First question...

[Steve in Idaho]

My "freefish" is a '64. It looks as old as it is. Someone (previous owner) did what looks like a pretty good patch job on some major hull damage (fiberglass cloth & resin - looks to be holding well), but it needs refinished. BTW, the hull weighed in at about 125lbs.

Before I put this boat in the water, I will need to fix a crack on the inside of the cockpit, repair a stripped-out backing for the handle, refinish the hull, refinish the wood parts (which are otherwise perfect), replace the sail, bridle, and all cordage.

Keeping in mind that I don't want this to turn out ridiculously expensive (just safe to sail, for now), what would be a good material list for refinishing this hull?

 

[supercub]

Steve,

For fixing the Bow Handle, check out Sailing Texas, http://www.sailingtexas.com/chowtoresetboweye.html. This can also be applied to any item that is screwed into WOOD backing blocks (provided that the blocks haven't fallen into the hull). If the block has fallen in, time to install an inspection port. A 6" behind the splash guard and a 5" in the stern will allow you to reach any backing point (except for the bow handle).

As for refinishing the hull, I'll defer to those who have painted the Hull, Do a search in the forum and you should get plenty of results. There was a member who did a very nice job on his SF and had pictures of it (I think it was last year).

If you do not want to paint, check the class home page, Tips and Tricks section and the are guide lines for gel coat repair and general smoothing of the hull. Good Luck.

 

[supercub]

Steve,

Do a search for "Bottom Paint Recomendations". 12 responses, dphoye explains how he did his SF and it looks good.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Thank you Supercub! Just what I needed, and that should keep me busy for a while...

 

[Gail]

If you've got a hull that's 125 lb., I would think twice about painting it. That's racing weight! Besides, I've seen more than one beautifully painted and restored Sunfish brought out to sail and/or race, and the process of rigging, launching and retrieving has put scratches into the beautiful new finish, and I've never seen the boats again. While gel is a little harder to work with, it takes a little more abuse, too. Rather you face reality now than have a shiny beauty that isn't after sail #1.

Do you want it "beautiful?" Do you want a functioning boat that sails? Do you have patience that it's worth it to you to re-gel? All things to weigh.

Refinishing the wood will make it beautiful. Unless you sail somewhere where you'll never go aground, that too will get some knocks ... Not a biggie, but it will happen. It's worth it to refinish it as it makes it last longer.

If you go to FAQ you'll find lots of answers for your replacing questions and dimensions. Go to Wind Line Sails web site for lots of great how to's on fixing glass and parts. For more info go to Sunfish_sailor page on Yahoo! You could spend the whole summer reading all the info there!

Have fun with your project. If you're not going to race, get a knockoff sail. If you're going to race, get the racing sail, new. If you're going to race, you'll want the new daggerboard, too.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Thanks for the response, Gail. Unfortunately, upon further inspection, it looks like someone already painted it at one time, then the one fiberglass patch on the hull was applied over the paint. It looked like it was holding, but I just peeled it off with a putty knife. underneath it was a three-sided crack with some kind of gray filler, about four inches per leg. Not very pretty. I'll try to post a pic as soon as I get time.

Looks like time to get out the router! What the heck - I can't make it worse...

 

[Gail]

Bummer! They CAN all be saved, just depends on if you want to put in the time and work. Hope it goes well.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I forgot to answer a couple of your question, Gail. All I want is for the boat to sail. Looking good will only be incidental, if at all. I do have the patience to work with gelcoat. I've done a (very) little work with it in the past. And I have worked with fibergalss before - although it was a little over 30 years ago, when I built a pretty decent Kayak while I was in high-school (that was stolen a few years later ).

If my attachments came through all right, you can see what I'm up against. That's the worst spot on the boat - and, oh yeah - that's a *four* sided crack. Most of the rest is nicks and scratches - with the exception of the bow-handle thing, which I have read about repairing (I can handle that).

I poked and prodded the hull extensively, and it's pretty much rigid - except both sides of the bottom, about from the rear of the centerboard slot to about 2' forward. That part flexes some. Other than that - looks like I have to remove what's left of a paint job before I can coat it.

I have tools and the room to work on it, and no real rush. All other parts look usable but the sail, line, and bailer. Now I just have to decide whether this will go over the cost of what it's worth.

In the mean time, I'll be in the hills for Labor Day weekend, then I will attack the crack with a router upon return...

Thanks for y'all's input so far!

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Finally got a chance to start work on the fracture. Opened it up a bit with a roto-zip and inspected some more. I can see that the foam blocks are indeed loose in that general area (top&bottom, actually). The fracture has caused some delamination about 2" either direction from the source. I've eliminated most of that with what I've done already, but deciding how far to go at this point.

Biggest hangup I see, besides the foam blocks, is that the fracture has caused the hull to deform a little around it (bulging out around the wound), and I don't know if I'll be able to eliminate all of that without opening it up pretty drastically.

Anyway - I haven't given up yet! Photos below...