'84 AMF Sunfish with bad deck

splash07s

New Member
Just picked up a hull, mast, and spars for $20. Everything seems great except the deck is cracked in a few places and the bow is pretty beat up. I will try to get some pictures up soon. The metal strip that holds the deck and hull together was missing as well. But hey for 20 bones I can sell the deck hardware and triple my money so I thought it was a good investment.

can the deck be removed for repairs? I need to fix the cracks and reattach the stripping on the seam to make sure it does not leak.
 
Don't take the deck off! Post some pictures here of the damage and we can post some ideas on how to fix it without removing the deck. Removing the deck is unneeded 99% of the time. There are simpler ways of fixing things and those of us on the board can help out. BB
 
Like BB said, Don't take the deck off! Look at the Sunfish Pickin Perdido Beach thread to get some ideas and my Facebook page. You can get replacement trim also. Good luck!
 
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are those screws or rivets holding the deck edges together ? I have a '63 who's stern was nearly that bad... took a few attempts to make supports under the deck to hold the repairs... West epoxy can be your friend.
 
Those are the rivets that were left in the boat when the PO ripped the rub rail off. I am planning on using a good bit of west epoxy too.
 
Rec:
Sand the putty on the bottom
Backer plate for the deck crack, then epoxy or marine tex
Build bow back up with marine tex, it has structural properties

Have fun!
 
Pressure wash everything, then decide on your repair options. I drug one home that looked similar to that a few years ago and now it is my number three sunfish. It is ship shape and most of the mold came right off. Enjoy!
 
While not recommended, you can split the deck/hull seam with a blade and gently pry apart with a putty knife. This is how the highly skilled factory trained AMF employees used to do foam replacement and ruder conversions. Will a 30 year old deck stand up to that, who knows? Only separate what is needed, not the whole deck. Then buy a bunch o clamps and epoxy to seal back up.
My pick was immaculate compared to yours, but I think I win on the deck damage :) I was able to slide in a backer plate, epoxy it in then smooth it with marine tex.
Where did you find that critter?
 

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Once you do all your repairs, you would want to spiff it up. I use a water based spray on polish called Nanotech Wow. My 1980's sunfish look's great.
 

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