Got my first sunfish, also my first boat. I am clueless!

B

bcrowley

New Member
Hello all!

I picked up a sunfish the other day for $100. I cleaned it up and it looks like it is in pretty good shape. I weighed the boat and it comes to 147 lbs with a little water in the cockpit.

Here is a shot:

IMG_1505.jpg



I was wondering if there is anyone in the northern california area who might know anything about these boats. Where is a good place to get a trailer?

What parts should I replace before putting it in the water? (It sat in a barn for 10 yrs)

Does anyone else around here (Sebastopol, Ca area) own any of these?
 
Welcome to the world of Sunfish(es)!

Please post a picture of the spars, sail and rudder as well, so that we can advise you which parts might need to be replaced. Hopefully, not many!
Also look for the hull number (on the stern; right hand side). This can be used to find the age of your boat.

There is a wealth of information on this and other (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sunfish_sailor/) forums and the Internet.

This Forum has a Search feature (in the upper bar) that works well. In addition, read the Sunfish KB & FAQ section and study the topics that are relevant to your situation.

The Yahoo! Groups Sunfish forum is organized differently, but has a wealth of info as well.

Then let's go sailing. There aren't that many Sunfish sailors in California compared to the North East and Gulf Coast areas, but hopefully you can hook up with some in your neck of the woods. Here's a link: http://www.sunfishclass.org/west/blog/
 
bcrowley said:
...What parts should I replace before putting it in the water? (It sat in a barn for 10 yrs)
Click to expand...

One great thing about the Sunfish is how few parts there are! Take a look at the rudder and the tiller to make sure they aren't cracked. Check the pulleys on the boom to see that they're not about to break off. Hopefully your drain plug in the cockpit is still there, but as long as the little plastic ball is in the housing and free to rattle, float and seal the drain you should be ok. Check the pulley on the deck next to the mast's hole to see that it's not about to rip from the deck.

Those are the major points I can think of that will make or break the boat. The sail's clips, the (two!) ropes, the sail itself, the dagger board, the mast... they're all pretty straight forward.

Have fun with it!
 
Maybe two more things: the boom and the yard are connected to each other at one end so inspect that bolt and hte holes it goes through. Also, the boom "connects" to the mast via the gooseneck. Look to see that it's in good shape.
 
Look to see the gooseneck is in good shape means loosen it, move it, and inspect underneath for corrosion, besides deformation of the hardware. Cheers, Winever.
 
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