Usually the local Sunfish dealers nearest to the event will have them for sale.How does one buy a World boat after the race? Thinking ahead to the next time it is in the USA
From what I have heard, they have had multiple factories make Sunfish in china and some were good and some not so good. Sounds like yours came from a good factory.Have there been issues reported with the quality of the Chinese made Sunfish? As an owner of one, I would like to know how they compare to others. My boat is beautiful and I can't detect anything amiss but I don't have a whole lot to compare nor the expertise.
Problems with Chinese made boats here you go: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2017/08/28/broken-boats-plague-sunfish-worlds/
About 2 years ago Chinese made bunch of boats with daggerboard slot at an angle and builder asked ISCA to change class rules so these boats would be class legal. ISCA voted NO. I just wonder what happened with these boats.
Do you know that Chinese make fake eggs and collect gutter oil for cooking. Do I have to say more?
I was on the board of US Sunfish Class but I quit. I din't like the idea of making boats in China and the legal battle between ISCA and a new Sunfish builder/owner.
Sunfish made in UK is news to me. Beldar do you have something to back this up?
You can buy Laser, that I know.
Maybe it is a new development, but most likely just rumors.
Yes...my post was confusing and I did not mean the Chinese fish were knockoffs....like many other items, some I mentioned. But production costs on the fakes are typically very low cost....hence pondering what a Chinese fish had the potential to sell for....but realizing the issues that definitely would create as well. Thx for the clarification .Mixmkr, your examples of other products aren't applicable - the Chinese Sunfish we're talking about aren't "knockoffs", they're the real thing, albeit with some technical problems.
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Yes...my post was confusing and I did not mean the Chinese fish were knockoffs....like many other items, some I mentioned. But production costs on the fakes are typically very low cost....hence pondering what a Chinese fish had the potential to sell for....but realizing the issues that definitely would create as well. Thx for the clarification .
I received the following note from the Sunfish Class Office (ISCA):Thanks, LaLi. I suppose that's why the sell off the race boats after the event. It does sound like a good deal to purchase one of those boats, barring any sort of defects. Do they sell them off locally? If so, what would be the procedure and cost to have one shipped to the US?
Well aside from all the new Sunfish I have seen this year having their hull number start with GB I don’t have any proof. You could also email the class leadership for confirmation. I’ll put $1000 and my cone on the line!!
Also can you prove your crooked daggerboard slot story?
Yes, I see it now. I remember reading about it in the BOD minutes two years ago, but didn't look into the case until yesterday.
LP had quality problems BC (before China).
I will keep digging. So far nothing about Sunfish made in UK. No announcement by ISCA, ISCO or LP.
I think that if the boats are made in UK all three would make a lot of noise about that.
ILCO was launched by LP to try to take over the class from ISCA, - and LP seems to have given up on ISCO, so they won't be saying anything. LP is the manufacturer of the boats, so they are the ones who decided to make them in the UK - and I doubt that they think sailors care where the boats are made. Further, there is a theory some boats are still being made in China.
What do you think ISCA would "make noise about?" I can't imagine they are happy the boats are being made without foam blocks, but I don't think they have any recourse. You could check with the ISCA leaders to get their perspective.
No one, including ILCA, owns any rights to the Laser design. The big deal is the trademark. ILCA does license builders but they have to be trademark owners as well. That rule is actually being changed right now (today is the last day of voting!) and is whole another big, messy issue.I think Lasers and Sunfish are different in that I believe ILCA owns the rights to the Laser design and licenses builders.
That is something that's become very clear during the last few years. Not what is best for the sailors.For LP the only thing that counts is money.
Well... LP already wrapped up all production in the US a few years back, and to restart it at new facilities would certainly cost something. On the other hand, they quite likely have extra capacity at the Oxfordshire plant, especially as they've reportedly moved production of other boats (including US collegiate dinghies, I believe) to Portugal. And what else would "GB" actually stand for?If LP had any intention of building Sunfish outside of China, the boats would be made back in the US. There is no way LP would throw money away and make Sunfish in UK.
They're headquartered in Long Buckby, but the boats are built in Banbury. (As noted in chris's post above.)LP-UK are actually in Northamptonshire.