New Member, New Owner, New Project

clemsparks

New Member
Hi all,

If this isn't the right place to post this, I apologize.

My grandfather gave my cousin and I a Sweet 16 about 15 years ago. We did a whiz-bang restoration on it and sailed it a few times. I decided, having kids, that that was more of a boat than I needed here in MO where we have poor wind and small "lakes."

That boat was languishing at my cousin's place and was sold recently to someone who could potentially restore it or use its few remaining parts.

Fast forward to last week. I posted an ad on the "wanted" section of my local Craigslist that I was looking for a Sunfish, specifically, or something similar.

I received a response from a nice gentleman (who lived 3 blocks from me, coincidentally) that was ready to pass along his abandoned project. So, yesterday, my daughters (7 and 10) and I picked up our "new" sunfish.

IMG_2073.jpg


It has this hole in the hull, which has been there for at least 10 years (while the boat was stored upside down outside).

IMG_2067.jpg


I've been reading up here about drying out a sunfish (I still need to weigh mine, but it feels heavier than I think 120 lbs might feel...so probably needs drying).

The Sail is shot (very discolored/faded with several small holes). It looks like replacements are very cost effective. I'll also be looking for a good used one.

The daggerboard has been partially covered (poorly) in fiberglass. I'm not sure what I'll do about that. I'll post up some photos and get suggestions at some point soon.

I was given this fine link by someone on an automotive board I'm on (thanks grassrootsmotorsports.com!): http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/17.htm. That should help me through the hull repair.

So...that's me for starters. I learned to sail at Boy Scout Camp on similar boats, and really look forward to exploring the small local lakes and giving my girls the opportunity to learn to love to sail!

Thansk for looking!
Clem
 
Dear Clem, Well, indeed, you've found the right place to get advice on your new project. Check out the "Sunfish KB & FAQ" at the top of the Forum page as a great place to learn about your new fish - and how to get started to get it back into fighting shape. Peace!:eek:
 
That sail is probably fine, although you would want to scrub it and try to clean it up. Those small pinholes are common and don't cause any problems. If it does not clean up, the non-official replacements are quite inexpensive. That's a great project. Congrats on getting a boat so quickly and cheaply! BB
 
I am finishing my project this week on a Sunfish clone, a Super-Porpoise. I warn you, I bought this boat three years ago and am just finishing it now! Be more vigilant than I have been.

As I wasn't planning on racing or doing anything than light sailing with my boat, I made the decision to use Marine Bondo to repair a large hole in my boat, and it really looks fantastic. Now that it has all been painted and sealed, you can't even tell there was damage there. I did put a layer of fiberglass strips behind the bondo, as well, so that if it were to break open, I'd at least have partial protection.

Unless you're good with fiberglass, I found the repair strips to be incredibly difficult and infuriating, and I still have clothes with fiberglass resin on them! That of course probably explains the lazy fiberglass work that had been done on my boat before I got it, which I had the joy of cutting/sanding out.

My boat was also completely waterlogged and I would estimate weighed over 350lbs when I bought it. I installed three inspection ports, and then put either a fan or leafblower intake over one of the holes, to help dry it out more quickly.

If you need any help or tips, don't be afraid to ask.
 
Well, I haven't done much yet, but figured I'd show what 10 years will do to a hull sitting outside unattended. Here is the hull after I spent a few minutes with a stiff scrub brush getting all the green gunk off the bottom

IMG_2224.jpg


It's a stark difference, really. The hull is still far from clean, but it gives a bit of inspiration to see it look 1,000% better in just about 10 minutes.

The entire bottom has been scrubbed by now (though I don't have a photo yet of the whole clean bottom).

Little by little...

Clem
 
Well, I haven't done much yet, but figured I'd show what 10 years will do to a hull sitting outside unattended. Here is the hull after I spent a few minutes with a stiff scrub brush getting all the green gunk off the bottom


I'm not sure if it's a kosher method for many of the boaters here, but in that condition, I'd take a power-washer to the thing. You'll have it clean in 10 minutes! I bought one on sale 50% off at my local Meijer store, just an electric one, and have been really pleased with it. Good luck! Looks about the condition my boat was in before I got it.

I should be finished with mine in the next week. Have to pull her off the trailer to go get my trailer weighed before I can get a plate on it, and then I'm going to dump it in a quiet cove without any paint on the bottom yet to make sure it doesn't have any substantial leaks before I paint it.
 
Hey all,

Well...after about a year, I've actually started to do something with the boat. At any given time, I have several projects going...so there probably won't be regular progress updates here (that is to say, there probably won't be steady progress).

Anyway, yesterday I looked over the hull to assess what will be needed.

Here is how the hull looks overall:
IMG_2088.jpg


There are several spots with what appear to be relatively minor damage, like here:

IMG_2090.jpg


Here:

IMG_2094.jpg


and here:

IMG_2095.jpg


Then there is this spot that looks like it needs to be addressed...and it looks a little bit tricky. This is at the back where the deck meets the hul at the transom (rear corner). It seems to have been dropped or crashed or something here:

IMG_2092.jpg


Then there is the main problem area here in the port chine area:

IMG_2089.jpg


For starters, I have taken a cutting wheel to this area and done an initial removal of the bad fiberglass:

IMG_2098.jpg


Inside, the hull is quite wet. I'm not too surprised by this...but it has been sitting inside for a year now (so I thought maybe it wouldn't be completely damp...but it is).

So, the next step is to get some venitilation going. I plan to find a computer cooling fan on freecycle or the like and mount it up in an access port that I'll install.

I can also start prepping the hole for the patch. As much as I'd like to patch from the inside, I just don't think I'll be able to gain sufficient access to it that way. So, I'll likely be patching from the outside. This makes me nervous because I think I'll have a hard time making it look perfect when I'm done. But...that never stopped me from trying before ;)

Clem
 
Hi Clem,

There's posting for a very similar repair on the yahoo sunfish_sailor group site under the title "Our Painted Lady". There are quite a number of pictures posted that detail each step of the repair.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
Hi Clem,
I just finished an 81 sunfish. I cut three ports in mine. I took a cheap box fan, duct taped a plastic yard bag to it and then attached a piece of flexible dryer pipe to the bag. Presto turbo dryer. I taped the duct into the stern port and opened the bow port. The boat dried in about a week.
 
Hi Clem,

There's posting for a very similar repair on the yahoo sunfish_sailor group site under the title "Our Painted Lady". There are quite a number of pictures posted that detail each step of the repair.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Thanks for turning me onto that one! Good photos of the repair process...and yes, very similar to mine!

Something I saw there gave me an idea. My eyes decived me and I thought I saw them using a pool noodle for the interior backer to the patch (it was actuall just the owner using blue sandpaper to rough up the interior). But anyway...I was thinking if I could put something in there as a sacraficial backer...that might work well to support the patch while I lay it up. Now I'm thinking something like a pool noodle, or more probably a length of pipe insulation might sreve the purpose well. Slide it in, glue it on, and lay up over the top of it (after proper prep, or course).

Hmmm...gears are turning in my head.

Thanks again,
Clem
 
cut strip of wood longer to fit over most of hole and glue or screw in place while tied tight
then can place figerglass cloth over wood and patch in in several coats
 

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