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used sunfish experience
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newtosail
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 |
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Gail M. Turluck
As with all hulls, it's salvageable, but depends on your patience and
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ability to fiberglass. Drying it out will take at least the summer. See other postings to learn about how that works. Once you drain it, you can sail it, but then be sure to open inspection ports and be aggressive in your drying efforts. The crack repair would need to be done to slow how quickly water gets into the hull. There's been a lot written about water vapor and penetration into the Styrofoam, and it's all true. You need time and low humidity to cause the water that has been absorbed by the Styrofoam to migrate back out. If you're wanting something for this summer and don't want to have to spend a lot of time babysitting the boat to dry it out, then, yes, I'd keep looking. The advantage with the old boats is they're built with a stiffer mat than that used today. The disadvantage is that the old rudder mounting system also is a leak source, as by now you can be guaranteed that the wood block that backs up the screw into the bottom of the hull has rotted. (I've replaced enough of them, so I know ...) It's likely you can pull it out with your bare hand. It's relatively easy to install an inspection port on the top deck, replace the wood block and seal it with silicone. Then it will be good to go for another 20 years or so. Some people also choose to change to the modern rudder system, but that's become a rather pricey option these days. --G ~~~/)~~~~/)~~~/)~~~~~/)~~~~~~/)~~ Gail M. Turluck Sunfish 24186 -----Original Message-----
From: newtosail [mailto:newtosail@...] Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 9:15 AM To: sunfish_sailor@... Subject: [sunfish_sailor] used sunfish experience 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 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. USEFUL ADDRESSES Post message: sunfish_sailor@... Subscribe: sunfish_sailor-subscribe@... Unsubscribe: sunfish_sailor-unsubscribe@... URL to egroups page: Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Yahoo! Groups Links a.. To visit your group on the web, go to: b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: sunfish_sailor-unsubscribe@... c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. |
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Wayne Carney
Hi John,
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I bought one of those boats. Literally took four people to carry. Like Gail said they take patience to restore. If all else is in good shape the boat may be a worthy investment, but IMHO, not for $500. Mine cost $75 w/o trailer. Given the neglect factor I'd say $150 w/trailer tops! If you keep looking, $500 to $800 should get you a Fish that can be sailed right now today without much more than some ding and dent repair. Wayne -----Original Message----- |
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