Hi, I'm new to this forum. Great to be here. Our Sunfish was purchased by my parents in the late 1950s. I came along in 1963. I am in the process of restoring it and hope to have it in the water by mid August. Trying to find out the year of manufacture. I have a family picture with it dated August 1959 so I know it's at least that old.
It's made of fiberglass with no storage compartment and the old pre 1971 tiller arrangement. On the starboard side of the brass tiller deck plate is the number 101 stamped into the metal. To the left of the 101 is something else which I can't make out. I saw elsewhere on this forum that the model year 1959 has a different range of serial numbers. Is this one of the first Alcort Sunfishes made of fiberglass?
Thanks! Andrew
There should be a small builder's plate on the deck just aft of the "V" of the splashrail that should have a serial number on it. Reply with that number. and I have a look-up chart that will tell you when the boat was made. The "101" on the side of the deck plate does not date the hull. The other number on this fitting is just a patent number and does not date the hull.
Hi Alan,
I looked aft of the V in the splash rail and did not find a metal plate with a serial number. I looked closely at the hull to see if there was any indication a plate used to be there. The only plate on the hull is just aft of the bow handle. There are no numbers on it. It just reads Alcort, inc. Waterbury, Conn.
Interesting. This Sunfish is probably a mid-1950s boat, a very early indeed. Two of your photos are dated 1960 and 1959, so I think it is safe to say that the boat is a 1959 at the latest.
According to this article... http://kb.sunfishforum.com/images/history/timeline.pdf the glass Sunfish wasn't introduced until 1960, so yours is an early one indeed. I'm in the process of restoring this '69 that I learned to sail on in the early 70s. Hope your project goes as well as mine has so far.