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Hi John,

If it's too windy for your 9 year old to handle the main and pull

then he's just not ready for sailing in that much wind. As kids

get stronger, they are ready more and more for challenging

Physical strength stays fairly well in line with ability to handle

conditions and the boat in standard set up. If he learns with the

he'll always expect it. If there's a chance he'll race, it's

learn the "right" way and grow with it.

The traveler block was standard for a short time. My 2000 boat did

with one. I don't think it's worth the expense. If you try to use

sheave to make the 3:1 and have the bail on the block serve to

and forth on the traveler wire, the probability is high that it

at some point and the metal of the bail will cut the heavy plastic

on the wire. Right after that will come breaks in the traveler

they're "only" $15, but those $15's add up pretty quick!

I tie a bowline with a tiny loop around the traveler wire and it

and forth freely. It's bad enough the mainsheet often gets caught

the back corner of the transom of the boat ... Having the traveler

catch could be more trouble.

My two cents! I always vote for K.I.S.S. (that last one is

--Gail

I must admit that the performance was a
little of a let-down,

The PO was not much of a sailor and surely
did not have things tuned properly.

...self bailer had become a 'self swamper'

There were some decent puffs heeling us pretty well...
I feel that we never skimmed the surface properly.

My son took the tiller for the first time and we
flipped just a few moments later. It was actually
good for him to experience a capsize...

Breaking down was a real snap compared to a Hobie.

Comments and questions...

The brass ring on the lower spar seemed to ride up pretty high on
the mast.... Where should the mainsheet normally be connected on
the upper spar to give me the best sail angle for recreational sailing?

In the Hobie, when a gust hits I crank down pretty hard on the
mainsheet to flatten the sail out pretty well as speed increases
and the boat accelerates immediately. On the sunfish, this seemed
to slow the boat down. Comments?

I found the mainsheet required more effort than I had anticipated
to sheet in under load. My son would have a real hard time sailing this
boat alone the way we were sailing her. Am I trying to hard to flatten

point to close to the wind?

I have a wooden dagger board. Should it be inserted with the straightest
edge forward and the tapered edge to the stern, or the other way?

The rudder had a strong tendency to turn to weather. I'm used to a more
neutral helm. Is this typical?

My sail is pitifull, having several small holes in it and the
consistancy of a bed sheet. I know that I need to replace it if I want

performance, so a good recreational sail is in my future.

I have a shorter mast that I got with the boat. I haven't
measured yet, but can anyone tell me what length of a standard Sunfish

I may be using the wrong one.

When pointing fairly high, should the boom spar be sheeted in til
it's close to the leeward edge of the transom, or am I sheeting in too

My bridle wire is frayed badly.
Should I replace it with an original type cable
wire, or should I upgrade to the rope type
with a travelling block like I've seen they use
on later boats?

-----Original Message-----
From: John Campbell [mailto:jkcjohn@...]
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2003 8:24 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] first sail


Hi gang!

I finally got out on the sunfish this past Saturday!
Having sailed nothing but a Hobie 18 the last several years, I must admit
that the performance was a little of a let-down, but I think
there is room
for improvement. The PO was not much of a sailor and surely did not have
things tuned properly.

The day started out picture perfect. There was a pretty steady
breeze and
warm air and water temperatures made for some fine sailing
conditions. My 9
year old son and I put the boat in the water at the ramp and his first
comment was "dad, it's full of water". I quickly discovered that
the self
bailer had become a 'self swamper' without the floating ball
there to seal
off the water from filling the cockpit. We sailed awhile with
the cockpit
half full, knowing that this was certainly not ideal. There were some
decend puffs healing us pretty well from time to time, dispite our 240 +
water ballast. There was a definite bow wave ahead of the boat
whenever we
got going good, so I feel that we never skimmed the surface properly. My
son took the tiller for the first time and we flipped just a few moments
later. It was actually good for him to experience a capsize
since that has
always been his biggest fear on the Hobie. I was able to right
the boat in
moments and off we went. We took a break at the swimming beach after
sailing a few decent runs across the lake and I fashioned a screw-in plug
out of a piece of drift wood I found by the beach. This actually sealed
quite well and improved the performance a bit, but we still never really
seemed to skim the surface like I think the sunfish should, and like I
recalled doing several years ago with a high school chum.
Breaking down was
a real snap compared to a Hobie. I was loaded up and ready to
roll before I
finished my cold brewski! I liked that for sure. We plan to take it out
again next weekend.

Comments and questions...

The brass ring on the lower spar seemed to ride up pretty high on
the mast.
I figure it to be about 4 feet off of the deck, but I didn't
measure. Where
should the mainsheet normally be connected on the upper spar to
give me the
best sail angle for recreational sailing?

In the Hobie, when a gust hits I crank down pretty hard on the
mainsheet to
flatten the sail out pretty well as speed increases and the boat
accelerates
immediately. On the sunfish, this seemed to slow the boat down.
Comments?

I found the mainsheet required more effort than I had anticipated
to sheet
in under load. My son would have a real hard time sailing this
boat alone
the way we were saling her. Am I trying to hard to flatten the sail and
point to close to the wind?

I have a wooden dagger board. Should it be inserted with the straightest
edge forward and the tapered edge to the stern, or the other way?

The rudder had a strong tendancy to turn to weather. I'm used to a more
neutral helm. Is this typical?

My sail is pitifull, having several small holes in it and the
consistancy of
a bed sheet. I know that I need to replace it if I want decent
performance,
so a good recreational sail is in my future.

I have a shorter mast that I got with the boat. I haven't
measured yet, but
can anyone tell me what length of a standard Sunfish mast is? I may be
using the wrong one.

When pointing fairly high, should the boom spar be sheeted in til
it's close
to the leeward edge of the transom, or am I sheeting in too tight?

My bridle wire is frayed badly. Should I replace it with an
original type
cable wire, or should I upgrade to the rope type with a travelling block
like I've seen they use on later boats?

Thanks in advance for everyone's help and comments you might have.

John C
Hobie 18
Sunfish
Lou, Ky

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I have a Windflite 14..... There is no aft storage
compartment and it would be difficult to add hiking
straps.

-----Original Message-----
From: ted schleappi [mailto:tedyvw1@...]
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2003 9:01 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Re: Windflite 14


I have a Windflite 14 and yes it is almost a Sunfish. Some of the
drawbacks are Sunfish racing clubs won't let you join/race.
There is no aft storage compartment and it would be difficult to
add hiking straps. Other than these things the boat is a blast.
I am not sure about $1,000.00 unless there are no bumps/scrapes
and the trailer is in perfect condittion. There are always great
buys on e-bay. I keep seeing Sunfish for less than $1,000.00.
There are also newer boats available as well
Anyway...my two cents.

I have a Windflite 14..... There is no aft storage
compartment and it would be difficult to add hiking
straps.

-----Original Message-----
From: ted schleappi [mailto:tedyvw1@...]
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2003 9:01 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Re: Windflite 14


I have a Windflite 14 and yes it is almost a Sunfish. Some of the
drawbacks are Sunfish racing clubs won't let you join/race.
There is no aft storage compartment and it would be difficult to
add hiking straps. Other than these things the boat is a blast.
I am not sure about $1,000.00 unless there are no bumps/scrapes
and the trailer is in perfect condittion. There are always great
buys on e-bay. I keep seeing Sunfish for less than $1,000.00.
There are also newer boats available as well
Anyway...my two cents.

I have a Windflite 14..... There is no aft storage
compartment and it would be difficult to add hiking
straps.

-----Original Message-----
From: ted schleappi [mailto:tedyvw1@...]
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2003 9:01 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Re: Windflite 14


I have a Windflite 14 and yes it is almost a Sunfish. Some of the
drawbacks are Sunfish racing clubs won't let you join/race.
There is no aft storage compartment and it would be difficult to
add hiking straps. Other than these things the boat is a blast.
I am not sure about $1,000.00 unless there are no bumps/scrapes
and the trailer is in perfect condittion. There are always great
buys on e-bay. I keep seeing Sunfish for less than $1,000.00.
There are also newer boats available as well
Anyway...my two cents.

Some of the drawbacks are Sunfish racing
clubs won't let you join/race.

I can understand a "one design" race being closed to non-one design boats.
That's what one design is all about. Just like you can't run a non-NASCAR
racer at a NASCAR event. However, I would think that there would be some
open class races that you could participate in. I own a Holder 14 and

isn't even a class for that boat so _any_ competition I enter has to be

enough to accept the recognized handicapping system to allow me to

Some of the drawbacks are Sunfish racing
clubs won't let you join/race.

I am not sure about $1,000.00 unless there are
no bumps/scrapes and the trailer is in perfect condition.

-----Original Message-----
From: ted schleappi [mailto:tedyvw1@...]
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2003 9:01 AM
To: sunfish_sailor@...
Subject: [sunfish_sailor] Re: Windflite 14


I have a Windflite 14 and yes it is almost a Sunfish. Some of the
drawbacks are Sunfish racing clubs won't let you join/race.
There is no aft storage compartment and it would be difficult to
add hiking straps. Other than these things the boat is a blast.
I am not sure about $1,000.00 unless there are no bumps/scrapes
and the trailer is in perfect condittion. There are always great
buys on e-bay. I keep seeing Sunfish for less than $1,000.00.
There are also newer boats available as well
Anyway...my two cents.