New sailor

So I dun got bit by the sailing bug...
Only to be expected, I don’t like power tools and grew up near the ocean most of my life...
Anywho to introduce myself my name is aaron, I live in central NC and am 31yo
I literally just bought my first sailboat, an 80s-90s vintage sunfish, and trying to figure out the rigging. Before she hits the water she needs a new sail and ropes, but in the mean time I need to learn to rig her...
I found an excellent video about how to rig a new sunfish but the problem is my boat is obviously older than was in the video, the boat they showed had a cleat on the mast and mine does not
So my questions start with how do I rig her without the cleat, or should I add a cleat to the mast?

I would highly recommend adding the mast clear.

I compiled a bunch of the Sunfish rigging guides here: sunfish rigging guide(s)

Ok, I’ll add the cleat, no problem my dad has a rivet gun. But looking more closely after getting home with the boat ( I got it 4 hours ago) the daggerboard may be my biggest obstacle...
There is a very rotted piece of wood an extraneous hardware I’m not sure how to piece together...

What happened to your deck cleat?



You need little wooden strips at the top of the daggerboard, about 3/4 inch square, to grab on to. Attach them with screws. The spring goes on the side. If the top part of the daggerboard is rotten just trim off an inch, cut the notch for the daggerboard spring an inch lower and put it all together.

If you put a cleat on the mast, you still need one on the deck. Otherwise when - not if - the boat flips the rig will slide out of the mast step.

The rigging diagrams with the mast cleat show the halyard being led to and cleated on the deck cleat.

The deck cleat is still there, there isn’t one on the mast itself. Doesn’t look like there ever was one, no holes or anything for it to be mounted
So just a plain 3/4” square piece on top of the daggerboard? I’m guessing longer than the board is wide to keep it from sliding through the deck. Isn’t there supposed to be some piece of hardware mounted to it? I thought I saw where shock cord was supposed to be attached to the top of the daggerboard and run foreward

Wow those rigging guides are thorough... thanks a bunch
And that set of videos is much closer to my boat than the others I’d found, same paint scheme and amf alcort tag in the footwell, and I see now how the strips attach

sorry if I sound like an idiot, I’m somewhat competent around a powered boat but this is actually the first time I’ve even been close to a sailboat...

Branch said:

The deck cleat is still there, there isn’t one on the mast itself. Doesn’t look like there ever was one, no holes or anything for it to be mounted
So just a plain 3/4” square piece on top of the daggerboard? I’m guessing longer than the board is wide to keep it from sliding through the deck. Isn’t there supposed to be some piece of hardware mounted to it? I thought I saw where shock cord was supposed to be attached to the top of the daggerboard and run foreward

Click to expand...

Yes, the 3/4" cleat runs across the top to keep it from sliding down into the slot. Here's a picture of a daggerboard with the cleat and retaining spring both installed.


Somewhere on the top of the daggerboard, you can then mount an eyestrap - then a daggerboard retaining cord (bungee/shock cord or just a length of line) is connected to that eyestrap.

Hey, OP, if you have experience aboard power craft, perhaps that will help you as you learn to sail... if you don't already know them, the 'Rules of the Road' are important, you'll want to be thoroughly versed in those. Plenty of books & web info on basic sailing, no shortage there... I don't see panic-stricken morons buying every last copy of ROYCE'S SAILING ILLUSTRATED either, LOL. Keep MARINE SAFETY your top priority, all else falls into place once you do that, aye? Have fun aboard your *new* boat, this is a good website for gleaning information and getting helpful tips from hands with some experience... CHEERS!!!

beldar boathead said:

Otherwise when - not if - the boat flips the rig will slide out of the mast step.

Click to expand...

And sink to the bottom never to be seen or heard from again! Thought I'd better make sure that was clear, LOL...because when I read it as a newbie on the Forum, it had not occurred to me. I thought,"Oh yeah, that could happen, huh."

I've not had an issue as I secure the mast to the boat at the mast base....but doesn't the mainsheet/bridle attachment....provide some insurance, from the "deep 6"?

mixmkr said:

I've not had an issue as I secure the mast to the boat at the mast base....but doesn't the mainsheet/bridle attachment....provide some insurance, from the "deep 6"?

Click to expand...

As long as you have a knot in the sheet, yes. But does anyone really want to be out sailing on a windy day, flip, have the rig fall out, and have to pull it to the surface via the sheet, then drop the halyard, stick the whole thing back in the mast step, and re-rig?

I’m fairly aware, at least as most power boaters are, of the rules of the “road” but that does tend to not include special rules about sails... but I have been reading on the asa website and playing with their app so I have a little better idea
And yeah, between the army and seeing a few rods and reels lost on power boats, plus kayaking, I know plenty well to double and triple secure things, especially important things...

I can’t wait to hit the water in this thing.
ive got new ropes and some replacement hardware already, but I DEFINATELY need a new sail first... thing is soooo dry rot/sun damaged...

Branch said:

I can’t wait to hit the water in this thing.
ive got new ropes and some replacement hardware already, but I DEFINATELY need a new sail first... thing is soooo dry rot/sun damaged...

Click to expand...

Laser Performance who makes Sunfish now sometimes offers good prices on official sails - they are well made and, well, official. The other good supplier is Intensity.

Wow, thanks for the tip about intensity. Hadn’t come across them yet and I don’t care about race legal. You just saved me a decent bit of cash...

Yeah Intensity Sails is where it’s at for reasonable prices. For misc parts, post a “wanted” ad here or check the “for sale” posts.

Branch said:

Wow, thanks for the tip about intensity. Hadn’t come across them yet and I don’t care about race legal. You just saved me a decent bit of cash...

Click to expand...

Saving cash... always a good thing in this Brave New World, LOL.

Pour moi, whenever I saved cash on boat refurbishment, it meant that much more money for steaks & beers...

CHEERS!!!

Hi Branch
You do not need a cleat on the mast. The cleat on the deck is the original hardware, and still the only hardware, that the manufacture puts on the boat to tie off the halyard cleat. Adding a mast cleat is usually a racer thing. So what I'm hinting at is don't worry about drilling holes in your mast.

If you want to know your boat's year, look on the upper right transom for the Hull Identification Number, the last 2 digits denote the year, probably somewhere in the lat 1970s to early 1980s.

As for a bungee for daggerboard tension, that trick has only been around 20-30-40 years. Most people like them but we rarely use them, we go old school with a daggerboard retainer line. Whichever way you go, it is important to keep the daggerboard attached to the boat because the daggerboard gets used to right the boat after a capsize, and you don't want to go swimming around to gather parts. I believe the new line kits have 10 feet of bungee that goes through the bow handle, around the mast and attaches to the daggerboard in one of may ways. The simplest is to drill a 1/4 inch hole straight down through the forward edge of one of one of your new daggerboard cleats, run the line through that and secure it. One of our variations was a 5 foot piece of line, stop knot at the daggerboard and a snap shackle to secure the line at the bow handle. We have also added stainless eyestraps and rings to daggerboard tops to secure retaining lines/bungees. In the Marine Corps we called those lines "dummy cords."

Post some pictures of your boat when you can.

How close are you to Lake Norman? Big Sunfish Fleet over there?

Nothing wrong with extra steaks and beer!
Not near lake Norman, closer to Raleigh with wheeler, Harris, Jordan, and falls of neuse lakes. Actually closer to the beach than lake Norman...
What are you guys using for trailer options?
I need a trailer ASAP, and a budget option... I’m on furlough so money is tight but my dad sold his power boat end of last summer, and he got news this morning his cancer is terminal... so I need an affordable trailer ASAP so I can take him and my nephew, who doesn’t know yet, out to spend as much time as possible with him and help my nephew deal with things...

and here are two pics of the boat with original sail, new plain white sail from intensity should be here tomorrow

Sorry to hear about your Dad, cancer sucks.

For trailers, keep an eye on Craigslist for a large jetski trailer or jon boat trailer. You need at least 7 feet from the bow stop to the axle for balance. A bigger utility trailer, 8 feet or longer, would also work, just put some 2x4 bunks on it, and it can carry other gear like coolers, chairs, etc.

Thanks for the photos! Nice looking boat.

Bummer about your pop... I lost both parents several years ago. Just wanted to add that those small utility trailers used for landscaping & whatnot can easily be converted into boat trailers. Friend of mine had one for his landscaping business, wound up giving it to me when he moved out of state... I made a nice little Laser trailer out of it, removing the stakesides and adding padded bunks. Eyescrews or eyebolts make excellent tiedown points for securement. I think it was one of those trailers sold by the Depot or Harbor Freight back in the day, the kind you assemble yourself? The deck or floor of the trailer was a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" plywood. I seem to recall helping my friend put it together... been a long time. Good luck, and good idea to get your pop out there on the water while he's still strong enough...

Cancer sucks giant fat hairy monkey balls...
I had been looking at converting one of those utility trailers but they cost, with modifications, almost as much as a new Jon boat trailer from what I could tell.
but fortunately I think I might have a deal with a guy from Craigslist for a used boat trailer

"Bargain" the price so you can carry a spare tire. (Or tires. of they're "sidewall-cracked" or "stale-dated" by eight years or so—they're dated by a code on the sidewall).

Yeah that’s what I’m worried about....
I’ve had two guys from Craigslist offer to sell me a trailer but both are pretty rusty and need tires and bunks. But one guy is closer and only wants a hundred bucks, so I may go ahead and take that...