Well, I guess I'm a sailboat owner now

C

C_P

New Member
Hello all. Just picked up a Craigslist Sunfish for a cool hundred bucks! It's a 1971 as far as I can tell from the internets. Been sitting in a guys yard for 9 years and he finally gave it up. All the goods are there but the tiller is cracked and I'm going to have to have one fabbed.

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Sanded the hull down rolled 3 coats of anti-fouling paint (man that stuffs pricey huh?) wet sanded between and the waxed it - was the wax a mistake? Buffed the topside with rubbing compound and waxed it but it still looks yellow and dingy especially with the nice new white bottom. I'v had it out once, transported on my roof rack for the first and last time. My sisters boyfriend gave me an abandoned jet ski trailer off one of his rental houses so I'm looking for advise on the wight distribution. Do I have too much stern hanging off the back?

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^this picture is kida deceptive theres maybe like 5 feet hanging off, maybe longer runners?

Im in South Louisiana so we have plenty of water. Ive got a small university lake a couple miles away, a large old Miss river oxbow - False River about 45 min away and LAke pontchartrain an hour away. Just need some trailer tires and some wind!

cp
 
Artistapinay said:
Nice boat you got. You are a sailman now ;)
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:oops: A "sailman"?

I thought it was a gal at the question, "Do I have too much stern hanging off the back?"

:p

To answer that question seriously, I'd say you should have as much "soft" support as possible on your trailer's bunks. Since the "dead-rise" decreases towards the stern, I'd "sister" additional bunks to the inside of what is already there. I'd also add some closed-cell foam to the full length—where the bunks contact the bottom.

That said, the trailer tongue needs to be extended. Also, a trailer designed for a much heavier vessel will likely beat your boat into busting-off the foam blocks supporting the deck! :eek:

(But this advice comes from someone who car-tops Sunfishes) :D
 
If you are mainly sailing in lakes, why did you use bottom paint?

Looks like the trailer will work for short trips, but longer hauls I would lengthen the tongue or find another trailer that supports more of the hull. The center of gravity of the hull is probably just about at the end of the bunk so you should have some support further aft.
 
If you are mainly sailing in lakes, why did you use bottom paint?
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I guess I assumed I had to, it was like straight fiberglass and rubbed off on my hand. But when we say lakes down here there not all fresh if thats what you mean. The Pontchartrain is brackish/salt.

Does the tongue lengthening need to be done for support or for pulling purposes?

as for cartopping- i dont see how. I regularly rack a 12' kayak and a 17' canoe but the sunfish was way way more unstable. Maybe bc my racks are so close to each other- its a small Toyota Matrix. But i def did not feel safe driving with that thing on top.

Back to the lengthening, I'd rather not. I can weld and have a MIG box but I would much rather reconfigure the cradles to redistribute the weight if possible.
 
You only need antifouling paint if you will be mooring the boat in salt water for weeks at a time. If you are dry sailing it you don't need antifouling paint. BB
 
i'd be concerned about the legality of having 5 feet hanging off the back of a trailer. you may need to attach the lights to the rear of the boat. if nothing else its extremely unsafe at night.

my boat sticks out about 6ft from the bed of my truck when i haul it like that (not quite legal...) and the last time i came home from the lake my girlfriend was following me and she said you couldn't see it at ALL. the white boat with a bright red dish rag tied to the end as a flag was completely invisible.

as to the paint....hey at least your hull will be bulletproof. i wish i could afford to paint mine with the good stuff.
 
The drain plug at the back may indicate a leaky boat. Check it out carefully before you get too far out in the water.

Fred
 
cant tell much about the rudder crack from the pics, but it may just need some brackets for support. Did it come w/ sail (condition?) and trailer??
 
The drain plug at the back may indicate a leaky boat
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Oh, I thought they all had a drain back there- this is actually the first and only sunfish i've ever seen. Didn't know a thing about them until i got it, but i've been cramming ever since!

As for the tiller I think I might glass it over for now it looks like someone had done that before, but my father in law does some woodwork and has a chunk of mahogany. But yeah it came with a nice racing sail with one hole in the window, the trailer was a freebie score. But it was abandoned so titling my be an issue- i'm not too worried hopefully I can smooth talk any offended officers!

cp
 
C_P said:
But it was abandoned so titling my be an issue- i'm not too worried hopefully I can smooth talk any offended officers!

cp
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Titling depends on the state (in this case, Louisiana). Hopefully, your state's DMV will offer a way to 'get legal', if necessary.
 
brianZ71 said:
Pssshhhh...title....lol. Take an angle grinder and remover serial number and register it as homemade.
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Right?

But apparently I have to take it to the State Police for an inspection.
Maybe with all my crappy welds on it the wont recognize it as a jet ski trailer

Another question. How long of a hitch extender can I get away with? I found a 7 inch extention, coupled with a 1 1/4" to 2" adapter that would give me another foot to move the hull forward. Anyone have any experience with these?
 
I don't know what a hitch extender is, but if it was me- I'd unbolt the coupler, either bolt on or weld on some rectangular tubing to extend the neck, and get a new coupler or reattach the old one to the extension.
 
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