Is it worth it to save it??

small lake

New Member
I found this old heap near a church that I have gone to a couple of times and it has been sitting there since 1993!!! because that is when the trailer plate expired
open the doc. and please give me any advice if I should buy it and try to repair it or buy it and sell the parts that are still good
thanks
 

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  • sunfish.doc
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Just realized that the file has about ten pictures. Bow handle and splashguard are in obvious need of repair. Can be done without too much trouble, if you are so inclined. Otherwise, maybe somebody else can save this one from the dump.
Can't judge the rig, but the spars and a sail seem to be part of the package.
 
Trailer is worth at least $75. Hull looks good with the exception of some fiberglass work. Clean it up first and you'll find it's in better condition than it looks. I'd give no more than $100 for the boat and trailer. Why? You'll need a new sail, lines, hardware, access hatches, fiberglass supplies, sandblast and paint the trailer, new tires etc. Hum, sounds just like my Sunfish. Don't get me wrong, it would be a dandy project, just not one where you can make money by fixing it up and selling it. You can look at it two ways, as a "Father/Son/Hobby/Challenge project" of which there is no better or as that miss-enchanting and deceiving "Free Boat" offer which becomes the nautical version of a Tar-Baby.
In short, come on. . . do it, it deserves to be put right.

P.S. The first thing to do is acquire a secret workshop the wife does not know about. Then put the secret boat and secret trailer in the secret workshop. Always make sure the secret workshop has a secret fridge filled with secret beer.
 
Hi, I am am just wondering what part of the boat the image on page 6 is from. I am curious to know since I just picked up my first boat, and it happens to be sunfish, but I don't recognize the part of the boat on page 6.

Thank you very much.
 
I don't recognize the part of the boat on page 6
That's the storage cubby at the rear of the footwell ... a close-up shot that's been turned upside down.


buy it and try to repair it or buy it and sell the parts that are still good
This boat has all the earmarks of being a 1971, for whatever that piece of info is worth.

My first question would be, what's it weigh? And, is it full of water ... if so, then what does it weigh after the water is drained. Next, is it home to any critters or creepy crawlers? A spider or two wouldn't be much concern, but a nest of something could be.

Answers to both these questions help determine if extensive inner hull work might be called for. Drying is relatively easy and not to involved, but nesting insects or mice can chew up the foam floats and since these pieces also supply support to the deck and bottom they are desirable to have intact. That level of restoration could present more of a challenge than the average hobby repairs.

IMHO, I would not pay for this boat. At best I would offer to haul it away for free and get some compensation from the parts or the love of a good project. Unless you have lots of experience or time or both, as a project, I predict this boat wouldn't set sail until next season.

I concur, the sail is probably shot. It will likely shred at the slightest tug. The spars are questionable at this point too, having been laying on the damp ground and the bailer appears to be beyond help.

The daggerboard looks like the "Shadow" style. Though it's not easy to say for sure from the photo, that would fit with the year. The shadow design was FUBAR from day one and should never be duplicated. The design to follow for making a replacement would be the Barrington style.

I'd estimate you'll invest $400 - $500 plus whatever the trailer needs to get this boat back on the water. For comparison, it's a good bet you can find a boat ready to sail for the same monetary outlay.

If you do take it for parts, don't overlook the deck trim. You can't ship that stuff, but there may be someone local to you who needs a section.
 
I agree, good "haul away" project. Looks like it was dropped and dragged on bailer. Most likely need to replace fiberglass in bailer location and redrill for new one. This resembles my Sunfish that I got from a coworker. It too sat outside for 14 years. For such a simple boat, it's a long project when everything need replacement. If that boat was in my area I'd snatch it up and file it away as another future project. You could get some good bragging rights if you returned it to like new condition and posted pictures.
 
I agree with Wayne, spend $400.00 to $500.00 for a Sunfish that is ready to sail this summer. If this was a boat of some historical significance I could understand going to great lengths to restore her, but that ain't the case here. This could be the mini version of Elizabeth Meyers zillion dollar restoration of the J-class yacht Endeavour which was miraculously reborn from some original ribs and binnacle, nothing more.
 
Maybe fix it enough to be a display for a tacky seafood restaurant or some thing like that...

-Erik
 
Even if you were to get it for free, that is not a project you'll make money on. But it'd still be less than a new fish.

What that boat will do is teach you how to fix everything on it which will save you a panic attack or few in the future should it get damaged again. And nothing on that boat is a big deal, really. It's mostly elbow grease and labor. Of course, pictures are a limited source of info about that boat.

You could restore it and feel good about saving yet another neglected fish. If you really busted your ass, it could be ready for this season (unless there's extensive damage not visible from the outside), but most likely it'd be ready for next year.

I'd ask them about it and, if you are, tell them you're looking for a project and saw their boat. Maybe they tried to sell it in the time before craigslist and didn't have much luck and forgot about it.

Don't let the dirt and grime make an impression on you. To assess it, pick it up, press on it...maybe with latex gloves on. :p

If you can get it for dirt cheap, even if the hull is toast, perhaps you have a cheap set of spare mast and spars.
 
Less than a new fish, but excluding time spent in repair, maybe more than a $600 one ready to go, here's my logic.

For $600 you can get a nice boat ready to go, however, for $600 does it have this. . .

New sail
New snap rings
New lines
New Center Board and Rudder
Inspection ports, boat dried and ready to go
Hull sealed and pressure tested

What you don't get from this restore . . .

A hull that looks like new unless you really know you're fiberglass repair and gel coat skills. I'm nut sure what happened to the bow, the gel coat is missing or the fiberglass delaminated and broke away? Almost looks like a foam block is stuffed in bow.

Anywho, that's where my free hull only is after about $500. I'll admit the 71 hull shows its age. Now I have a bunch of Zero time parts. And a nifty new Niel Pryde sail who's funky Hula colors look like a mash-up between Jimmy Buffet and Walt Disney.
 
Finding a $500-$600 Sunfish that is in good shape may not be easy. Depends on where you live, among other things.

They are out there, the good deals, just got to look and be patient. I have bought two (2) 70's boats in separate deals in very good condition with new unofficial sails for a total of $700.

The first one was so fun we had to get another to spar with. :)

-Erik
 
From what I can see, the bailer is metal and that will almost certainly be frozen after 16 years and will need to be replaced. The sail is probably in bad condition as well, and may have been chewed by our woodland friends in some places. The dirt and grime on the hull will probably come off pretty easy. Overall, it's certainly a project and I wouldn't pay more than $20 for it.
 
"P.S. The first thing to do is acquire a secret workshop the wife does not know about. Then put the secret boat and secret trailer in the secret workshop. Always make sure the secret workshop has a secret fridge filled with secret beer."

first of all, it would be under my deck. Secondly I am fourteen years old(not old enough for beer)
I will have all the time in the world this summer and also I have an older friend who works on sunfish at camp and had worked on planes(fiberglass)
 
Good to someone young take an interest in restoring a boat. Not a lot of kids today have the skills or mechanical aptitude of yesteryear. Sounds like you have picked a worthy project. You might also look into the Minimax and Minimost hydrofoils as a future project.

I've learned a lot of the fun things learned when I was young return later in life. My father taught me to sail, summers at the lake don't ya know. Then it was college, girls cars, and marriage. Sailing and boating was kind of gone like Puff the Dragon. Now after many years I have a son and I"m going to teach my son how to sail this summer. Gotta get the Sunfish finished. It will be the fourth one I've sailed. I sailed one at summer camp, my Uncle had one, my Father had one. Always seems to be a Sunfish popping up in my life every now and then. Hope you enjoy sailing one as much as I do.
 
"P.S. The first thing to do is acquire a secret workshop the wife does not know about. Then put the secret boat and secret trailer in the secret workshop. Always make sure the secret workshop has a secret fridge filled with secret beer."

first of all, it would be under my deck. Secondly I am fourteen years old(not old enough for beer)
I will have all the time in the world this summer and also I have an older friend who works on sunfish at camp and had worked on planes(fiberglass)


1.) Kudos for tackling a project instead of playing video games.
2.) Kudos for attempting (if not accomplishing) to learn a skill.
3.) Kudos for not typing in text message format.

:cool:
 
I am just starting work on a "free" Sunfish that I was given last year; by the time I had the space in the basement workroom the snows had come. :( My boat seems to be in slightly better shape, water in the hull and I need to seal the splash guard (I think that's were the water is getting in) and clean her up.

My working theory is to get her ready for the water if not for racing this year, then keep working to improve the boat. I think the boat in the pictures needs more work, but it depends on what you are looking for. If it is a boat for puttering around in, that's a different and more realistic prospect than a contender for the next Class championship.
 
I can't open the document on my Mac. It must be in a format that I can't read. So I have no idea what is looks like.

Here is my 2 cents. Try to get it for free. If you don't want to repair it, then strip off the good parts.

I have two friends looking for coamings, one looking for an old style rudder mount (The part that attaches to the boat). Plus it is always nice to have a spare rig. I've been looking for one myself to set up for racing.

Not every boat is worth bringing back. On the other hand, if parts from this boat can help bring back another boat, then it is worth grabbing just for the parts. A few minutes with a sawsall will chop up the hull, or perhaps your dump will take it whole. A sunfish is small enough that you could break it down and put it out with your trash.

The trailer is probably worth fixing, and either keeping or selling. These are always in demand.
 
to minifish and Webfoot
I love sailing the three times i have and i dont write in txt form because i am cheap and dont have a phone; my dad literally took away my video games(he took the whole tv and put it out in the basement because of a C in math); and my parents make me pay for anything i want to get , the max they will help pay for it is 25%, so yea i have to have many skills in order to get jobs around the hood to get money
any thing i want i work for it
 
I managed to open the file.

It looks like a crappy job painting the bottom that would sand right off. Use a random orbital with 150 grit to start. You may want to use 100 grit to start. Hand sand the curved parts and then switch to a finer girt to see what the gelcoat looks like.

The bailer looks like a toss out. About $45 for a new one. The bow handle is the only obvious problem area besides the assumed water weight.

It might be worth saving. I agree with the other, offer to take it away to dispose of it. Or a token about like $40. It is probably not worth much over that, when you estimate the restoration costs.

I like the red cockpit. I haven't seen one of those.
 

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