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I like the blue .... There were 2 big cracks in the cockpit which I repaired with new fiberglass todayIt's got an original blue deck—my favorite deck color—as it's easy on the eyes!
What's happened to the cockpit?
I'm going to figure out the best way to restore the original paint to be glossy againIt's got an original blue deck—my favorite deck color—as it's easy on the eyes!
What's happened to the cockpit?
BTW it isn’t paint. It’s gelcoat, which is a plastic-like material sprayed onto the mold before the fiberglass is laid in. There are several threads on here on how to bring back a good amount of the original ‘60s gloss.I'm going to figure out the best way to restore the original paint to be glossy again
Good to know ... I never was thinking of filling it in but thought something may have been attached there. Thanks for the infoBTW, the hole drilled thru the Alcort plate is the hull vent so that the boat does not blow apart out in the sun when it heats up. Newer boats have it up high on the front wall of the cockpit, which to me seems like a better place for it.
I'm going to try to dry everything out over the winter and pray I don't have to replace the wood or foam cement etc. I'm picking up some rivets long before this boat hits water again. Thanks for the observations and call outs.I don't want to make more work for you, but the wood pieces were needed for the removed hardware to function. They can be replaced with aluminum or stainless steel "backing plates".
(Or wood).
Excess weight is likely in the foam "cement" that holds the four (?) huge Styrofoam blocks in place internally.
Sunfish aluminum trim is remarkably strong. Any piece that sticks out is a serious hazard--a "dagger" pointed at your knee!
Pop-rivets (1/8"x1/8") are about 10-cents each.
1966 ... Wow that sounds right. I will look at the treads on bringing back its original gelcoat (want to keep this blue color)BTW it isn’t paint. It’s gelcoat, which is a plastic-like material sprayed onto the mold before the fiberglass is laid in. There are several threads on here on how to bring back a good amount of the original ‘60s gloss.
Looks like that is a 1966! http://www.sunfishklasse.nl/documenten/Sunfish Timeline.pdf
My second Phantom has no inner issues ( that I'm aware of ... Yet LOL)No sounds, drops or rattles on the sunfish but my Phantom has something big rolling around inside. Deck is partly separated and thinking of opening the rest up to take a look inside and do repairs as well. Wondering if this is considered a Laser or next step up from a sunfish? I have two of them
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Thank you!A recent thread on drying-out a Sunfish. The last post recommends a super-neat fan.
Floatation Foam in Sunfish
Couple Questions; 1) Did '70ish model Sunfish Boats come w/ open cell floatation foam inside the hull? I done some inside the hull inspection on the rear end of mine.... and there's some foam that looks like a Styrofoam cooler (white, closed cell foam). Seems some ants invaded the white...sailingforums.com
I'm going to put another vent hole up front to aid with the drying process. Boat will be upside down on rack but outdoors all winter in New England. Will cover hull with black plastic to help when there is any sun.Thank you!
No name yet ... Suggestions? No doubt the crack are from water freezing inside. ThanksShe's beautiful. Congratulations on your new boat! We always ask if she has a name yet?
I'm going to guess those cockpit cracks came from water accumulating inside the cockpit and freezing.
So does the rivot go through the top and bottom trim or just the top trim and fiberglass only?This season, my concern was drawn to a failed pop-rivet, which allowed the trim to stick out .
Since I never have a clamp where I need one I hoped a "Pony" bar clamp would work.
In the below picture, I've hooked the stationary part of the clamp underneath, and added a block of wood to press the trim inwards. A hole was drilled and a second pop-rivet was added to the failed trim (extreme lower left in picture). The original pop-rivet had been pulled out of the fiberglass hull, but left in place.
View attachment 42851
Keep in mind that drilling should stop before passing through the trim completely. Only the upper surface should be drilled; otherwise, a hazardous "hook" could unintentionally be created under the trim.
Thank you. It seemed a little to thick if I tried to rivot more than the top rail and fiberglass.It should go through the top trim and fiberglass only.