I have wet sanded the deck as recommended and it looks great, I started with 220 grit and worked up to 1200, after polish it looks close to new except stripes which I plan on repainting with easy poxy. I subsequently sanded the hull to remove old paint, in the process I found some old epoxy patches, just 3 and they appear to cover small leaks as I can find no evidence inside the hull. assuming they are water tite pending leak test how should I redo the hull? I have access to a body shop and am considering trying to re gel coat it, I have also thought of painting as well, please weigh in. I am currently drying the boat out and I need to refoam one of the stryrofoam blocks. One finall consideration for hull coating as there seems to be soft spots on either side of the dagger board, I have been told this is normal but I was not sure if this might cause new gel coat to crack, can I fabricate a stringer in side the hull or possibly layer some fiberglass in this area prior to repainting or gel coat? Will epoxy adhere properly to old gel? Thanks for any input and thanks for previous guidance, Brettl
72 sunfish restoration for son
- Thread starter brett72
- Start date
supercub
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Brett,
Check over at Yahoo Sunfish Sailor and look in the Sunfish Files, Repairs etc. for "Foam Block Reset", it is a photo essay that is based on the directions at Wind Line Sails.
On the soft spots around the dagger board well, if you are really concerned, you can add a couple of layers of Fiberglass (heavier weight 6-9 oz) to the underside of the deck thru the port. Sand the area well with 50-80 grit sandpaper, wipe down with acetone or MEK (wear gloves and use a respirator) and use epoxy or polyester resin (epoxy, such as West Systems, MAS or System 3 are nearly odorless, polyester resin you can smell a mile away
). Epoxy will stick to polyester but not the other way around. Let the fiber glass stick to the deck and wall of the dagger board to reinforce both at the same time, you may want to put a layer or 2 around the DB well bottom to help reinforce that area as well (a common place of leaks).
Minor, small repairs can be hidden with a shot of Duplicolor Polar White (matches my "yellowed" '69 hull pretty well. Let it dry hard and wet sand it out. But that is just a quick cosmetic fix.
Since you have the deck "looking Great", I would not do any more except the stripes. However, if you decide that a new paint job or gel coat is warrented, go for it but it means you may have to rough up that great looking deck in preperation for the new finish if you do both the deck and hull.
Not having done either paint or total gel coat on a SF, I can't say which way to go. Gel coat is a bit tougher (scratch resistant) than paint, and would be my preference. If you have access to the body shop and have experience in shooting gel coat (or have them do it for you), that would be the way to go. Follow thier directions and do most of the prep at home (removing hardware, trim, sanding, etc.) to save time, effort and $$$ at the body shop. Once the gell coat is on and set up, you still need to finish it (remove the wax that forms or is applied for curing and sand to smooth out any "orange peel" that may result). A couple of people have posted both here and at SF Sailor with both paint and gel coat. Do a site search for thier recommendations on each.
Check over at Yahoo Sunfish Sailor and look in the Sunfish Files, Repairs etc. for "Foam Block Reset", it is a photo essay that is based on the directions at Wind Line Sails.
On the soft spots around the dagger board well, if you are really concerned, you can add a couple of layers of Fiberglass (heavier weight 6-9 oz) to the underside of the deck thru the port. Sand the area well with 50-80 grit sandpaper, wipe down with acetone or MEK (wear gloves and use a respirator) and use epoxy or polyester resin (epoxy, such as West Systems, MAS or System 3 are nearly odorless, polyester resin you can smell a mile away
). Epoxy will stick to polyester but not the other way around. Let the fiber glass stick to the deck and wall of the dagger board to reinforce both at the same time, you may want to put a layer or 2 around the DB well bottom to help reinforce that area as well (a common place of leaks). Minor, small repairs can be hidden with a shot of Duplicolor Polar White (matches my "yellowed" '69 hull pretty well. Let it dry hard and wet sand it out. But that is just a quick cosmetic fix.
Since you have the deck "looking Great", I would not do any more except the stripes. However, if you decide that a new paint job or gel coat is warrented, go for it but it means you may have to rough up that great looking deck in preperation for the new finish if you do both the deck and hull.
Not having done either paint or total gel coat on a SF, I can't say which way to go. Gel coat is a bit tougher (scratch resistant) than paint, and would be my preference. If you have access to the body shop and have experience in shooting gel coat (or have them do it for you), that would be the way to go. Follow thier directions and do most of the prep at home (removing hardware, trim, sanding, etc.) to save time, effort and $$$ at the body shop. Once the gell coat is on and set up, you still need to finish it (remove the wax that forms or is applied for curing and sand to smooth out any "orange peel" that may result). A couple of people have posted both here and at SF Sailor with both paint and gel coat. Do a site search for thier recommendations on each.