Hello all: I am new to this forum and sailing in general, although I know a bit about boatbuilding. Am looking at a used 1972 Sunfish that appears sound (no hull damage and all hardware well bedded), although there is some water sloshing around inside the hull, and the foam is wet when examined via the aft inspection port. Is this a deal-breaker in terms of the foam absorbing too much water, and are there common spots where the water could be entering? Again, there are no visible cracks or other areas where water could enter. Thanks in advance for your advice!
Buying an Old Sunfish
- Thread starter zane grey
- Start date
minas man
Member
Hulls and foam can be dried out by installing multiple inspection ports and the use of fans. It is a common problem and a HVLP pressure test with a bubble soap solution will determine the source of the leak. You need to weight the boat to see how much water is in it.
The correct weight would be in the 120-130 range.
Is it a deal beaker? It depends on the price and or your willingness to fix the hull. Could be a way to knock the price lower.
Tons of info in the form about drying out hulls and finding leaks so do a search.
><> Minas man <><
The correct weight would be in the 120-130 range.
Is it a deal beaker? It depends on the price and or your willingness to fix the hull. Could be a way to knock the price lower.
Tons of info in the form about drying out hulls and finding leaks so do a search.
><> Minas man <><
Alan Glos
Active Member
If there is water sloshing around inside the hull, it is leaking somewhere. The usual areas are the deck/hull joint, the daggerboard trunk, the mast hole or cracks in the cockpit tub.
If you buy the boat, get it cheap and then install another deck port aft of the splashrail and go to this Forum's FAQ section for instructions on how to dry out the interior of the hull. Then do a leak test (see FAQs) and fix the leak. An easy check for mast hole leaks: level the hull deck side up and fill the mast hole with water and see if it drains down.
Weigh the boat before you buy it. Just get an accurate bathroom scale and balance the boat on its side on the scales. A dry 1972 hull should weigh about 135 lbs. plus or minus a few pounds. If the boat weighs over 150 lbs, it will take a long time to dry and you may never get it down to minimum weight. That said, you can still have a lot of fun day sailing an overweight Sunfish - it just a pain to handle when launching or car topping.
Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
If you buy the boat, get it cheap and then install another deck port aft of the splashrail and go to this Forum's FAQ section for instructions on how to dry out the interior of the hull. Then do a leak test (see FAQs) and fix the leak. An easy check for mast hole leaks: level the hull deck side up and fill the mast hole with water and see if it drains down.
Weigh the boat before you buy it. Just get an accurate bathroom scale and balance the boat on its side on the scales. A dry 1972 hull should weigh about 135 lbs. plus or minus a few pounds. If the boat weighs over 150 lbs, it will take a long time to dry and you may never get it down to minimum weight. That said, you can still have a lot of fun day sailing an overweight Sunfish - it just a pain to handle when launching or car topping.
Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
Thank you very much for the quick response. Extremely helpful information. As I don't really have a lot of time to devote to drying out the hull, it may well be a deal breaker. Now that I think about it, the daggerboard trunk may be the culprit, as there seemed to be a rough edge when i felt around with my hand inside the lower trunk. At any rate, the advice and suggestions have been very helpful, and I will no doubt be checking in with this forum as I continue my search.
minas man
Member
Here is an article that will help you find the right used Sunfish.
http://www.windline.net/buysf.htm
><> Minas man <><
http://www.windline.net/buysf.htm
><> Minas man <><
Zane Grey, all good advice here. One other thing you may want to do is trip the boat on either side to be sure the foam blocks are still attached and not banging a round loose inside the hull. That fix is a bit more difficult and I would pass on a boat like that....except I already bought it. Cheers Win ever.
And BTW, the KB and FAQ, plus Yahoo Sunfish Groups have an amazing amount of info.
And BTW, the KB and FAQ, plus Yahoo Sunfish Groups have an amazing amount of info.
[email protected]
Member
Don't get caught up thinking you can't get the boat dried out. Mine had no inspection ports when I bought it. I installed three, one bow, one behind the splash rail and one at the stern. I vaccuumed a bunch of water out with a wet-vac and then using a box fan and dryer duct (connected duct to the box fan with a black plastic trash bag between the two) dried the boat in about a week. I'm sure with good sunshine and warm weather it would have dried even faster.