Alex Strohm
New Member
Hello all,
I just purchased the 1981 Sunfish you see below, with rigging and the trailer, for 300 dollars. She is my first sailboat. I have some sailing experience from when I was younger (I am 25 now) but purchased this to get back into it.
The hull has no apparent soft spots, weight is around 135. The boom has a slight bend in it, probably from an impact, but it is not kinked (not shown). The sail is in fair shape, but should last for the season (not shown). The lines seem to just be hardware store white nylon cording, and may need to be replaced soon. The daggerboard and rudder/tiller are in ok shape, but will need to be refinished.
On to the hull, there is a fair amount of spidering, with some deeper cracks along the chine, some near the rear of the cockpit, and gouges at the base of the storage area and along the edge of the cockpit.
There is also what appears to be an impact on the starboard side, which has dented the alum rail and caused the chipped gelcoat.
In addition, some of the cracks on the chine appear to have been sloppily repaired, and I tried to show that in the picture.
There is also a series of circular spider cracks along the middle of the hull, but from what I have read, that is common among boats of this age.
Also, the handle at the bow appears to be misaligned, and has some pitting.
The trailer seems to be in fair shape. It does not appear to have springs however.
I have taken her out several times, and she appears to be in fine form, aside from the dagger board vibrating when I start going fast.
Since the boat is not overweight by much, I don't think there are any immediate leaks.
So, I am looking for input on the course of action for repairs/upgrades/etc.
Should I install inspection ports? I figure I would put one between the slashguard and board trunk, but want to make sure I can access the area that was hit on the starboard side if needed.
I am figuring I will have to take off the alum rail on the starboard side and check the damage, fixing any leaks and repairing the fiberglass there. What is the best way to go about doing this?
Is it worth attempting to repair the gelcoat and try to get back to original? Or is it safer/smarter to just go with repainting the boat? If that is the case, should I just sand down the boat/spidered areas, and fill the gouges with tex before painting? I was looking at Interlux Brightside for both top and bottom, with an accent line or two.
All the deck hardware is firmly connected, so I don't think anything needs to be replaced.
What about the trailer? Is it worth sprucing up, or should I just try to pick up a used jetski trailer on craigslist?
With the rudder and dagger board, do they seem to be the correct dimensions? I don't want to use any putty to reshape them if possible, because I like the look of the natural wood. I can search the forums for a how to on refinishing them.
Anything else I am missing?
Thanks in advance for any advice, I am getting excited anticipating how great she is going to look this summer.
Alex
I just purchased the 1981 Sunfish you see below, with rigging and the trailer, for 300 dollars. She is my first sailboat. I have some sailing experience from when I was younger (I am 25 now) but purchased this to get back into it.
The hull has no apparent soft spots, weight is around 135. The boom has a slight bend in it, probably from an impact, but it is not kinked (not shown). The sail is in fair shape, but should last for the season (not shown). The lines seem to just be hardware store white nylon cording, and may need to be replaced soon. The daggerboard and rudder/tiller are in ok shape, but will need to be refinished.
On to the hull, there is a fair amount of spidering, with some deeper cracks along the chine, some near the rear of the cockpit, and gouges at the base of the storage area and along the edge of the cockpit.
There is also what appears to be an impact on the starboard side, which has dented the alum rail and caused the chipped gelcoat.
In addition, some of the cracks on the chine appear to have been sloppily repaired, and I tried to show that in the picture.
There is also a series of circular spider cracks along the middle of the hull, but from what I have read, that is common among boats of this age.
Also, the handle at the bow appears to be misaligned, and has some pitting.
The trailer seems to be in fair shape. It does not appear to have springs however.
I have taken her out several times, and she appears to be in fine form, aside from the dagger board vibrating when I start going fast.
Since the boat is not overweight by much, I don't think there are any immediate leaks.
So, I am looking for input on the course of action for repairs/upgrades/etc.
Should I install inspection ports? I figure I would put one between the slashguard and board trunk, but want to make sure I can access the area that was hit on the starboard side if needed.
I am figuring I will have to take off the alum rail on the starboard side and check the damage, fixing any leaks and repairing the fiberglass there. What is the best way to go about doing this?
Is it worth attempting to repair the gelcoat and try to get back to original? Or is it safer/smarter to just go with repainting the boat? If that is the case, should I just sand down the boat/spidered areas, and fill the gouges with tex before painting? I was looking at Interlux Brightside for both top and bottom, with an accent line or two.
All the deck hardware is firmly connected, so I don't think anything needs to be replaced.
What about the trailer? Is it worth sprucing up, or should I just try to pick up a used jetski trailer on craigslist?
With the rudder and dagger board, do they seem to be the correct dimensions? I don't want to use any putty to reshape them if possible, because I like the look of the natural wood. I can search the forums for a how to on refinishing them.
Anything else I am missing?
Thanks in advance for any advice, I am getting excited anticipating how great she is going to look this summer.
Alex