Wow; that looks really bad!
Who made that sail?
-----Original Message-----
From: Jay W Kenty jaywkenty@... [sunfish_sailor]
To: sunfish_sailor
Sent: Tue, Jul 30, 2019 7:59 pm
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Sunfish Sail Help
?
I replaced my sail a couple of years ago with a sail that seemed too stiff and papery.? Now my fears have turned out to be true.? Despite carefully rolling the sail to prevent creases when stowed, it? developed a number of splits, and now the tack has torn away. I want to get a new one, but I want to avoid the same kind of material, and get one that feels like cloth. Can someone recommend what kind to get? Pics posted.
Thanks,
Jay Kenty
New Hampshire
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Re: Issues and questions rigging a new boat - hardware placement on boom, attaching sail
Steve,
Just wanted to say thanks for making these videos. I watched both the original and updated rigging videos when I first bought my Sunfish. They were a huge help for a newbie like me and I¡¯m glad I have the chance to thank you directly.
- John
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That sail is dry rotted from sun exposure. Most sail materials will be fine if they are not stored in the sun.
To find a softer material, look for a vintage 5 panel sail like this one:?
Very few true cloth sails exist, the only ones we have seen were on 1950s Sailfish and Sunfish.
Cheers Kent
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I replaced my sail a couple of years ago with a sail that seemed too stiff and papery.? Now my fears have turned out to be true.? Despite carefully rolling the sail to prevent creases when stowed, it? developed a number of splits, and now the tack has torn away. I want to get a new one, but I want to avoid the same kind of material, and get one that feels like cloth. Can someone recommend what kind to get? Pics posted.Thanks, Jay Kenty New Hampshire
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Re: Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
?
On Sunday, July 28, 2019 04:49:58 PM dsigno01@... [sunfish_sailor] wrote:
> My mini sunfish has taken on a great deal of added weight. I took off the
> plug and drained a ton of water out of it but it is still too heavy for me
> to drag from the water onto my beach. Any ideas why this is happening and
> any ideas for a solution? I tried putting 2 sets of skateboards down wheel
> side up and rolling the boat over them- which worked for a couple of
> years- but now even that¡¯s not working!
The basic problem is that the foam in the hull gradually absorbs water over
the years that will not drain out -- you have to basically evaporate it.
You can find various suggestions as to how to do that on this list or the file
section of this list, one approach is to cut inspection ports in both ends of
the deck (such that you can install a reclosable port over them eventually)
and then do something like turn the hull upside down, put it in a fairly warm
location (perhaps exposed to the sun) and then run a small fan (I've used a 12
volt fan as is used in (home) computer cooling applications) to move air
through the hull.
It may take up to a year to get enough water out to get the weight down to
(almost) the original weight.
You don't want to pull the hull apart and try to replace the foam, although it
could be done, it is a difficult job.
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Re: Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
?might help until you make the necessary repairs.? The price is for one and you'll need two.? But you'll probably hear from others to save that money and spend it on repairs ASAP. ?My mini sunfish has taken on a great deal of added weight. I took off the plug and drained a ton of water out of it but it is still too heavy for me to drag from the water onto my beach. Any ideas why this is happening and any ideas for a solution? I tried putting 2 sets of skateboards down wheel side up and rolling the boat over them- which worked for a couple of years- but now even that¡¯s not working!
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Re: Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
Leaking at the deck/hull seal, or inside the daggerboard trunk, I'm guessing. ? If you don't want to tear down the boat for repairs until the season's over, maybe shoot some flex seal into the slot (it comes in clear) and keep sailing. ?Overnight, if the boat has access ports, blow air into and thru them to help dry the foam. If you have an old shop vac you don't care about, the blower from that will be speedier but also very noisy, best done away from neighbors.
For moving it, you can use 2-3 dock fenders as rollers. ?I also use harbor freight movers dollies sometimes; two of them attached to a ?2x4 make a rolling cradle for my boats.
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Re: Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
?might help until you make the necessary repairs.? The price is for one and you'll need two.? But you'll probably hear from others to save that money and spend it on repairs ASAP.
?
My mini sunfish has taken on a great deal of added weight. I took off the plug and drained a ton of water out of it but it is still too heavy for me to drag from the water onto my beach. Any ideas why this is happening and any ideas for a solution? I tried putting 2 sets of skateboards down wheel side up and rolling the boat over them- which worked for a couple of years- but now even that¡¯s not working!
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Re: New sail for Mini Sunfish
Are you looking for a mini fish sail? I have new one for $150, three colors to choose from. With window and stainless steel grommets.
On Sunday, July 28, 2019, 4:32 PM, dsigno01@... [sunfish_sailor] wrote:
?
Any recommendations for where I can purchase a new sail for a mini sunfish? The last one I bought was from Intensity Sails and it did not hold up at all. I¡¯ve only had it a few years and it keeps getting new rips in it.
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Re: Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
On Sunday, July 28, 2019 04:49:58 PM dsigno01@... [sunfish_sailor] wrote: My mini sunfish has taken on a great deal of added weight. I took off the
plug and drained a ton of water out of it but it is still too heavy for me
to drag from the water onto my beach. Any ideas why this is happening and
any ideas for a solution? I tried putting 2 sets of skateboards down wheel
side up and rolling the boat over them- which worked for a couple of
years- but now even that¡¯s not working! The basic problem is that the foam in the hull gradually absorbs water over the years that will not drain out -- you have to basically evaporate it. You can find various suggestions as to how to do that on this list or the file section of this list, one approach is to cut inspection ports in both ends of the deck (such that you can install a reclosable port over them eventually) and then do something like turn the hull upside down, put it in a fairly warm location (perhaps exposed to the sun) and then run a small fan (I've used a 12 volt fan as is used in (home) computer cooling applications) to move air through the hull. It may take up to a year to get enough water out to get the weight down to (almost) the original weight. You don't want to pull the hull apart and try to replace the foam, although it could be done, it is a difficult job.
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Re: Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
On 7/28/19 4:49 PM, dsigno01@... [sunfish_sailor] wrote: My mini sunfish has taken on a great deal of added weight. I took off
the plug and drained a ton of water out of it but it is still too
heavy for me to drag from the water onto my beach. Any ideas why this
is happening and any ideas for a solution? I tried putting 2 sets of
skateboards down wheel side up and rolling the boat over them- which
worked for a couple of years- but now even that¡¯s not working! See for information on drying out the foam inside the hull. The files are mostly for full-size sunfish, but the techniques remain the same. - George
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Re: New sail for Mini Sunfish
On 7/28/19 4:32 PM, dsigno01@... [sunfish_sailor] wrote: Any recommendations for where I can purchase a new sail for a mini
sunfish? The last one I bought was from Intensity Sails and it did
not hold up at all. I¡¯ve only had it a few years and it keeps getting
new rips in it. How much time did the sails spend in sunlight? - George -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- When I remember bygone days George Dinwiddie I think how evening follows morn; gdinwiddie@... So many I loved were not yet dead, So many I love were not yet born. also see: 'The Middle' by Ogden Nash ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Re: New sail for Mini Sunfish
We have a New Old Stock Minifish sail for sale on ebay. It is in beautiful shape, never used and only recently was it even removed from the packaging for photos. Red White and Blue
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Re: Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
The foam blocks inside your boat may be absorbing water. You should try to dry them out in the off season and fix any leaks.
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Re: Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
I'm guessing the foam inside is waterlogged.? I picked up a free minifish, and I think it weighed over 150lbs when I got it.? Some people say you can dry them out by cutting inspection ports and blowing warm air through over the winter.? I had a hole to repair in this minfish anyway, so I took out all the waterlogged foam and put in new foam.? I'm not done with it yet, so I can't recommend that anyone else try it.? It's quite a bit of work.? But it is down to about 80 lbs now.??
On Sunday, July 28, 2019, 07:46:10 PM EDT, dsigno01@... [sunfish_sailor] wrote:
?
My mini sunfish has taken on a great deal of added weight. I took off the plug and drained a ton of water out of it but it is still too heavy for me to drag from the water onto my beach. Any ideas why this is happening and any ideas for a solution? I tried putting 2 sets of skateboards down wheel side up and rolling the boat over them- which worked for a couple of years- but now even that¡¯s not working!
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Re: New sail for Mini Sunfish
Neil Pryde Sails - //www.neilprydesails.com/shop/mini-fish
On July 28, 2019 at 3:32 PM "dsigno01@... [sunfish_sailor]" <sunfish_sailor@...> wrote:
?Any recommendations for where I can purchase a new sail for a mini sunfish? The last one I bought was from Intensity Sails and it did not hold up at all. I¡¯ve only had it a few years and it keeps getting new rips in it.
?
?
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Sailboat getting too heavy to pull up on beach
My mini sunfish has taken on a great deal of added weight. I took off the plug and drained a ton of water out of it but it is still too heavy for me to drag from the water onto my beach. Any ideas why this is happening and any ideas for a solution? I tried putting 2 sets of skateboards down wheel side up and rolling the boat over them- which worked for a couple of years- but now even that¡¯s not working!
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New sail for Mini Sunfish
Any recommendations for where I can purchase a new sail for a mini sunfish? The last one I bought was from Intensity Sails and it did not hold up at all. I¡¯ve only had it a few years and it keeps getting new rips in it.
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thanks for your encouragement :-)? ----------------------------------------- From: "Bill Miranda bill.miranda@... [sunfish_sailor]" To: sunfish_sailor@... Cc: Sent: Friday July 26 2019 1:19:10PM Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Re: Minifish for sale
?
Looks like a reasonable price to me, but I¡¯ve already got one. ?You might also post at?
Good luck!
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Re: Issues and questions rigging a new boat - hardware placement on boom, attaching sail
Here is a link to a video I produced:?. I'm told it is the most watched video on how to rig a Sunfish with over 122,000 views.
A second video discusses some alternate rigging choices, such as for higher winds and when two people want to sail on the boat:??
I hope you enjoy them and that they answer some of your questions.
Steve
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Signal Charlie
Steve King