Refurbished junked trailer

Gunksman

Member
Yahoo! It's done. Now to get it registered.

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Well done! So, that is a super sunfish? Awesome. I’m curious about the dimensions of the rigging: the mast, boom and sail. Are there any other differences between the sunfish and the super sunfish?
 
Thanks. The hull is the same as the Sunfish with some hardware modifications. The Super has a rig like a Laser (Marconi). There are only two spars: mast (2 pieces, 16' 2") is taller and the boom (7' 10") is shorter than the Sunfish. Sail is 65 ft2 (Sunfish is 75 ft2). The dagger board is shaped to provide more lift. The sail is sleeved around the mast so it can't be lowered. It has a loose foot with a fully adjustable outhaul and Cunningham, both with control lines that run through a control ring at the base of the mast then through the splash guard's clam cleats, a 4-part boom vang, and a 4-part main sheet attached to a traveler mounted inside the forward cockpit. There are double clam cleats on each side of the deck to adjust the traveler. The aft main sheet cable bridle for the Sunfish is ignored except it's helpful to contain the tiller if you let go of it.
The Super lifts closer to windward, is faster around the buoys and has better control in higher wind to prevent being over powered and is optimized in very light winds. The Super doesn't have the sail area/power of a Sunfish in moderate wind so it's strictly a 1-person boat, but it's a little rocket in light and heavy air.
 
Attached is the pic of the trailer as I obtained it. 1970s shag carpet on the bunk boards were growing seedlings.
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Thanks for your comment. After completion, I decided that for the cost, it's more worth buying a new trailer than it is to refurbish an old one. But since I had the time (laid off earlier this summer) it only made sense to rescue the junked trailer from the landfill. All the new parts, wiring harness, paint, wheel bearing grease (and next spring replace the wheel bearings) it cost about half of a new trailer plus my time. Plus it doesn't have a VIN so DMV hoops through which must be jumped! No matter. I enjoyed the process and can now get my 42 year old Sunfish back in the water!
 
The saga continues!

Since the trailer doesn't have the manufacturer's plate with a VIN for DMV to register it, here in CT, I had to make an appointment three weeks into the future to get a temp registration/license plate so I can drive it to the only DMV location in CT that does inspections to get a VIN assigned. I got the temp registration yesterday and went for the inspection today. 1-1/2 hr drive, then a 1 hr wait in line for a 5 min inspection. They failed me and would not give me a VIN because the trailer safety chains must have clipped hooks, not open hooks. The chains must also be attached to the trailer at two separate places. Mine was attached to the manufacturer's single welded eyelet. I also didn't have a bolt/clevis/lock through the hole in the closed coupler latch. That's now required too.

I made a pit stop at Home Depot on the way home and bought a few steel carabiner clips and spent 5 mins drilling a new hole in the tongue stand and attaching the clips.

Back to DMV in the morning! Once I get the VIN, I still have to get the trailer registered--hopefully the last step! But now that I have the temp registration the boat can get wet this weekend!
 
:oops: Are carabiner clips permitted? They're not particularly strong, and the manufacturer usually has the maximum limit on an attached label.

I'd also bring up Connecticut's trailer VIN requirements (from Google) before making another 1½-hour trip. :confused:

Your ordeal sounds bad enough, but you could have lived in Massachusetts! :eek:
 
Oh no. I live in MA and haven't registered the 80's trailer I got in NY. Guess I am in for a ride!
 
Actually, I live in MA and registering a homemade trailer is not nearly as hard as L&VW makes it out to be. If it was registered previously in NY, it should be even easier.
 
Great. I spoke with one garage that did make it seem simple, but thought for a moment they might be shining rainbows in my direction, so as to take over the repairs themselves!

Where in MA are you. danpal?
 
I live in Hopkinton but do most of my sailing on the cape. I gather you're in western mass near Mass MoCa? When my kids were younger we spent a lot of time at Jiminy Peak in Hancock and loved that part of the state. We didn't ski there but went during the summer so we could hike, visit Williamstown as well as Tanglewood.
 
Yes, correct. Cheshire Reservoir is my go-to for quick outings, but it is very weedy and I am often the only sail visible. There are a couple of bigger lakes in Pittsfield that I mean to tackle next spring. I'm keen to learn where else in MA is good for sailing but it may be a while before I am ready to face salt water.
 
I actually think it's easier to sail in salt water than fresh. The wind is a lot more consistent than on a lake where it can change direction on a whim.
 
Actually, I live in MA and registering a homemade trailer is not nearly as hard as L&VW makes it out to be. If it was registered previously in NY, it should be even easier.

I agree with you, registering a trailer as homemade is EZPZ in Mass. I’ve done it twice: once for a 24’ sailboat, and once for 30’ sailboat. Besides the easy registering of trailers, extra bonus in Mass is that you don’t have to register a sailboat unless it has a motor.
 
Oh no. I live in MA and haven't registered the 80's trailer I got in NY. Guess I am in for a ride!
Well, I passed the inspection and received the VIN so I can now register the trailer. Seems dumb that they'd be okay with weak carabiner clips rather than the chain hooks. I removed the carabiner clips and will only use the open chain hooks. I'm quite sure it's safer.
 

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