Petrel
Member
A few days ago, I got a pre-71 Sunfish that had been stored, unwanted on it's side next to a fence for a couple of years. Old style rudder intact (it appears, even with top bronze piece and pin). The mast was missing (I have a spare), and the hull has a crack along the keel, forward of the db slot.
There is a YouTube video of someone repairing such a crack, so I hope I can do that.
The hull looks pretty good in many ways (White w decent gel coat, blue stripes and blue splash guard and cockpit). The hull is SOGGED. There are no inspection ports, so I guess I will have to install some and dry the hull out.
However, as nice as the finish on the hull looks (the cockpit looks pristine), the foredeck with its pretty stripes and gelcoat is somewhat warped. I paid _very little_ for the SF and don't mind experimenting with the hull repair (youtube university) and installing inspection ports, but have a question. Does the warping evident in the foredeck foretell something seriously beyond fixing? I was only going to use the boat for a day sailer, not racing.
Is the warping (not too pronounced, I mean, it still looks nice) from it being sogged? From being stored on its side? And, since it is not the HULL, but the foredeck, might it still sail okay enough for a day sailer, non-racing boat? I will try to post a photo of the overall, then one (still on phone) of the foredeck and hull/keel crack when I can get them from my phone.
How does a SF sustain that sort of a keel crack ? The crack in my "new" SF keel isn't quite as long as this one in YT vid.
What is this 'release fabric' stuff called "Peel Ply" or (sounds like) Plio-Ply? Where do I find it and if not, is there a substitute?
Thanks!
There is a YouTube video of someone repairing such a crack, so I hope I can do that.
The hull looks pretty good in many ways (White w decent gel coat, blue stripes and blue splash guard and cockpit). The hull is SOGGED. There are no inspection ports, so I guess I will have to install some and dry the hull out.
However, as nice as the finish on the hull looks (the cockpit looks pristine), the foredeck with its pretty stripes and gelcoat is somewhat warped. I paid _very little_ for the SF and don't mind experimenting with the hull repair (youtube university) and installing inspection ports, but have a question. Does the warping evident in the foredeck foretell something seriously beyond fixing? I was only going to use the boat for a day sailer, not racing.
Is the warping (not too pronounced, I mean, it still looks nice) from it being sogged? From being stored on its side? And, since it is not the HULL, but the foredeck, might it still sail okay enough for a day sailer, non-racing boat? I will try to post a photo of the overall, then one (still on phone) of the foredeck and hull/keel crack when I can get them from my phone.
How does a SF sustain that sort of a keel crack ? The crack in my "new" SF keel isn't quite as long as this one in YT vid.
What is this 'release fabric' stuff called "Peel Ply" or (sounds like) Plio-Ply? Where do I find it and if not, is there a substitute?
Thanks!