Hi Everyone....:)

baddarryl

New Member
I just traded for a very nice 7 7 Sunfish for pennies on the dollar. It was practically free and came with everything needed to sail including life jackets, cleaning stuff, gloves and all. I am very stoked. I had regular use of a friend's years ago and am happy to have this now for my kids and I. It must have a leak as I drained about 2 gallons out of it yesterday. This is a great forum and I have been reading about how to deal with that. I once had the opportunity to restore and sail a Canadian Olympic yacht and also spent several weeks on a motor sailor in Indonesia once. I know this Sunfish doesn't compare to that, but I will say I am very excited to be taking her on my maiden voyage this weekend. I look forward to learning a lot from you guys. Thank you, Darryl
 
It must have a leak as I drained about 2 gallons out of it yesterday.
That's a lot of water, but a natural rate of condensation can accumulate in a Sunfish—especially one stored in a humid climate with large temperature swings.

If the Sunfish was stored on a leveled trailer, water soaking into internal foam—making the boat heavier than ~130 pounds—might have been avoided. (And you still may be OK). :)
 
Thanks. As far as I can tell it was kept in a garage, but we are in Coastal SE North Carolina which is very humid and temps swing from hi 90's to 20 in winter. It also took a ton of rain when i transported it home upright. I put a tarp over it asap, but I bet it rained an inch that hour. Good thinking. I am going to take her out and we what we get.
 
I just traded for a very nice 7 7 Sunfish for pennies on the dollar. It was practically free and came with everything needed to sail including life jackets, cleaning stuff, gloves and all. I am very stoked. I had regular use of a friend's years ago and am happy to have this now for my kids and I. It must have a leak as I drained about 2 gallons out of it yesterday. This is a great forum and I have been reading about how to deal with that. I once had the opportunity to restore and sail a Canadian Olympic yacht and also spent several weeks on a motor sailor in Indonesia once. I know this Sunfish doesn't compare to that, but I will say I am very excited to be taking her on my maiden voyage this weekend. I look forward to learning a lot from you guys. Thank you, Darryl
Good luck. Where do (or will) you sail?
 
Well, I finally got to take her out today. On a local lake with NE winds about 10 with 15 gusts. Learned a few things for sure. 1. Took my daughter and did not give her a run down first as she was a last minute addition. 2. I have a small tear about 1 inch and a pin hole in the sale. 3. I must get better transport as we had to carry it 200 feet to the water (she is 14). 5. Launch and mooring were a little stressful especially as the winds slacked before dark. 6. It was fun as crap.
Maiden%20Voyage%2020160925_zpsdtgjaec9.jpg
 
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Well, I finally got to take her out today. On a local lake with NE winds about 10 with 15 gusts. Learned a few things for sure. 1. Took my daughter and did not give her a run down first as she was a last minute addition. 2. I have a small tear about 1 inch and a pin hole in the sale. 3. I must get better transport as we had to carry it 200 feet to the water (she is 14). 5. Launch and mooring were a little stressful especially as the winds slacked before dark. 6. It was fun as crap.
The pinhole can be stopped with a liquid-stitching product. ($6) The tear should be addressed, as it will surely spread. Proper Dacron sail-tape is easily cut to any shape, and available in different colors. Depending on where the tear is, it might be a clever spot to glue a "tell-tail". :)

I'm not sure I can help with your transporting situation. Personally, I drag my Sunfish—solo—across grass. Wet grass is better, and I use a very "fat" nylon line to pull—by hand or by truck. Do a search (upper-right corner) for "dolly".
 
I must get better transport as we had to carry it 200 feet to the water (she is 14). 5. Launch and mooring were a little stressful especially as the winds slacked before dark. 6. It was fun as crap.
If you are moving it across grass/gravel/pavement, my home-made PVC dolly works really well.
Across sand it less ideal, but it works better now that I've built a handle as well.
minifish on pvc dolly.JPG
 
That is awesome. What size pipe did you use and what did you use for an axle? Looks like the thing for me. Also what did you use for the rails for the boat to rest on?
 
That is awesome. What size pipe did you use and what did you use for an axle? Looks like the thing for me. Also what did you use for the rails for the boat to rest on?
You can download a .pdf of the plans I made for it here: https://my2fish.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/sunfish-pvc-dolly1.pdf
And the plan for the handle is here: https://my2fish.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/sunfish-pvc-dolly-handle.pdf
I wrapped the rails with pipe insulation, held in place with zip ties. I ordered fat foam tires online, you can probably get by with something cheaper from a hardware store or Harbor Freight if you don't have much sand to deal with. The axle size will depend on the hub of the tires you purchase, so I'd figure that part out first.
 

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