Sunfish on ebay?

it looks nice, its newish. i'd like to see the boat in person before i bought it because excellent condition can be different for you compared to the seller. i would go for a local sale. but i have no experence in buying things on ebay. good luck!
 
AAAAK, a salt water boat. Seen to many get electroysis problems with fittings and the mast to go near one.
Also it's got an intergral cleat and ratchet. Only good for day sailing on light air days.
Figure about $400 minimum to upgrade if you want to race and that includes replacing the rope with a class aproved wire bridle.
 
That boat looks pretty nice but you can't see a lot from the photos. I wouldn't go more than 1500 for it though. I don't know why it is sitting on the dock like that either. I wouldn't advertise my boat like that....I'd set it on something soft and cushy.

Also, what I found on ebay is that if you contact the seller directly, they may sell it outright and pull it off the auction. They aren't supposed to do that, but they do. I lost out of 2 deals that way looking for a sunfish. Then I found mine on the class website.

Salt water corrosion is an issue. I bought 2 boats that were from a saltwater location and there was corrosion at the boom block eyestraps. The aft eyestrap pulled out on one boom. Now they are thru-bolted in place. The bow handles are a little pitted as well. Otherwise though the boats are fine.

Good luck,

Tim

P.S. I'm former owner of JY 737!
 
mike4947 said:
AAAAK, a salt water boat. Seen to many get electroysis problems with fittings and the mast to go near one.
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As a lifetime salt water sailor, may I politely disagree? ;) Thank you.

I think you mean corrosion, not electrolosis, as it's the salt that can do nasty things to aluminum. With some proper care, like hosing down the boat, spars and blades after use, it shouldn't be a problem. My Sunfish is 17 years old (one of the newer ones on our beach on the Long Island Sound) and it's holding up very well. A little TLC goes along way.

You never know if the owner took care of it, so you're right that a close inspection of any boat would be in order before bidding on it. If it hasn't been cared for, you should be able to tell right away, as corrosion is very hard to hide.

Happy sailing!
 
You are partially correct but it is electrolysis. Where two dissimilar metals come in contact in a salt envorionment the "weaker" of the two metals will corrode. Stainless rivets into the aliminum booms, the Bronze Goosneck against the aluminum Mast. Anywhere where two metals are in contact the salt water starts a current flowing to the detriment of the Electrically weaker metal. In most cases the aluminum looses out and gets eaten away.
Since the bow handle is said to have some corrosion and that's all one metal there is bound to be other dissimilar metal contact damage as it happens faster that simple corrosion does.
 
im not sure how this seller operates but allot of them will let you bid and only pay if it "passes" inspection after you go see it when you go to pick it up.
 
mike4947 said:
You are partially correct but it is electrolysis.
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My reply wasn't to debate the differences between destructive chemical or electrical processes. As I've boated on salt water my entire life, I understand them very well, thank you.

My point was that I would not write off any boat just because it has been used in salt water. The owner's care (or lack of care) of the boat is more important and an inspection would be in order, if it can be arranged.

I'm always amazed to see newer 'fish poorly maintained that have mold on the deck, or older well maintained ones with a shine that would make you swear it just came out of the box. A little care goes a long way.

PS- Mike, you're North of Syracuse? You sail Onondaga Lake? Excellent lake for sailing! (I used to visit there years ago)
 
The darn thing went for $2,030.00! :eek:

Somebody got hosed on that one.

Overall, I think the boats (on average) on Ebay sell for too much. So when you guys want to sell, sell on Ebay :)

Tim
 
Phantom said:
PS- Mike, you're North of Syracuse? You sail Onondaga Lake? Excellent lake for sailing! (I used to visit there years ago)
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The problem is Onondaga lake is currently the MOST polluted lake in North America and in the top 5 in the world. Nice sailing but not with a fish. You really need something you can stay dry in.
No swimming or eating of fish allowed and when it rains heavy the Syracuse sewage treatment plant overflows and raw clorinated waste goes directly into the lake.

Funny thing is within 20 miles there is Skaneatales lake which is one of 5 lakes in the country rated for drawing municipal drinking water without any filtration.
 
Interesting post. Take a long shower after sailing in Onandaga.

On a similar interesting note, I was talking to a friend who is a merchant marine on the great lakes. He told me there are parts of the great lakes (Superior at least) where they can obtain potable water for the ship by pumping directly from the lake and then just chlorinating it....no filtration required to meet standards. I thought that was pretty cool too.

Tim
 
mike4947 said:
The problem is Onondaga lake is currently the MOST polluted lake in North America and in the top 5 in the world.
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I guess it's been a few more years ago than I care to remember. :eek: Sorry to hear it's that bad now.
 
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