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Check Norcalsail's thread with extra support plugged into the trailer hitch.
The box spring maybe?Don’t know what you would tie the boat to if you use a mattress.
I have to drive on a parkway about 60 miles. I only have a sedan but I have. Friend with a Chrysler Town and Country and I’m wondering if it would fit inside.I got some good laughs out of these replies! You really have several options. You don’t tell us how far you have to travel or what kind of vehicle you have, if you have a roof rack or if you have a hitch... so a bit more info would help narrow these options.
Am I checking that I can lift it to make sure it isn’t water logged? That may be a problem; I could barely lift a mini fish with help. Is there another way to tell? And do you suggest loading it stern or bow first into the SUV ? Also, to what would we attach the rope or bungees to secure it?The Sunfish is 14’ long and about 3’ 9” at the widest point. Measure the space in the Chrysler. If the back seat goes down and you have proper ropes/ratchets/bungees and padding, plus a red towel or pillowcase for safety you should be good to go. You probably don’t want more than 3’ hanging out the back. Drive in the daylight. If the Chrysler isn’t big enough rent a UHaul, as Signal Charlie suggested. They really don’t cost much and it might give you better peace of mind. Be sure you and one other can lift and move the hull, otherwise pass on the boat. Safety first, good luck and keep us posted!
There is no trailer hitch on the SUV.Here's Norcalsail's post that Coastal Redneck is referring to where he shows pictures of how transported his Sunfish in the bed of his truck before he got a trailer.
- Andy
how do you keep the boat and sail from sliding off the back of the truck?View attachment 34558
Picture loaded in my pickup as promised.
You were asking whether to load bow or stern first, I prefer to load the bow first as it is the widest and the bulk of the weight.
I doubt you can fit the boat in a town and country.
If you don’t know anyone with a pick up, renting a truck/trailer may be you best option. Especially if you feel lifting the boat may be an issue for you.
how do you keep the boat and sail from sliding off the back of the truck?
Your "spotter" in the car behind you, probably would tell you, should that happen.how do you keep the boat and sail from sliding off the back of the truck?
If you look closely at the picture you’ll notice a foam block under the spars/mast, this and a couple of bungees creates enough friction to hold them in place.I
There is no trailer hitch on the SUV.
how do you keep the boat and sail from sliding off the back of the truck?
I spoke with a guy who does sailboat repairs. He seemed to think water is permeating my hull and it would need a special finish all over which would cost more than another boat. I would love to just keep my mini- I love it.Have you asked the seller about possible delivery? Even if it costs you $50 or so, it sounds like it would be much easier for you. I always offer to help my buyer secure the boat, but not every seller is comfortable with that, I suppose. If the seller can’t deliver and you don’t have a friend to help with a vehicle that can hold a Sunfish you might want to start a new thread with how to dry out and find the leak in your Minifish. The Mini is a great boat. If you can’t turn yours over it must be waterlogged- should only weigh 90 lbs. But it can be fixed and we can guide you through the repairs- a very rewarding project.
Otherwise, this may not be the Sunfish for you. You live on a lake- keep your eye out for one you can SAIL home!
That is extremely unlikely unless you have sanded all the gelcoat off the boat and then sanded away part of the fiberglass too!! You need to do a leak test. It’s simple and has been explained on here. It’s likely just one or two places where the leak has developed.I spoke with a guy who does sailboat repairs. He seemed to think water is permeating my hull and it would need a special finish all over which would cost more than another boat. I would love to just keep my mini- I love it.
Each time I go out on the water, my hull fills with water. I have to take out the screw from the drain hole and water pours out of it for anywhere from 15 minutes to a half an hour. I told him this and he said this happens to older sunfish and it would have to be re-coated, which costs more than another boat. He gets paid to fix sailboats, so I dont' know why he would say that if he could make money with my boat. I can't drill inspection ports in my boat by myself- I definitely don't have that kind of skill, so I would need to hire someone and this guy is all there is near me.That is extremely unlikely unless you have sanded all the gelcoat off the boat and then sanded away part of the fiberglass too!! You need to do a leak test. It’s simple and has been explained on here. It’s likely just one or two places where the leak has developed.
Each time I go out on the water, my hull fills with water. I have to take out the screw from the drain hole and water pours out of it for anywhere from 15 minutes to a half an hour. I told him this and he said this happens to older sunfish and it would have to be re-coated, which costs more than another boat. He gets paid to fix sailboats, so I dont' know why he would say that if he could make money with my boat. I can't drill inspection ports in my boat by myself- I definitely don't have that kind of skill, so I would need to hire someone and this guy is all there is near me.
There is a hole in the boat somewhere - his theory does not hold water, so to speak. There is absolutely no way that amount of water is seeping thru the hull itself. Either he does not want to fix your boat or he is clueless.
There is a perfectly good chance a port would not be needed for the fix. The first step is to find the leak. You should find the hull vent hole and tape it over. Then make up a bucket of soapy water. Then blow air into the drain vent and soap the seams of the boat, the bailer area, the daggerboard trunk and draw a bubble over the mast hole. Also soap any hardware. The soap will bubble where the holes/hole are/is. You don’t want to put too much pressure in the hull as you can pop the seams, but given how badly your boat is leaking youlll need decent pressure. And the bubbles will be obvious given how badly the boat leaks. Let us know where it’s leaking and we on the boat d can provide advice on fixing it. You could go to your repair guy and show him where the leak is too to see if he wants to fix it or not.
Sunfish newer than 1989 or so came from the factory with a strap. You’ll have to install one on older boats.
I don't know what the hull vent hole is....perhaps a minifish does not have one? And is the drain vent the little hole with the screw in it where the water pours out? Also, what would you use to blow the air into such a small hole?There is a hole in the boat somewhere - his theory does not hold water, so to speak. There is absolutely no way that amount of water is seeping thru the hull itself. Either he does not want to fix your boat or he is clueless.
There is a perfectly good chance a port would not be needed for the fix. The first step is to find the leak. You should find the hull vent hole and tape it over. Then make up a bucket of soapy water. Then blow air into the drain vent and soap the seams of the boat, the bailer area, the daggerboard trunk and draw a bubble over the mast hole. Also soap any hardware. The soap will bubble where the holes/hole are/is. You don’t want to put too much pressure in the hull as you can pop the seams, but given how badly your boat is leaking youlll need decent pressure. And the bubbles will be obvious given how badly the boat leaks. Let us know where it’s leaking and we on the boat d can provide advice on fixing it. You could go to your repair guy and show him where the leak is too to see if he wants to fix it or not.
Sunfish newer than 1989 or so came from the factory with a strap. You’ll have to install one on older boats.