AMF Sunfish drying and storage

hgrail

New Member
Hi Everyone,
I've been lurking here for a few months - finally had a chance to post something that might be helpful to someone.

Definitely appreciate all of the good knowledge that everyone contributes on this forum. It's been very helpful.
I bought a Sunfish this Summer, without doing my homework. The good news is I knew what I wanted already and just needed to find it. Using my memories from Scout Camp 35+ years ago I purchased an AMF Sunfish and trailer in respectable condition.
I've never owned a boat before, and now have a completely new appreciation for the maintenance and setup that the guys at the Scout camp were doing so we could go out and crash their sailboats into each other (we only did that a little though).

I had the boat out more than a dozen times this summer and I'm still remembering how to sail these little boats. I've also re-rigged the boat as all of the lines were wrong, added a block on deck that was missing (it was there but must have been swiped by a prior owner), and finally added a new Intensity sail in October because the one that came with the boat was really for a knock off, and it was faded and blown out
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I put the boat on the scale today and it weighed 215 pounds, so I guess there is some water in the foam. :(
With the helpful instructions in this forum, I used a 5" hole saw to cut an inspection port in the boat this afternoon and rigged up a duct fan with some scrap gutter pipe to ventilate the hull. I've got a few months before sailing weather anyhow..

To store the boat (in my crowded garage) I decided to mount two pulleys in at the top of my garage and use it as a block and tackle to hoist the bow up into the peak of the garage. The weight of the boat is primarily on the transom though which is supported by wood blocks cut to protect the rudder bracket, and I also added a layer of rubber to prevent slippage.

Thanks again for all of the helpful information everyone. If you have any questions on what I did please let me know.
 
With this heavy boat, I salute the efforts you've made to protect the gudgeon. (They will bend :confused:).

Excellent use of garage space. :cool: You raised the boat using the bow handle?

While I prefer the long-lived, inexpensive, and highly-efficient "muffin fan", I'm seeing your "duct fan" is available at Wal-Mart for $20.

Good use of a gutter down-spout! :)
 
I was a bit concerned about bending the rudder bracket - so my supporting wood block is a 2x6 with a 2x4 bolted to it. The 2x4 fits in between the brackets and keeps everything in place. The 2x6 is what is contact with the ground and the 2x6 does have cutouts for the brackets because they are long enough to get in trouble without them. I did use the bow handle to hoist the boat. It seems to handle the weight fine so far.. With the boat in place it is leaned against the garage wall and sitting on the floor, so I'm assuming the handle is actually holding less than half the weight of the boat (perhaps less).

I found a duct fan on Amazon with decent reviews for $16.00. Seems to work fine and is reasonably quiet. Scrap gutter parts are of course free :)

I have the usual drain on the starboard side of the boat and I've used it a few times - but that's all I've got. Didn't really want to go making additional holes in the boat after cutting the inspection port so I'm hoping evaporation does its magic over the winter. We'll see-

Is there a simple way to add a drain in the transom like the stock one on the starboard side?
 
I like the upright storage rig, but go easy on the bow handle - it was never designed to carry the full weight of the hull.

I know you are reluctant to make more holes in the hull, but you will lighten the boat much faster if you add a 4" port on the aft deck centered about 2" forward of the hull/deck trim.
This will allow air to flow through the hull and carry away the moisture faster. Right now you are just blowing air into the hull and actually risk straining the hull if the air has no way to exit. Installing a 4" deck port will be easy in the upright storage mode. You should be able to trim up to 50+ lbs off the hull weight. Then do a leak test to find out where the water is getting in and fix the leaks.

Good project. Good luck with it.

Alan Glos
Caznovia, NY
 
I like the upright storage rig, but go easy on the bow handle - it was never designed to carry the full weight of the hull. I know you are reluctant to make more holes in the hull, but you will lighten the boat much faster if you add a 4" port on the aft deck centered about 2" forward of the hull/deck trim. This will allow air to flow through the hull and carry away the moisture faster. Right now you are just blowing air into the hull and actually risk straining the hull if the air has no way to exit. Installing a 4" deck port will be easy in the upright storage mode. You should be able to trim up to 50+ lbs off the hull weight. Then do a leak test to find out where the water is getting in and fix the leaks. Good project. Good luck with it.
Alan Glos
Caznovia, NY

Member hgrail is running a 4" duct into a 5" port, which leaves adequate room for exhausting "wet" air. Adding an aft port, and reversing the airflow would definitely work faster. Somewhere, about 8 gallons of internal wetness (and continuous "foam weep") needs to be removed.

Member hgrail's present set-up might very well get this first drying done over winter. (After Hurricane Irma soaked Lazy-Boy chairs and mattresses, members—like me—know about drying soggy things). :mad:

Just one of my five :confused: Sunfish has an aft port, which is centered in the aft deck. Some digging-out of Styrofoam deck support must've be done. A port installed off-center to the starboard side would make access to the gudgeon easier for a right-handed person, create no messy Styrofoam bits, improve winter's airflow, yet still allow adequate access to the bridle's wooden backup plates. (Leaving the Styrofoam deck-support uncompromised). :cool:

Transom drains, though a possible source of more leakage, work well for boats stored on an inclined ramp—as my very tired Sunfish ex-racer is—or draining on the trailer while still on an inclined boat ramp.

Stored for the winter as hgrail's is, bailing collected water from a four-inch aft inspection port would eliminate installing a troublesome transom drain. In this case, after adding an aft port, I'd leave sponges at the bottom to expose more damp surface area to the drying airflow.

My first Sunfish was sold to me as a "trainer-Sunfish". Oops—that "Sunfish" turned out to be a Porpoise II, showing a Sunfish sail. :oops:

This Porpoise II had a round brass transom drain, which appeared like some kind of one-way valve—but installed about two inches above the water. :rolleyes: I'd removed and saved it, replaced it with a cork, and sold the Porpoise II. Now I'll have to find it, photograph it, and put it here. :confused:Notice the fender washer installed to help remove the off-center aft 6" pop-out inspection port.

Still, had the Porpoise II been stored inverted, the one-way valve would allow normal condensation to exit daily. Porpoise' designs had some interesting innovations. :cool: Maybe not such a bad idea? :)

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hrgrail - When you raised the boat did you hear water move? Does the area you have the boat in freeze?
 
I've emptied the hull a few times this summer - never got more than a few cups out of her.
I don't think the leaks were significant - I think it's been wet far too long and needs a good drying out.

It's in the garage, and while it's not a heated garage, it does stay notably warmer than expected. Having said that - it does freeze once the temperature drops enough and stays there.
This is New England after all. Once riding and sailing season is gone, get out the snowshoes.
 
It would be interesting to leave the scale under the boat all winter. If your scale is battery operated, consider getting a cheap old fashioned non electronic one.
 
Is the downspout setup just to allow the duct fan to be within your reach? Would opening the starboard deck drain allow for better airflow? Maybe enough that you don't need to cut a port in the stern?
I think that second port is probably the way to go with a 215 lb boat, as that's 85 or so pounds of water weight. With the boat stored as it is you've got gravity on your side- airflow there would be ideal. If you can warm that New England winter airflow with a light in the hull (or even if you can't) I think you'll see a big difference by sailing season again.
 
Airflow would be improved if another length of downspout were added (downward) to the top section. Direct it to the port side to increase airflow down the side of the cockpit. That will force wet air up the starboard side. That's what I would do.
 
Adding to the above, the below sketch was intended for inspection ports installed vertically into the forward cockpit bulkhead. (But your downspout is directed in a similar direction).

If the airflow is encouraged to follow the natural outer contours of the cockpit (which has a very narrow contact-area at the hull's bottom), I'd expect dry-out time to be much shortened.

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Except for winter-drying Sunfish in states along the Canadian border, it might be more efficient to put that fan on a timer and running the fan only during daylight hours. Without the Sun's help, the only thing improving the drying process is the fan's "wind". Turning the fan off will still permit a certain amount of moisture to be "wicking its way" to the foam's surfaces—internally.

Whenever the dewpoint is close to the ambient temperature, you'll be introducing high-moisture air to the hull's inside.

:oops: I think :confused: I've got that right! :)

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