RogerMusser
Member
I cleaned-up and got several of our club’s Sunfish boats ready for winter storage.
I noticed that our club has several boats that have no bailers, just a hole in the cockpit floor. The boats are therefore not seaworthy and need to be fixed. The cost of replacement, while not terribly expensive, would use up resources that might be better used for other purposes.
Do the Sunfish boats really need a bailer? In the past, with Sunfish boats with the standard-equipment self-bailer, I’ve found that a small plastic hand-bailer and a nice sponge work better. Even if the self-bailer worked well a sponge is still necessary if a dry cockpit is desired. I’m of the opinion that the original-equipment bailers are more trouble than they are worth.
Anyone have an opinion on the merits of replacing the bailer with a fiberglass patch and sailing without a self-bailer?
Has anyone done this? If so, how?
Our boats are operated by a wide range of sailors of all ages and skill levels. The boats are used for classes and open use on a large freshwater lake in North Carolina.
I noticed that our club has several boats that have no bailers, just a hole in the cockpit floor. The boats are therefore not seaworthy and need to be fixed. The cost of replacement, while not terribly expensive, would use up resources that might be better used for other purposes.
Do the Sunfish boats really need a bailer? In the past, with Sunfish boats with the standard-equipment self-bailer, I’ve found that a small plastic hand-bailer and a nice sponge work better. Even if the self-bailer worked well a sponge is still necessary if a dry cockpit is desired. I’m of the opinion that the original-equipment bailers are more trouble than they are worth.
Anyone have an opinion on the merits of replacing the bailer with a fiberglass patch and sailing without a self-bailer?
Has anyone done this? If so, how?
Our boats are operated by a wide range of sailors of all ages and skill levels. The boats are used for classes and open use on a large freshwater lake in North Carolina.