I sold the boat ithad a couple of spider web
cracks in the gelcoat around the rear of the cockpit
and that was all.
The boat is still in great condition as the new owner
took my advice on caring for it. 
JMHO but any of the Pearson boats can get more damage
than their heavier counterparts from AMF, SUNFISH INC,
or Vanguard, but they by no means are that fragile.
It's mostly mishandling and the owner not wanting to
take responsibility so they blame the builder.




		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish.

tacking

#574

I have been practicing tacking, and I'm a little stumped.

When I go from a starboard tack (the "good" tack) to a port tack, I can
make a pretty smooth tack. I'm working on a roll tack. I'd say I have the
motion down. I'm just a little conservative about it now. That is, I'm not
getting as wet as I should!

Anyway, when going the other way, from a port tack to a starboard tack, I
am more likely to stall. Often I make the tack too slowly to work in
strong winds. (The Sunfish is not symmetrical, and I don't think it points
as high on the port tack. That means while tacking, I have to turn the
boat through a greater angle, and while it's pointing into the wind, it
doesn't have as much power to keep the boat moving forward. That might be
the source of the problem.)

So, while tacking from a port tack to a starboard tack, if I push the
tiller hard, I lose a lot of speed, so that's not a good strategy. If I
ease into it first and then give the tiller a little more of a shove,
sometimes that works. Are there any techniques I should consider? I find
it harder to get the boat to lean to windward, which is what I want during
a roll tack. Should I just hike harder?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Charles Neuman
Long Island, NY

P.S. For those who don't know what a roll tack is, check out the Sunfish
Bible. It explains it with pictures. It's a technique of tacking that is
especially useful for racing.

Re: New member w/ cracks

#573

I'll bet appliance paint would work. It's designed to touch up or repaint
kitchen appliances. It looks really shiny, although the white might be too
white to match well. Not sure if it would stick well, but it might be
worth a try.

Charles

Show quoted text

On Sun, 4 Jul 2004, Gail M. Turluck wrote:
Adding one thing to Wayne's digest on levels of work and expense, a can of
quality white spray paint will do a fine job of coming close to matching
original gel and your "spot" will be less spotty.  Goal number one should be
to spend time in the boat, not working on the puppy!

Gail

~~~/)~~~~/)~~~/)~~~~~/)~~~~~~/)~~
Gail M. Turluck
Sunfish 24186
ISCA Masters Coordinator
USSCA Secretary
USSCA Masters Coordinator
~~~/)~~~~/)~~~/)~~~~~/)~~~~~~/)~~
"Arts is a bridge to walk across to a new life."
"Be prepared to act on your dreams just in case they do come true."
William Strickland, President and CEO, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild,
Pittsburgh, PA

-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Carney [mailto:wcarney@...]
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 1:52 PM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: RE: [sunfish_sailor] New member w/ cracks


Hi Chris,

While trying to manuver the boat to get the water
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer
which put a 1' crack in it directly under the storage
area, which helped greatly in draining the hull.Hmmmmm...., A bit unorthodox, but it's one way to drain a hull.   8^)

If these cracks in the cockpit are splits that go clean through - that is
the glass mat and roving has been broken through, I think you should treat
them as holes and patch accordingly. I say this because they will benefit
from having reinforcement installed beneath the split. This may require that
you actually cut them wider. You are fortunate if the cracks are in places
you can reach after installing an inspection port, such as in the front
corners. You could do a down-and-dirty repair by shoving epoxy putty in the
crack. I just don't think it would last.

Your impromptu drain hole should probably be cut open a 1/4" - enough so
that you can get a roving patch behind it. Then fill with mat shreds and a
resin & milled fiber mix.

My approach to gelcoat over a patch is to first patch with fiberglass right
to the surface. Then I use a Dremel tool with the depth collar/router
attachment and mill bit. I set the depth to 1/16" and route out the surface
of the patched area + 1/4" overlap. This shallow recess gets filled with
gelcoat of the appropriate color. When the gelcoat is sanded smooth and
buffed it blends right in.

You can gelcoat an entire hull. Keep in mind gelcoat is simply colored
Polyester Resin (fiberglass resin). It requires a catalyzed mixture to be
sprayed on -or- a baking booth to set the gelcoat. If you have the
compressor, spray gun, etc. you can DIY. Professional re-coats run in the
neighborhood of $500+. A two-part epoxy marine bottom paint can be used to
repaint the hull instead of gelcoat. $70 for paint + throwaway brushes and
rollers -or- a spray rig if you have one. Least expensive is the pseudo
epoxy (EZ-poxy, etc) enamel bottom paints. They go on easily, but only last
a season or two... $50 paint + equipment. Personally I recommend just
patching, buffing out, and going sailing. If you don't want to apply gelcoat
at all, rename your boat "Spot" and then go have fun.


Wayne




-----Original Message-----
From: vissagoth@... [mailto:vissagoth@...]
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 10:11 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] New member w/ cracks


Hello.  I just found this group lastnight researching what to do with
the cracks I have in my sunfish.  It had been sitting out side, in
what I thougth was a covered area since the begining of this past
winter.  Went to move it yesterday and found it was full of water.

The ingress point was two cracks in the cockpit.  One about 4", the
other about 1.5'.  While trying to manuver the boat to get the water
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer which put a 1' crack
in it directly under the storage area, which helped greatly in
draining the hull.

I will be attempting the repair myself.

I have found several writeups on how to repair hole, where you cut it
out than use mat, roving and resin to seal it back up.  But is that to
be used for cracks as well?

Besides the repair I will be installing two inspection ports to help
dry it out.

Also, once I repair the cracks, how do I replace the Gel coat?  Would
it be possible for me to redo all the gel coat on the hull?

-Chris






If you do not wish to belong to Sunfish_sailor,
you may unsubscribe by sending an email to:

  sunfish_sailor-unsubscribe@...

Please do not send unsubscribe requests directly to the group.


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Re: New member w/ cracks

Gail M. Turluck

#572

Adding one thing to Wayne's digest on levels of work and expense, a can of
quality white spray paint will do a fine job of coming close to matching
original gel and your "spot" will be less spotty.  Goal number one should be
to spend time in the boat, not working on the puppy!

Gail

~~~/)~~~~/)~~~/)~~~~~/)~~~~~~/)~~
Gail M. Turluck
Sunfish 24186
ISCA Masters Coordinator
USSCA Secretary
USSCA Masters Coordinator
~~~/)~~~~/)~~~/)~~~~~/)~~~~~~/)~~
"Arts is a bridge to walk across to a new life."
"Be prepared to act on your dreams just in case they do come true."
William Strickland, President and CEO, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild,
Pittsburgh, PA

Show quoted text

-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Carney [mailto:wcarney@...]
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 1:52 PM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: RE: [sunfish_sailor] New member w/ cracks

Hi Chris,

While trying to manuver the boat to get the water
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer
which put a 1' crack in it directly under the storage
area, which helped greatly in draining the hull.Hmmmmm...., A bit unorthodox, but it's one way to drain a hull.   8^)

If these cracks in the cockpit are splits that go clean through - that is
the glass mat and roving has been broken through, I think you should treat
them as holes and patch accordingly. I say this because they will benefit
from having reinforcement installed beneath the split. This may require that
you actually cut them wider. You are fortunate if the cracks are in places
you can reach after installing an inspection port, such as in the front
corners. You could do a down-and-dirty repair by shoving epoxy putty in the
crack. I just don't think it would last.

Your impromptu drain hole should probably be cut open a 1/4" - enough so
that you can get a roving patch behind it. Then fill with mat shreds and a
resin & milled fiber mix.

My approach to gelcoat over a patch is to first patch with fiberglass right
to the surface. Then I use a Dremel tool with the depth collar/router
attachment and mill bit. I set the depth to 1/16" and route out the surface
of the patched area + 1/4" overlap. This shallow recess gets filled with
gelcoat of the appropriate color. When the gelcoat is sanded smooth and
buffed it blends right in.

You can gelcoat an entire hull. Keep in mind gelcoat is simply colored
Polyester Resin (fiberglass resin). It requires a catalyzed mixture to be
sprayed on -or- a baking booth to set the gelcoat. If you have the
compressor, spray gun, etc. you can DIY. Professional re-coats run in the
neighborhood of $500+. A two-part epoxy marine bottom paint can be used to
repaint the hull instead of gelcoat. $70 for paint + throwaway brushes and
rollers -or- a spray rig if you have one. Least expensive is the pseudo
epoxy (EZ-poxy, etc) enamel bottom paints. They go on easily, but only last
a season or two... $50 paint + equipment. Personally I recommend just
patching, buffing out, and going sailing. If you don't want to apply gelcoat
at all, rename your boat "Spot" and then go have fun.

Wayne

-----Original Message-----
From: vissagoth@... [mailto:vissagoth@...]
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 10:11 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] New member w/ cracks

Hello.  I just found this group lastnight researching what to do with
the cracks I have in my sunfish.  It had been sitting out side, in
what I thougth was a covered area since the begining of this past
winter.  Went to move it yesterday and found it was full of water.

The ingress point was two cracks in the cockpit.  One about 4", the
other about 1.5'.  While trying to manuver the boat to get the water
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer which put a 1' crack
in it directly under the storage area, which helped greatly in
draining the hull.

I will be attempting the repair myself.

I have found several writeups on how to repair hole, where you cut it
out than use mat, roving and resin to seal it back up.  But is that to
be used for cracks as well?

Besides the repair I will be installing two inspection ports to help
dry it out.

Also, once I repair the cracks, how do I replace the Gel coat?  Would
it be possible for me to redo all the gel coat on the hull?

-Chris

If you do not wish to belong to Sunfish_sailor,
you may unsubscribe by sending an email to:

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Re: manufacturing dates

Wayne Carney

#571

Hi John,

I don't know about Lasers. You might try some of the Laser web sites, ie:
  They have always struck me a well built,
but I'm sure there have been variations if you investigate a little.

You can learn on any boat. The basics of sailing are universal. The nuances
of different boats are picked up quickly as you go from one to the other.

I have to say, if you want a simple boat to haul, setup, launch, and sail
the Sunfish beats them all hands down.

From my experience with a multitude of small boats... ranking the ease of
recovery (including re-boarding) from your pick of three: #1 Sunfish, #2
Laser, #3 the 420.

Again, learn on one and you can sail any of them.


Wayne

Show quoted text

-----Original Message-----
From: John [mailto:newtosail@...]
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 7:09 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Re: manufacturing dates

Thanks Wayne.  Do you, or anyone else, know if the same history
applies to the Laser?  I'm finding more of them in my area than
sunfish.  I did a search on this forum & appreciated Gails comments
on the differences between the two.  The stability of the sunfish
appeals to me, but they're not offered here in the sailing program,
where I've signed up (lake temp has finally reached mid sixties!!)
They offer 420s or Lasers.  Also, if anyone has any comment on ease
of recovery after capsize between any of the three boats (sunfish,
laser, 420) i'd be interested.  I have absolutely no doubt that I'll
find out for myself with one of them.

Re: New member w/ cracks

Wayne Carney

#570

Hi Chris,

While trying to manuver the boat to get the water
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer
which put a 1' crack in it directly under the storage
area, which helped greatly in draining the hull.Hmmmmm...., A bit unorthodox, but it's one way to drain a hull.   8^)

If these cracks in the cockpit are splits that go clean through - that is
the glass mat and roving has been broken through, I think you should treat
them as holes and patch accordingly. I say this because they will benefit
from having reinforcement installed beneath the split. This may require that
you actually cut them wider. You are fortunate if the cracks are in places
you can reach after installing an inspection port, such as in the front
corners. You could do a down-and-dirty repair by shoving epoxy putty in the
crack. I just don't think it would last.

Your impromptu drain hole should probably be cut open a 1/4" - enough so
that you can get a roving patch behind it. Then fill with mat shreds and a
resin & milled fiber mix.

My approach to gelcoat over a patch is to first patch with fiberglass right
to the surface. Then I use a Dremel tool with the depth collar/router
attachment and mill bit. I set the depth to 1/16" and route out the surface
of the patched area + 1/4" overlap. This shallow recess gets filled with
gelcoat of the appropriate color. When the gelcoat is sanded smooth and
buffed it blends right in.

You can gelcoat an entire hull. Keep in mind gelcoat is simply colored
Polyester Resin (fiberglass resin). It requires a catalyzed mixture to be
sprayed on -or- a baking booth to set the gelcoat. If you have the
compressor, spray gun, etc. you can DIY. Professional re-coats run in the
neighborhood of $500+. A two-part epoxy marine bottom paint can be used to
repaint the hull instead of gelcoat. $70 for paint + throwaway brushes and
rollers -or- a spray rig if you have one. Least expensive is the pseudo
epoxy (EZ-poxy, etc) enamel bottom paints. They go on easily, but only last
a season or two... $50 paint + equipment. Personally I recommend just
patching, buffing out, and going sailing. If you don't want to apply gelcoat
at all, rename your boat "Spot" and then go have fun.


Wayne




-----Original Message-----
From: vissagoth@... [mailto:vissagoth@...]
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 10:11 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] New member w/ cracks


Hello.  I just found this group lastnight researching what to do with
the cracks I have in my sunfish.  It had been sitting out side, in
what I thougth was a covered area since the begining of this past
winter.  Went to move it yesterday and found it was full of water.

The ingress point was two cracks in the cockpit.  One about 4", the
other about 1.5'.  While trying to manuver the boat to get the water
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer which put a 1' crack
in it directly under the storage area, which helped greatly in
draining the hull.

I will be attempting the repair myself.

I have found several writeups on how to repair hole, where you cut it
out than use mat, roving and resin to seal it back up.  But is that to
be used for cracks as well?

Besides the repair I will be installing two inspection ports to help
dry it out.

Also, once I repair the cracks, how do I replace the Gel coat?  Would
it be possible for me to redo all the gel coat on the hull?

-Chris

New member w/ cracks

#569

Hello.  I just found this group lastnight researching what to do with 
the cracks I have in my sunfish.  It had been sitting out side, in 
what I thougth was a covered area since the begining of this past 
winter.  Went to move it yesterday and found it was full of water.  

The ingress point was two cracks in the cockpit.  One about 4", the 
other about 1.5'.  While trying to manuver the boat to get the water 
out, the hull came to rest on part of the trailer which put a 1' crack 
in it directly under the storage area, which helped greatly in 
draining the hull.

I will be attempting the repair myself.

I have found several writeups on how to repair hole, where you cut it 
out than use mat, roving and resin to seal it back up.  But is that to 
be used for cracks as well?

Besides the repair I will be installing two inspection ports to help 
dry it out.

Also, once I repair the cracks, how do I replace the Gel coat?  Would 
it be possible for me to redo all the gel coat on the hull?

-Chris

AMF AMFLITE 14

treyboy2005

#568

I am seeking information on a boat called the amflite 14. The sticker 
on the hull reads "AMF AMFLITE". The hull and sail is the exact size 
of the sunfish. The cockpit has hiking rails vs straps. Can anyone 
provide any information on this boat?

Thanks in advance

Re: manufacturing dates

John

#567

Thanks Wayne.  Do you, or anyone else, know if the same history 
applies to the Laser?  I'm finding more of them in my area than 
sunfish.  I did a search on this forum & appreciated Gails comments 
on the differences between the two.  The stability of the sunfish 
appeals to me, but they're not offered here in the sailing program, 
where I've signed up (lake temp has finally reached mid sixties!!) 
They offer 420s or Lasers.  Also, if anyone has any comment on ease 
of recovery after capsize between any of the three boats (sunfish, 
laser, 420) i'd be interested.  I have absolutely no doubt that I'll 
find out for myself with one of them.

Re: manufacturing dates

Wayne Carney

#566

Hi John,

Here's a chronology put together by Corpus Christi Sailing Center ( Sunfish
Dealer )

No overlap that I know of, but (correct me if I've got this wrong) I thought
I heard that AMF subcontracted hull fabrication to several independent
fiberglass shops for a time. During that period hull construction varied
widely from under built and flimsy to overbuilt and heavy.

Wayne

Show quoted text

-----Original Message-----
From: John [mailto:newtosail@...]
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 7:54 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] manufacturing dates

I've read the info on identifying the date of a specific hull from
the serial numbers, but is there anything on the exact dates that
alcort, Pearson, Sunfish laser Inc, and Vanguard produced their
boats (i.e: Alcort 1955 thru ____, Pearson 19__ thru ___, ect ? )
And was there ever an overlap?

Source for Old Parts

Wayne Carney

#565

All,

Here's a source for some old (and new) Sunfish Parts 

Old Parts Page

Wayne

manufacturing dates

John

#564

I've read the info on identifying the date of a specific hull from 
the serial numbers, but is there anything on the exact dates that 
alcort, Pearson, Sunfish laser Inc, and Vanguard produced their 
boats (i.e: Alcort 1955 thru ____, Pearson 19__ thru ___, ect ? )
And was there ever an overlap?

Re: Pearson-built Sunfish

Gail M. Turluck

#563

Simply, avoid it like the plague.  If it's in great shape, it's been in a
garage or sat on a rack.

~~~/)~~~~/)~~~/)~~~~~/)~~~~~~/)~~
Gail

~~~/)~~~~/)~~~/)~~~~~/)~~~~~~/)~~

Show quoted text

-----Original Message-----
From: andyatwater2000 [mailto:andyatwater@...]
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 10:03 PM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Pearson-built Sunfish

   I am looking at a Pearson-built Sunfish (1991), and have heard
some dire warnings to 'avoid them like the plague'. After talking to
several dealers, they seem to agree that if the boat is not too heavy
(as with all Sunfish), and has held up this long, it should be ok....
   Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Andy  Atwater

If you do not wish to belong to Sunfish_sailor,
you may unsubscribe by sending an email to:

  sunfish_sailor-unsubscribe@...

Please do not send unsubscribe requests directly to the group.

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  a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:

  b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
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Pearson-built Sunfish

#562

I am looking at a Pearson-built Sunfish (1991), and have heard 
some dire warnings to 'avoid them like the plague'. After talking to 
several dealers, they seem to agree that if the boat is not too heavy 
(as with all Sunfish), and has held up this long, it should be ok.... 
   Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated 

Andy  Atwater

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