Recent content by Alan Glos

In my humble opinion, bottom prep on a small sailboat is about half physics and about half mental. The physics part entails filling dings and scratches as described above and then wet sanding with progressively higher grits of wet-n-dry sandpaper used wet. I like to use warm, soapy water with...

Over the years, I have owned about every brand of Sunfish sail, Class legal for racing, Intensity, Neil Pryde, FX, Kevane etc. For performance and overall quality, I rate the Class legal and Intensity as the top two; all the rest are distant thirds for reasons of cut (usually too flat)...

Beating Doug Kaukeinen in at least one race in my lifetime is high on my bucket list, but so far it has not happened - must be his superior telltale placement.... Alan Glos Caszenovia, NY

There has always been interest here on the Sunfish Forum about the Phantom, one of the better Sunfish clones. By chance I came across this Maine CraigsList ad: Phantom / Pointer 14 Fiberglass Sailboat Production Molds Make Offer so here's your chance to start your own sailboat company...

The "V" shaped wire struts attached to the upper boom/gaff are very handy. I use a 10" piece of old cassette tape (*) taped to the ends of the wires to show where the wind is coming from. Keep in mind that you are seeing the apparent wind, not the true wind, the sum of the true wind and the...

Chris, Good point. One of the advantage of the curreent Sunfish cockpit dersign is having the underside of the deck to grab if you are trying to get back in the boat after a capsize or getting a foot hold if you miss the hiking strap after a tack. For these one piece deck configurations...

Chris, Very interesting. I am sure these two piece AMFlite or Windflite hulls were a lot easier (and cheaper) to build and assemble, but the rolled over deck design was an improvement over the old design with the aluminum trim so I guess it all came out better in the end. Amen on the...

Over the years, I have owned two Amflite Sunfish clones. They were made by AMF, and I know the underbody is virtually identical to the Sunfish, but the deck is a one-piece affair unlike the Sunfish with the the separate deck, cockpit tub and coaming components. With the rounded over hull/deck...

I have several Sunfish masts and at least one longer Sunfish style mast and booms that came off some larger Sunfish clones and I will be in Cedar Key, FL in early February and could car-top and deliver. If you are still looking do you have the specs for the mast and boom you are looking for...

.....added: To be honest, I don't know if the Sunfish Class legal race sail has changed much since North came up with the basic design. Maybe somebody else here on the Forum knows more about any changes and can comment. Alan Glos

As sails age, the resin that is impregnated into the sailcloth, breaks down, the cloth looks and feels softer and the max draft tends to move aft. The leach may also loosen up a little. It won't point as high and off the wind it lacks the "punch" of a newer sail. You will feel the difference...

In the sage words of Indiana Jones, "It's not the years, its the mileage." If you sail/race a lot (say weekly, all season) your race sail will break down faster than it will if you sail/race less. Sun and wind (not water) are the major risk factors. I get about three seasons out of a $350+...

2019 is almost over, but there is still time for one last nautical rant. Why in the name of common sense do small trailers come with a 1 7/8" -or- 2" diameter hitch ball rig? Why not make 2" the standard rig and be done with it? Is there any logical reason why both exist? There is a real...

I used a hiking bench all through college to train for Rhodes Bantam racing. It helped. Alan Glos

The novel feature is the foot wells on both hulls; I don't recall seeing this design on any other cats. Virtually all small catamarans have a flush "deck" usually a taut fabric trampoline or a fiberglass "floor". In the 1960s, there was an explosion of small catamaran designs, most of them...