Garrett12
Member
Greetings All,
I would like to first start off by thanking everyone that helped me through this project as it was my first restoration. It would have been MUCH more difficult without the assistance of all of you and this forum. I began working on it on July 17, 2013 in hopes of finishing before my family vacation starting August 8, 2013. I was able to complete it in time; however, next time I would leave myself more time as I worked day in day out to account for drying times etc.
PICTURES:
http://s1168.photobucket.com/user/garretteagle1/library/1971 Sunfish Sailboat Restoration
I began work on refinishing the dagger-board first while I awaited the arrival of parts and supplies. I removed the 8 screws holding the handles on as well as the "spring plate." I then sanded the board using 80, 100,150, 220, and 400 grit sandpaper removing the old finish and smoothing it out. I used a electric sander at first then finished with hand sanding. I coated it with 3 coats of Minwax Helmsman Urethane (Clear Gloss). Polished the brass and got new screws and assembled.
Next began the preparations on the hull by first removing all of the hardware, trim, and bailer (I installed a new style one because the old one was seized up). I removed the trim by drilling out the heads of the rivets, being careful not to drill all the way through, and used a paint scraper to lift the trim over the little bit of rivet that stuck up. The bailer was a pain in the bum to remove but eventually came out with lots of grinding (adding water to keep it cool and not harm the fiberglass).
After the hardware was removed I began work on the repair spots on the bottom of the hull. I used a grinder with a flap sander attachment to carefully grind down the problem areas. Some areas required some fiberglass but most were fixed with Marine-Tex. The areas fixed with Marine-Tex were cleaned with acetone first. Then I applied the Tex using a combination of a paint scraper and a Popsicle stick. After it was applied it was smoothed by wetting a finger and rubbing it smooth. Once dry the spots were sanded and additional coats were applied as needed. There was a spot on the bow and a hole in the stern that required some fiberglass. The one on the stern I applied a couple pieces on the inside and outside let dry and finished it off with marine text to get it nice and smooth. The one on the bow was a bit trickier. Because I had no access to the inside of the hull (in that area) I used some landscaping expanding foam to create a backing for to be able to apply the fiberglass to. I cut away a small amount of the foam and inserted the fiberglass, and again finishing off with Marine-Tex and sanding. The same process was used on the deck of the hull.
Once I was happy with the repairs the entire hull (and coaming) was sanded to remove the gel-coat using 100, 150, 220, and 400 grit sandpaper. I also sanded out the dagger-board trunk, no repairs were required here; however, there was a lot of "gunk" from a previous owners "repair" (I used Velcro to take up the slack in between the daggerboard and trunk)
Next began preparations for primer and paint. I debated between gel-coating and painting for a while and eventually decided to paint. I used Rustoleum's Painters Touch Primer and applied 2 coats to the top and bottom (if I had more time I would recommend 3) using the roll and tip method sanding in between coats with 400 grit sandpaper. After allowing ample time to dry two coats of Rustoleum's Marine Topside Semi-Gloss Paint was applied; again, using the roll and tip method. I used the painters touch spray paint to paint the stripes (I picked my own color scheme) and coaming.
All of the deck hardware, the bailer, coaming, and the trim was put back on and voila!
Well I hope this helps. I know I'm missing a few steps in there so feel free to ask questions and leave feedback.
Regards,
Garrett
Original Post:
http://sailingforums.com/threads/repair-help.28955/
I would like to first start off by thanking everyone that helped me through this project as it was my first restoration. It would have been MUCH more difficult without the assistance of all of you and this forum. I began working on it on July 17, 2013 in hopes of finishing before my family vacation starting August 8, 2013. I was able to complete it in time; however, next time I would leave myself more time as I worked day in day out to account for drying times etc.
PICTURES:
http://s1168.photobucket.com/user/garretteagle1/library/1971 Sunfish Sailboat Restoration
I began work on refinishing the dagger-board first while I awaited the arrival of parts and supplies. I removed the 8 screws holding the handles on as well as the "spring plate." I then sanded the board using 80, 100,150, 220, and 400 grit sandpaper removing the old finish and smoothing it out. I used a electric sander at first then finished with hand sanding. I coated it with 3 coats of Minwax Helmsman Urethane (Clear Gloss). Polished the brass and got new screws and assembled.
Next began the preparations on the hull by first removing all of the hardware, trim, and bailer (I installed a new style one because the old one was seized up). I removed the trim by drilling out the heads of the rivets, being careful not to drill all the way through, and used a paint scraper to lift the trim over the little bit of rivet that stuck up. The bailer was a pain in the bum to remove but eventually came out with lots of grinding (adding water to keep it cool and not harm the fiberglass).
After the hardware was removed I began work on the repair spots on the bottom of the hull. I used a grinder with a flap sander attachment to carefully grind down the problem areas. Some areas required some fiberglass but most were fixed with Marine-Tex. The areas fixed with Marine-Tex were cleaned with acetone first. Then I applied the Tex using a combination of a paint scraper and a Popsicle stick. After it was applied it was smoothed by wetting a finger and rubbing it smooth. Once dry the spots were sanded and additional coats were applied as needed. There was a spot on the bow and a hole in the stern that required some fiberglass. The one on the stern I applied a couple pieces on the inside and outside let dry and finished it off with marine text to get it nice and smooth. The one on the bow was a bit trickier. Because I had no access to the inside of the hull (in that area) I used some landscaping expanding foam to create a backing for to be able to apply the fiberglass to. I cut away a small amount of the foam and inserted the fiberglass, and again finishing off with Marine-Tex and sanding. The same process was used on the deck of the hull.
Once I was happy with the repairs the entire hull (and coaming) was sanded to remove the gel-coat using 100, 150, 220, and 400 grit sandpaper. I also sanded out the dagger-board trunk, no repairs were required here; however, there was a lot of "gunk" from a previous owners "repair" (I used Velcro to take up the slack in between the daggerboard and trunk)
Next began preparations for primer and paint. I debated between gel-coating and painting for a while and eventually decided to paint. I used Rustoleum's Painters Touch Primer and applied 2 coats to the top and bottom (if I had more time I would recommend 3) using the roll and tip method sanding in between coats with 400 grit sandpaper. After allowing ample time to dry two coats of Rustoleum's Marine Topside Semi-Gloss Paint was applied; again, using the roll and tip method. I used the painters touch spray paint to paint the stripes (I picked my own color scheme) and coaming.
All of the deck hardware, the bailer, coaming, and the trim was put back on and voila!
Well I hope this helps. I know I'm missing a few steps in there so feel free to ask questions and leave feedback.
Regards,
Garrett
Original Post:
http://sailingforums.com/threads/repair-help.28955/
