Sunfish Knockoff??

J

Johnson120003

New Member
Last week I bought an old used Sunfish in good condition, but I wonder if it is really a Sunfish. The shape and dimensions are correct, but there are differences between it and my other Sunfish (an old Alcort). It has a flange-sort of lip rather than the expected metal rub rail, and the V-shaped splash guard on the deck is molded in, rather than a separate, attached piece like I would expect. It was represented by the seller (a sailing school) as a 1970 Sunfish. It came with everything except a sail, including a rudder, mast, boom and spar. The rudder works, but it too appears not to be an authentic Sunfish rudder. There are no manufacturer's marks of any kind on the boat. It is in good shape though, and sails like a champ. Can anyone tell me if this is a real Sunfish, or did any other company (s) build a Sunfish knockoff? Thanks, Bob in Florida
 
Bob,
Go to Yahoo Groups Sunfish Sailor (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sunfish_sailor/). In the Photo Section look under "Knockoffs", you may find a picture of the boat you have. There have been many copies/knockoffs of the Sunfish over the years, most have fallen buy the way side. The Sunfish has had two different rudder systems (new style introduced around 1972) and changed from the flat flange with aluminum rub rail to a rolled edge aound 1987. The SF splash guard is a seperate piece, with earlier models screwed to the deck and later models riveted. Dimensions for the Sunfish can be found towards the end of the ISCA rules on the SF Class home page. If you do identify your boat, replacement sails can be purchased from Super Sailmakers(http://www.supersailmakers.com/production/s-t.htm). If it sails "like a champ", sail it and enjoy. Good luck.
 
supercub said:
Bob,
Go to Yahoo Groups Sunfish Sailor (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sunfish_sailor/). In the Photo Section look under "Knockoffs", you may find a picture of the boat you have. There have been many copies/knockoffs of the Sunfish over the years, most have fallen buy the way side. The Sunfish has had two different rudder systems (new style introduced around 1972) and changed from the flat flange with aluminum rub rail to a rolled edge aound 1987. The SF splash guard is a seperate piece, with earlier models screwed to the deck and later models riveted. Dimensions for the Sunfish can be found towards the end of the ISCA rules on the SF Class home page. If you do identify your boat, replacement sails can be purchased from Super Sailmakers(http://www.supersailmakers.com/production/s-t.htm). If it sails "like a champ", sail it and enjoy. Good luck.
Click to expand...

John,
Thanks for that info. The "photo" section seems to be down (or maybe I just can't seem to figure it out) but I'll keep trying. Thanks, Bob
 
adavid said:
Sounds like it might be a Phantom. :confused: Does it look like the boat in seen by clicking the link below?

http://www.sailingtexas.com/sphantomc.html
Click to expand...

Andy, from the pics in the link you provided it does appear to be a Phantom, although I cannot tell if the splash guard in the pic is molded in or not. But the rudder is the same. The authentic Sunfish mast that came with it (as well as another Sunfish mast I already had) fits, but it isn't as tight a fit as I'd like. Bob
 
Bob,

Use some white (not black, it gets real gooey) electrical tape on the mast at the level of the top and bottom of the mast well to make the fit tighter, but not too tight, the mast needs to rotate a little.
 
For the mast tape, I have used Duct Tape, it works well. Must be replaced every so often from wear.

My 1971 Sunfish came with the old style rudder and the new aft compartment.

Pete
 
Pete,
You are correct, it was 1972. The first source I checked was a little confusing. I checked two other sources and they agree on 1972 for the new rudder.
 
The new rudder year's been an issue for years (pun intended) Since the 72's came out like cars in the actual 71 year a lot of folks assumed the 71's had a new rudder.
As for Fish clones, IIRC at last count, over the years there have been at least 40 different manufacturers. Some big, but most really small.
 
I hadn't thought of the new year introduction as similar to automobiles, but that is exactly what it is! I purchased my current Sunfish in December, but the manufacture date was August of the next year!

Pete
 
Last summer I saw a nice Sunfish Clone for sale called an "Edo Western." It had a molded on Splashguard. The name was on a a little plate on the hull. It looked pretty much like a Sunfish except for that molded on splashguard. I researched it a bit and it seemed to be a limited production run that was built in the late seventies by a company that made many other products -especially for the aeorospace industry.

Will P
 
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