1970 Sunfish Repair - Needing help to bringing order to the chaos!

1612321110880.png
 
We took the paddling boats out on a local lake and caught the fever to come back soon with the sailboat. By late morning the sun was warm and melting the last of overnight snow. Then the wind picked up to almost make a little chop. Maybe we really can sail here because all that paddling was too much work. Ha!

Regarding that endless source of work known as our Sunfish, we’ve made little progress this week except to finish polishing the mast and spars. It was our first-time polishing/buffing anything so it was interesting to learn some about that. But some of us thought we were going to take 45 years of wear and tear off the anodized aluminum. Looks better for sure. We were able to remove more yuck than just by washing/cleaning.

Spar Polish Results.png
 
We've been derailed by a seasonal project of cutting some trees. Now we're back and serious. I've got to get this thing wet for a test sail in the next couple weeks because we may be taking it to PC, Florida for Easter.

I learned by reading some other activity here that my bailer is defunct. I had no idea to even consider it. The ball is missing. Can someone explain why this happens to what appears to be an otherwise intact assembly? I had already figured there was a drain plug missing so I found something to work. I'm considering some repair parts, but I' not in for $50 on a new assembly.

Bailer.jpg


I went to town last night epoxying all the backer blocks into place. I'll start getting the inspection ports closed now. We need to do a leak test pronto!
 
I have two De Persia bailers—used. The ball falls out of one. :confused: The other has a much tighter tolerance, so a replacement ball has to be forced inside—not pretty. :oops:

The check-ball is made of a light plastic, which deteriorates. Even the factory plastic replacement kits supply five of 'em! If you're in a hurry, put a cork in it. (The bailer, I mean). ;)
 
Ok, Made some progress this weekend. Mainly I got over some emotional hurdles of the prep-painting part that I hate so much. I ground out the deep cracks in the gelcoat stripe and filled with Marine-Tex. They turned out well, but I have remember to over fill holes so I only have to do it once. Smearing with a putty knife left the tiny groves with a depression I could not sand out, so I had to fill twice. I think I'm done with Marine-Tex filing until the next incident. I also got the first coat of Rustoleum Topside paint on coaming, cockpit, and racing stripes. That stuff is horrible to breath. Oh the chemicals in this repair project! I need a ventilator! I wonder if the Feds have a few left over they don't need. The coaming turned out nice so far. The cockpit microcracks are not filling so far, so it looks bad. The racing stripe has a two-tone appearance in the original area and the widened area. I probably needed primer! So of course everything needs another (hopefully no more than three) coat.

My buddy (USMC pilot) finally showed up today, because I created a crisis for him, and he helped with the fiber glass repair. Instead of using his left over and old West Systems products he purchased Bondo brand fiber glass and resin from Lowes on his way over. I probably could have done that on my own, had I know it was going down like that. So the keel damage repair is completed now. More fumes! It is sure tough to keep a project warm and "well ventilated" when it is so chilly outside.

I also cut some new polystyrene (That's what I think it is - reclaimed blue dock floatation foam) blocks to replace what we cut out of the stern and to reinforce the deck under the coaming. I felt like the forward inspection port weakened the deck there where the coaming may be prone to flexing/popping off. Now that the keel damage is fixed in that area, I can install the foam. But I needed one of my crew to shoot the "Great-Stuff" foam, while I direct the tubing extension to all the places needed to glue the blocks in place. So that will be another day. I'm planning to squirt this high quality junk in the areas where the original expanding foam pulled away from the fiber glass. With these gaps, there is not the original support on the deck in particular.

So I think we can get this done this week. I just have to stay on the sand/paint cycles and get it done. Maybe if all goes well we'll get her wet next weekend. We'll need a roof rack fabed-up before that. I don't want to mess with the trailer yet. I can't pull a trailer to Florida anyway since we'll have the camper, so we have to qualify a roof mounting process now. I'm thinking three plywood ribs cut to match the boat profile covered in carpeting or foam and sandwiched around the existing roof rack. Then I'll need to connect them altogether to keep them from flopping over front-to-back. Charlie says the boat should be up-side-down but I don't know if my crew can get the boat flipped over and onto the roof too. No technical problems with that, I hope.

I'd like a way to transport the spars and sail on the roof rack and protect them from road sludge and vibration damage. I want to sew a spar bag from the old sail. Maybe we'll do something simple initially, like wrap it in polyethylene film. Ideas? Oh to find a cheap piece of 8" pipe, 14' long.

Sorry no photos this time.
 
Ok, Made some progress this weekend. I felt like the forward inspection port weakened the deck there where the coaming may be prone to flexing/popping off. Now that the keel damage is fixed in that area, I can install the foam. But I needed one of my crew to shoot the "Great-Stuff" foam, while I direct the tubing extension to all the places needed to glue the blocks in place. So that will be another day. I'm planning to squirt this high quality junk in the areas where the original expanding foam pulled away from the fiber glass. With these gaps, there is not the original support on the deck in particular.

So I think we can get this done this week. I just have to stay on the sand/paint cycles and get it done. Maybe if all goes well we'll get her wet next weekend. We'll need a roof rack fabed-up before that. I don't want to mess with the trailer yet. I can't pull a trailer to Florida anyway since we'll have the camper, so we have to qualify a roof mounting process now. I'm thinking three plywood ribs cut to match the boat profile covered in carpeting or foam and sandwiched around the existing roof rack. Then I'll need to connect them altogether to keep them from flopping over front-to-back. Charlie says the boat should be up-side-down but I don't know if my crew can get the boat flipped over and onto the roof too. No technical problems with that, I hope.

I'd like a way to transport the spars and sail on the roof rack and protect them from road sludge and vibration damage. I want to sew a spar bag from the old sail. Maybe we'll do something simple initially, like wrap it in polyethylene film. Ideas? Oh to find a cheap piece of 8" pipe, 14' long.

Sorry no photos this time.
Probably why we don't see 8-inch inspection ports installed there!
:eek:
 
GREAT STUFF SUCKS!
We all know that. But I've never gotten it all over myself like this before. I've never tried to do this before either. In the end it worked well. I'm not sure how strong the support will be where the foam is. So after some 60 grit sandpaper and some obsessive picking all day, I feel human again.

Hands.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: tag
Now that you've used 60-grit sandpaper on your fingers, and have a good "ear", you can open a combination safe. ;)

When I remove the plastic cap to Great Stuff, there's a pair of plastic gloves contained within. :rolleyes:
 
I built a roof rack for the van tonight. I was wondering your thoughts. I have readily available carpet for padding or I could go purchase that pipe insulating foam noodle thingy. We used carpet on the trailer just for use as a work dolly and it seems to work well. I just think the foam will get beat-up pretty easily. What do you think? This rack was built in a few hours with on-hand lumber - zero cost. I'll paint it with some old paint too, Point is I'm not committed to this rack. It may work, it may not.

Photos later today after I sleep for a few hours.
 
I didn't hear from anyone today. so I went with carpet. I gotta keep moving now. We're almost done. Sunday we launch out into the deep, or maybe the ankle deep for our first trials. The roof rack uses only two bolts to assemble. The rest just nests together. I'm pretty pleased with my design so far. We'll see if it holds up in travel. Tomorrow's ride is only 12 miles or so. The package breaks down real small for storage - a huge plus for me. Getting the profiles laid out was tricky but it worked out nicely. I actually have a symmetric form in the front and back despite my random support locations. Now can we get the waterlogged boat up on the NV? We'll try in the morning for our first time. The rack has 1" deep semicircles cut out of the bottom to capture the cross bars on the existing roof rack. This keeps it in place front to back.

The roof rack kit broken down.

Roof Rack Kit.jpg


The kit assembled.

Roof Rack Assembled.jpg


Here is the boat in her cradle for the first time as a trial on the ground. It took most of the day today to buff her coat and replace all the hardware. We had no incidents. Everything went well although I am really not happy with the finish. I should spray her with white semi-gloss Rustoleum. I'll do a Rustoleum Topside Paint review another day. But those details are done, like it or not. I was more careful than ever selecting exactly the right pre-drill size for each #8, #10 and #12 screw going into the hard white oak backer blocks. The 3M 4200 sealant was tough to work with, but not for the reasons I expected. It was really hard to squeeze out of the tube. I thought clean-up around each hardware item would be difficult.

Rack with Boat.jpg
 
Thanks guys!

We missed our wind-ow of time on the lake yesterday, but I count it a 100% success anyway. Light and variable winds at best. You see how smooth the water. I "sailed" into the "wind" about 200 yards, but had to paddle myself back or drift into the active boat launch.

The excited crew had "butterflies."

First Sail.JPG
 
One thing we accomplished of note was dry rigging the boat in the driveway. We had read about rigging, watched a youtube, studied the boat parts and practiced the knots. But it is something how you freeze-up when you have to tie a bowline around a bow handle. Suddenly it becomes different from tying it up in the air for a demo. We also beat and banged the boat more than we had allowed while we were tenderly nursing it back to health. A new scratch across the barely cured racing stripe, some at the tiller where the bolt head rubbed bronze tarnish, and elsewhere along the way. No biggie. We did our best and from now on we sail it until it breaks and needs repair again. My old dirt bike motto was ride it till it dies.

The next big accomplishment that made the 13 YO sigh relief was getting the boat onto the van. He had little advantage getting it up, but we found a nice bank to help him get it down. Oddly, that was when I sort of let it roll off my back and onto the grass. (Don't ask.) The roof rack worked too. We determined that it is easier to load when shifted back one spar on the van rack. It hangs off some, but it works. We did a slow back roads test, then sped it down the highway too. Not much noise, but I can feel it up there. I'm at not quite half the rated capacity.

Not all the rigging is in place when this photo was taken. I want to get some new straps and more pipe insulation. A boat cover and spar bag would be nice. I hope by summer's end we can loose some weight (the boat's water weight, that is) and the process becomes easier. Of course that 13 YO gets taller and stronger everyday, but I won't have him forever and I'm shrinking, Ha! For a typical local trip like this we can use our refurbished trailer. But we needed to pass this roof-top test if we were going to pull the travel travel trailer along with the boat. Success!

Loaded Van.jpg
 
The rigging at the beach went better. Good thing there was no wind or we'd be tangled up with sail and string. We'll do better should we have wind next time. The crew fought over who would go first with Dad. I went alone. They were content to drop any hopes of taking their turn when they saw my results. But they remained excited as new sailboat sailors. We dropped the sail and mast and pulled the dagger board to try paddling some. It is like a heavy paddle board after all. That went fairly well. That gave them some much needed tiller practice at least.

While I complain about the wind, I should mention how balmy it was. Not only was it 70 degrees, but it was muggy (warm) and the water was very comfortable. So much so, one of the crew went "swimming" afterward.

We were all anxious to open the inspection ports, but they could not turn them, so I waited until we got home. It was slightly damp in there and I don't know how. (Well I know how - There's a leak somewhere.) We had not done a leak test, but we will. If it is something I can fix easily, we'll do it. If it is the gunwale trim, I'll skip it and sop out the water as needed.

You can see some of my blue foam and Great Stuff workmanship here too. That is forward of the midship inspection port to support the deck under the coaming. It seems to have worked fairly well. The blue foam does not move and the deck is fairly solid. The joint between the deck and coaming looks nice. I applied an even bead of caulk there to ease the transition esthetically.

IMG_1182.JPG
 
I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the rig is on the wrong side of the mast for 'normal' Sunfishing...
Although there are some special circumstances where this is the preferred way.
 
As I recall, the "wrong" rig reduces the force of wind on the sail; fortunately, it's an easy fix—just loosen the gooseneck, swing the gooseneck 180° on the boom—tighten. ;)
 
Thanks guys. We never removed the goose neck, so it's been on backwards a long while. I did think something odd about the set-up but I could not place it and I can't say your tip would answer my concerns. We'll get it right.

I was also perplexed about the dagger board. If it is up, the boom can't swing. If it is down we run aground, I guess with experience the boom should not be swinging unexpectedly over the dagger board.

I thought it neat that the rudder flops over to the side and lays flat when you lift it up. That was convenient.

I was a little disappointed that the traveler was so restrictive of the tiller swing. Maybe it moves far enough, but it seems the wire rope will do a number on the spar varnish of the tiller. Do I have that wrong somehow?

My sailing buddy who was coaching from the beach told me to "get down" like the boom was going to hit me in the head. I obeyed but had to sit in a puddle that way. I don't think that's the normal way, :)

When we stowed the sail we pulled it out horizontally from the spars, then folded it a few times, finally rolling it around the spars. I was concerned about folding the window. It's OK? I know it shipped from Intensity that way, all folded up.

I'm sure I'll have more trouble and questions when the wind picks up and things start happening.
 
Thanks guys. We never removed the goose neck, so it's been on backwards a long while. I did think something odd about the set-up but I could not place it and I can't say your tip would answer my concerns. We'll get it right.

I was also perplexed about the dagger board. If it is up, the boom can't swing. If it is down we run aground, I guess with experience the boom should not be swinging unexpectedly over the dagger board. Correct. Going upwind the board should be all the way down anyway. Going downwind, you need to be sure to lower the board some before you gybe or over you go!! If you need to go upwind and you are running aground, you probably need to find a place with deeper water to sail.

I thought it neat that the rudder flops over to the side and lays flat when you lift it up. That was convenient.

I was a little disappointed that the traveler was so restrictive of the tiller swing. Maybe it moves far enough, but it seems the wire rope will do a number on the spar varnish of the tiller. Do I have that wrong somehow? No. The tiller doesn't need to swing any more than the bridle allows. Lots of people wrap duct tape, plastic, etc. around the tiller to prevent this issue. Bridles from the factory had a plastic coating to minimize the problem, but wrapping the till is still very common.

My sailing buddy who was coaching from the beach told me to "get down" like the boom was going to hit me in the head. I obeyed but had to sit in a puddle that way. I don't think that's the normal way, :) Normal position is to sit on the deck as far forward in the cockpit as possible, using the tiller extension to steer. But sitting in the cockpit with the tiller over the shoulder is a very comfortable way to enjoy a light air day.

When we stowed the sail we pulled it out horizontally from the spars, then folded it a few times, finally rolling it around the spars. I was concerned about folding the window. It's OK? I know it shipped from Intensity that way, all folded up. You should try not to fold the window. Rolling the sail is best anyway to minimize wrinkles.

I'm sure I'll have more trouble and questions when the wind picks up and things start happening.
 
While you're repositioning the gooseneck, slide it an inch or two closer to the tack of the sail. (Where the "S"-hook is). That'll help with clearing the daggerboard.

Where I'll be sailing shortly, the sandy bottom extends out 75 feet, so I have to be careful to keep the board "just right"; otherwise, the Sunfish and I come to a full halt. :oops:

I could "walk it out", but getting back in would be a problem. :confused: (At my age, anyway).
 
Sometimes, it's best to leave the board on the deck until the water is deep enough. Because of sideways drift, this may not work in high-wind situations or when other boats are nearby.
 
Thanks to all for the tips. I appreciate your involvement in our project.

Mr. Beldar Said: "The tiller doesn't need to swing any more than the bridle allows. Lots of people wrap duct tape, plastic, etc. around the tiller to prevent this issue. Bridles from the factory had a plastic coating to minimize the problem, but wrapping the till is still very common. "

First, this explains why sometimes I call the traveler a bridle. I'll let the crew know where I heard the alternate term. They're on me, you know?

I'd like to see the (tiller?) wrap job. Any photos? I did dipped the bridle wire in about 6 coats of spar varnish. It seems to have worked well so far.

1615914853381.png
1615915679305.png
 
Congratulations on the Float Test and Sea Trials. She looks great and you came back with a few stories, magnificent!

We like your boom height, we call it the Geezer Rig, and you might move the goosneck a 1/2 inch or so further to get a tiny bit more boom height aft. Good rig for starters. And to avoid being boomed by the boom you just need to duck lower, and in lighter winds you can reach up and help it pass overhead. You may want to invest in sheet hangers that help limit the droop of the mainsheet overhead, Intensity sells fancy velcro ones, and Lee sells a kit, or you can home brew them from duct tape.

Sheet hangers.png


IMG_0190.jpeg


The newer daggerboards do indeed stick up high enough to act as boom stops, to your detriment if the winds are up, leading to a possible beach capsize. So either keep the board down a bit or remove it ASAP when beaching.

The bridle's main purpose is to indeed be a bridle and keep the tiller from getting away. Any more movement of the forward tiller end past the deck edge will stall the rudder.

Wire rope will do a number over time on the varnish and also the wood. We call that patina, and I love finding boat parts with that groove cut on the tiller, we know the boat was well used. You might consider switching to a line bridle.

Best to roll the sail around itself loosely and not the spars, too many metal bits on the spars like blocks that could rub the sail.


Great learning lessons for the next expedition.

Huzzah!
 
Rustoleum Topside Paint - Newbie with something to say?
Since I'm just a newbie you may not be interested in my review of the Rustoleum Topside Paint. But if I were a newbie, I would be interested, so here it goes.

Roll and Tip Simultaneously
It was advised that I should just spray Rustoleum on my coaming, racing stripe and cockpit areas. I did not listen. I rolled and tipped this Topside paint. I had no idea what roll/tip meant until I started this project. I had to go research that. In my experience the roller creates bubbles that the tip of the brush breaks. I don't like that. For one, that is a two step process, and I'm already stressed out about applying it. I don't want to go there twice! The second step is supposed to occur “immediately”. Yeah! So get a painting buddy and attach him to the end of your elbow. Good grief.

Non Flowing Drips
Perhaps my intermediately was not as soon as Rustoleum would like, because my “tip” basically scraped lines into the paint that would not later flatten out with drying. But if my paint was thicker in places and on vertical walls of the cockpit or coaming, the paint would flow – into a drip. Of course drips don't dry - ever. So I was put off by the non-flowing / non-flattening performance, but still suffered with trying to prevent drips and pooling. Seems like lose/lose results.

Not thick/ Not Thin
It seemed like the paint was drying up in the can over the three times I opened it. I was very careful to keep the lid on always after pouring and I only poured into my pan three times. The paint seemed to get gloppy like I needed to add some thinner, but I was not interested in purchasing a gallon of xylene for $20. As well the paint seemed to coat very thin anyway. The tiny gelcoat cracks barely covered after three coats. And the super light sanding with 220 quickly brought the yellow substrate back to the surface. Sand it off, paint it on – Ug! All I can think is that I needed primer! Dummy me!

Powerful Odor
I'm no chemist and perhaps there are worse things to breath in a can of spray paint, but this stuff seemed horrid. I attempted to paint in an open garage, but since I was painting down inside the coaming, I had to put my head in there with the paint fumes. I really needed a gas mask. In the breeze outside it was more tolerable.

Coverage
We got the three items coated three times with maybe half a can to spare. My daughter says she can still see green inside the cockpit where the blue covers yellow, so she wants another coat. I don't mind because there is no masking required for that area. But the stripes are done for good once the masking tape came off.

Durability
Durability remains to be seen. As of now, we have a scratch across the racing stripe that carried blue into the adjacent off-white gelcoat. That was after 2.5 days of drying in fair conditions. Maybe in time it will harden-up.

Cost
It was $18 for a quart. Not terrible, Maybe this is a case of you get what you pay for?

Verdict
If we decide to paint the deck, we'll use Rustoleum spray paint. Just my 2 cents.

Coaming paint a little gloppy. Everything is a little dirty from our first sailing attempt. Gray skies above during the photography.


Coaming Paint.jpg

Stripe paint streaky. You might notice where the original stripe and the new wider width meet.

Stripe Paint.jpg
 
First Real Sail
We did get out to sail this past weekend. We made the suggested 180° gooseneck flip, with a 1.5” shift forward on the lower boom. We also rigged two velcro straps to help support the main sheet. All that seemed to help just as intended. Thanks for the tips.

Winds were up quite significantly such that we were intimidated. Some chop was coming up on the beach in our little cove and an old fellow standing nearby asked, “Done this before?” When I told him it was my first time he said, “I would not try it.” He happened to be a airplane pilot. Well I did it anyway and he was pleasantly surprised. After a first rough effort I came back to get my son. He manned the tiller and that made it much easier for me and more fun. He really enjoyed himself. We kept the leeward gunwale submerged for most of the ride, and the transom too. I guess we'll have to attempt a little leaning to keep the sail upright in the wind. My son was really impressed. That's what got my attention when I first sailed on my uncle's big boat as a boy. I think that nearly-tipping-over condition is what us boys really go for. Well we did not tip over, but we probably will (at zero speed) just for the experience of righting her in the water. One more of my younger crew got a ride where I manned both the main and the tiller, so I smoothed out a little. The others thought it a bit too chilly and look forward to warm Florida. Then my son and I sailed again a second time and he says he's hooked. It is his new favorite hobby. After four successful rides we went home for a nap. We feel we are ready for St. Andrews Bay / Bunkers Cove now. Ha!

We ordered a spar bag from Slo Sail and Canvas. They are working to get that for us in time for Easter. I still need a simple cover to keep the red-mud cat foot prints and bird poop off the boat. I'm also adapting our dryer fan for the newly installed inspection ports and investing in the trailer repairs. The periphery boat projects continue.

Sailing Underway.jpg
 
Looking good Larry. The Rustoleum Topside observations are appreciated as we are about to be in the same position. I am leaning toward trying a HVLP gun and trying to spray the boat as we need to paint the entire boat. Thanks for the feedback.
 
Foam Still Wet
During some of the last repair work, I removed some more foam. I guess it was about the size of a cantaloupe. This was foam that had been loose inside the hull that I planned to reattach. I changed my plan so I broke it apart and removed it. I noticed this was very heavy with water despite being right near the inspection port with drying air moving right past it. This foam had the best chance of drying and it was still soaking wet after months of effort.

I weighed it and set it by the woodstove for one week (3/4 to 3/10). White Polystyrene block (?)- weight before 117 g, weight after 15 g – 87% water. That foam was holding 6-1/2 times its weight in water. The expanding foam held less - weight before 49 g, weight after 18 g – 63% water. Wow.

So I think this tells me the fan is not as helpful as the dry heat. I am looking forward to summer to finish drying this boat. With lifting it onto a van roof, any little weight reduction helps.
 
Leak Check
I like to follow through on what I say. So we did the leak check today despite taking on an insignificant amount of water Sunday.

The main leak is in the brand new screw-on inspection port covers. I maybe could improve that with some Vaseline, but the ingress of water there is pretty unlikely. The structural concern is the mast step. We always had the mast step hold water, like after we got it or washed it, though we never did a leak-down test.

I guess we can fix that problem. But after reading about dismasting in I wrecked my boat, so what did I do wrong? | SailingForums.com I guess sealing leaks is not as important as having a strong mast support. For now we'll mop water. I'm just glad the hull/deck seam showed no obvious leaks. That seems an unlikely condition.

Bubbles.jpg
 
You can pinpoint that mast step leak and seal it up with a dab of thickened epoxy. I'd seal over any areas where the polyester resin has flaked away also.

If the leak area is not obvious you could apply a thin layer of thickened epoxy around the entire inside of the tube, including dabbing some down into the bottom step.

Did you check around the bailer also for leaks? No need to remove the bailer, but we have found several boats with cockpit/hull seam leaks.
 
...pinpoint that mast step leak and seal it up with a dab of thickened epoxy...

I'll work on it post-FL.

I'll also flip the boat over and re-do a leak check. The bailer was checked on both sides, the topside and by shooting soap water up from below. We also shot soap water up into the lower side of the deck/hull trim and found nothing, but I'll recheck that too when it is flipped over. I did what I could on a lunch hour. And when we did see a leak the solution really made it obvious quickly, so I don't think we missed anything.

I know you prefer a specialized thickened epoxy product, but I can also use epoxy that I thicken with...?
 
There are many epoxy systems out there, West System, East System, Raka, System 3, Pettit, and TotalBoat that require fillers. What we used before was West System with 406 Colloidal Silica. What I didn't care for was the clouds of colloidal silica floating around, I'd recommend PPE if you use that.
 
Sell it here or on ebay if it is still good for use as a sail. If it is too worn for that we have sold them on ETSY for crafters to use.
 

Back
Top