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I could see that happening on a boat as old as mine, absolutely...but Kevin's boat is a 2003. I would hate to see that happen in a 3 year old boat. I agree that the only way to be sure is pressure-test it. Kevin, please update us on this because it will probably happen to me in the future!

Kevin, is it possible that there is a slow leak somewhere in the daggerboard trunk? Niko is right...when I did my bailer last week, I found solid fiberglass. No way for the water to get into the hull from there, barring something really unusual. Any chips on the hull that might wick water...

I thought I was out of irons...I had come around to the port tack and was trying to fill the sail and gather steerageway. I guess not. The boat did move backwards/sideways a bit (always amusing), so there's no arguing it. Maybe part of my problem was I expected the boat to point higher than...

OK, everyone...I need some honest opinions. Last week I wrote about some difficulty I had when sailing my '68 fish for the first time. The boat sailed well at first, then stalled upwind and would not respond to helm. It just seemed to stop sailing. When I (eventually) got back to shore, I...

I will be attacking this issue tomorrow. I have some materials already. I think I know exactly where the problem lies. On a more positive note, I have a lead on a new (to me) sail, so I will be soon retiring the original 1968 Ratsey. I wonder if I can auction it on ebay as "antique...

Hi all, I took the Old Fish on her maiden voyage today. I went to a local lake, primarily so I did not have to deal with a tidal flow if I had problems. Launch and rig went fairly well, but the winds were not cooperative. In fact, they barely showed up. They were very faint, puffy, and...

It's the soft condition of the sail I am worried about. Good weather is expected tomorrow, so looks like I will find out. I found one of those collapsible paddles that fit in the cockpit, just in case. Actually, I expect I can still go to windward, but not as closely as I would like. I...

I will post about sail performance tomorrow. Supercub has provided info that leads me to the conclusion that this is a Ratsey & Laphorn sail, original to the boat, from 1968. I hope I won't be sailing with it in the long term...it seems almost like a Sunfish artifact of some sort!

Supercub, that is the sail I have. If you see my post about repairing the sail. The white (now gray and stained) sail has two stripes, red and blue, about 2 inches wide, at the head. The R&L logo is long gone, but it fits the description. I will therefore presume this is the original 1968...

I found something yesterday that I had to share with the group. It may not be news, but I discovered the existence of clear Duct Tape (made by 3M). It works really well as a sail repair tape! I knew it was available in colors, but the clear tape appears to be new. The sail on the Old Fish...

Hi All... I have done some digging into the age of my new Old Fish, and can narrow it down to 1965-1968. There are stripes on the hull, which first appeared in '65, but no AMF logo, which appeared in 1969 (according to the files on the yahoo group). The problem is that the Alcort...

I finally did it...brought home a late 60's vintage Fish today. I'm very pleased, as the rudder conversion has already been done, and the boat is dry! She needs a good compounding and maybe a re-do of a hull patch, but dang, I'm pleased with it... Only drawback is the sail...it is utterly...

Check craigslist.org for Virginia and Washington DC, then do a search for "sunfish". See what you find. There is a longer season there, so there may be more for sale a bit farther north. Persevere and you will succeed. Drying one hull is doable, but undertaking two might be more than anyone...

Matt, as I said before...I'm afraid that the only recourse you have available to you is negative feedback. I hate to say this, but you fell into one of the many pitfalls of ebay (and I say this with experience as a buyer and a seller). Bidding frenzies happen all the time, and the mistake was...

Michael, I'm just going to pull an answer out of you-know-where here and say tape it up and go for it. Round off the corners of the patches so they don't pull up in the wind, and patch both sides of the larger holes. It's getting late in the season where you live, so why drive yourself nuts...

B, if it as saturated as you say it is, there really is no other choice. You could get by with 2 ports, probably. Sail and be of good cheer.

Eric, I couldn't get the link to work, but I believe I am familiar with the boat. I corresponded with the prior owner about it. If I'm correct, you will need a rig. I couldn't tell (and neither could the seller) if the mast was a Sunfish mast, but the main and booms are definitely not. There...

Check the Vanguard site again. I know there are listings on how long the main halyard and main sheet should be...diameter, etc. They recommend non-stretch line, available at West Marine and other chandleries. Get a snap-shackle or other fitting to clip the mainsheet to the traveler. Tie the...

Soggy, I tried to say something similar, but I was a little more gentle. I can't argue with your assessment one bit. When you spell it out that way, it's pretty blunt. Of course, there is no way to chase this thing down with an attorney. I don't think the seller intentionally violated ebay...

John, congrats on the boats. I absolutely have to look on the Vineyard myself. I live in Cotuit, so it really is no big deal to come over. Drop me a note if you run across another sunfish. By the way, if you follow the new Cape Cod board on Craigslist, under "free" is a guy on Nantucket...