Chillpoints
New Member
So I have researched many threads that talk about drying your sunfish and the need to install an inspection port to allow for proper air flow. My question that does not seem to be addressed anywhere is how do you overcome the fear of cutting that first hole in your boat?
We received this beautiful AMF ,79 sunfish as a gift about 19 years ago from a dear friend of the family. We have enjoyed it many times over the years and have wonderful memories of sailing as my daughter grew.
Fast forward many years as seems to happen. I have not been able to do anything much less sail for the past 2+years due to a tough battle with Cancer. This was my third time in 20 years and the most difficult. Fortunately I am cancer free at the moment and beginning to get up and out although I am under limited exertion. Recently I was out at the storage area and noticed the tarp covering the boat was totally shot. Feeling like I could at least find enough energy to change the tarp resulted in discovering more of a project than I had anticipated. The hull had at least 2 gal of water inside. This was a surprise as it has never happened before and it was obviously not on the water. Immediately I felt bad for not taking better care of the boat. Guilt can be a strong motivator. In all honesty I could not have done any more as I was in the hospital over 65 days last year. Non the less it is time to rectify the problem.
I managed to weighed her with a little help and sure enough at 140lbs it appears she has some weight to loose. This I know is common and it is likely as simple as adding an inspection port to allow a fan or dehumidifier to dry out the foam on the inside. Before opening the hull up I decided to do some investigation into where the water may have been entering since it was not in the water. A pressure test showed that I was having some air leaks under the coaming. Removing the screws it looks like a previous owner has installed expanding hollow wall anchors into screw holes. There are lots of little cracks developing around each screw hole likely caused by the force outward on the hole. There was no waterproofing/sealant between the coaming and the deck. Being a vintage Airstream owner we often use butyl tape for outside attachments as it is water proof but can easily be cleaned off if necessary. I could see how a very thin strip of weather seal could be compressed to form a water intrusion barrier as well. I need to research to see what suggestions are out there.
So I have been struggling with cutting the first hole into the boat. I know the logical place is between the coaming and the front of the dagger board trunk. However I have read several places where people have placed a hole in the front wall of the bulk head. I like the idea of the ultimate inspection port and the ability to put a small paddle under the deck. (I have always hated that silly little paddle bouncing around in the cockpit area) So now I have to decide where to place my "first" inspection port. I am assuming if I need to do work on the coaming that the top side deck is best, but I want the other one long term. Does this mean I am ultimately just going to be adding two inspection ports?
So here is where you all can help.
What is the best way to attach the coaming and is there something that I need to do to repair this area? (which will require the top deck port)
Has anyone installed the round 5 in' inspection port on the forward bulk head and actually figured out how to put a small (slim) paddle in there?
Any specific pros or cons on either location that could make a difference?
On a side note I do have some small hairline cracks on the deck on either side of the rear of the cockpit. These are perfectly aligned with the corners of the fiberglass walls of the bulk head at the rear. Fortunately the cancer treatment caused me to loose 50 lbs of weight including a tumor, a kidney , portions of stomach and duodenum, half of the pancreas and about a foot of "unnecessary" inferior vena cava among other things. (they tell me the 3M rubber hose is superior even when used as the inferior) So now I am well under 200lbs and hopefully will not be causing any additional damage. Any suggestions on repair would be helpful. I will start researching that soon.
Thanks for all the treads with good ideas that have given me some ideas so far. I am hoping this is something that can occupy my time a bit as I am not able to return to work due to physical limitations.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions or ideas.
Jonathan
We received this beautiful AMF ,79 sunfish as a gift about 19 years ago from a dear friend of the family. We have enjoyed it many times over the years and have wonderful memories of sailing as my daughter grew.
Fast forward many years as seems to happen. I have not been able to do anything much less sail for the past 2+years due to a tough battle with Cancer. This was my third time in 20 years and the most difficult. Fortunately I am cancer free at the moment and beginning to get up and out although I am under limited exertion. Recently I was out at the storage area and noticed the tarp covering the boat was totally shot. Feeling like I could at least find enough energy to change the tarp resulted in discovering more of a project than I had anticipated. The hull had at least 2 gal of water inside. This was a surprise as it has never happened before and it was obviously not on the water. Immediately I felt bad for not taking better care of the boat. Guilt can be a strong motivator. In all honesty I could not have done any more as I was in the hospital over 65 days last year. Non the less it is time to rectify the problem.
I managed to weighed her with a little help and sure enough at 140lbs it appears she has some weight to loose. This I know is common and it is likely as simple as adding an inspection port to allow a fan or dehumidifier to dry out the foam on the inside. Before opening the hull up I decided to do some investigation into where the water may have been entering since it was not in the water. A pressure test showed that I was having some air leaks under the coaming. Removing the screws it looks like a previous owner has installed expanding hollow wall anchors into screw holes. There are lots of little cracks developing around each screw hole likely caused by the force outward on the hole. There was no waterproofing/sealant between the coaming and the deck. Being a vintage Airstream owner we often use butyl tape for outside attachments as it is water proof but can easily be cleaned off if necessary. I could see how a very thin strip of weather seal could be compressed to form a water intrusion barrier as well. I need to research to see what suggestions are out there.
So I have been struggling with cutting the first hole into the boat. I know the logical place is between the coaming and the front of the dagger board trunk. However I have read several places where people have placed a hole in the front wall of the bulk head. I like the idea of the ultimate inspection port and the ability to put a small paddle under the deck. (I have always hated that silly little paddle bouncing around in the cockpit area) So now I have to decide where to place my "first" inspection port. I am assuming if I need to do work on the coaming that the top side deck is best, but I want the other one long term. Does this mean I am ultimately just going to be adding two inspection ports?
So here is where you all can help.
What is the best way to attach the coaming and is there something that I need to do to repair this area? (which will require the top deck port)
Has anyone installed the round 5 in' inspection port on the forward bulk head and actually figured out how to put a small (slim) paddle in there?
Any specific pros or cons on either location that could make a difference?
On a side note I do have some small hairline cracks on the deck on either side of the rear of the cockpit. These are perfectly aligned with the corners of the fiberglass walls of the bulk head at the rear. Fortunately the cancer treatment caused me to loose 50 lbs of weight including a tumor, a kidney , portions of stomach and duodenum, half of the pancreas and about a foot of "unnecessary" inferior vena cava among other things. (they tell me the 3M rubber hose is superior even when used as the inferior) So now I am well under 200lbs and hopefully will not be causing any additional damage. Any suggestions on repair would be helpful. I will start researching that soon.
Thanks for all the treads with good ideas that have given me some ideas so far. I am hoping this is something that can occupy my time a bit as I am not able to return to work due to physical limitations.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions or ideas.
Jonathan