been a while since I updated (pics)

C

chau8238

67 Sunfish
Well, it's been a bit since I've been on here, I've even taken it out today, but I was alone so no pics. Plus it was raining and really windy, I was at Clear lake near Kema Texas for those of you that are familiar. And it opens to the gulf, so the hurricane weather made it fun. :D I had some big waves go over the front of the boat.

Well, there are pics of my boat before I started here.
http://www.sunfishforum.com/showthread.php?t=32575&highlight=chau8238

Now here's the pics since I've worked on it. They are out of order and some are of it finished while others are in progress. For a 40 year old boat, I think it's in great condition. I know I could've done a better job on it, smoothed things better etc....but I was pressed for time and wanted to use it. So it works and I'm happy.

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Let me know what you guys think!
 
Hi Phil,

The sunfish looks great. What did you end up using to paint it? I've got a '75 sunfish that I need to finish patching and then paint. Did you have any trouble taking off and then installing the aluminum edging?

Thanks,

Dan
 
danpal said:
Hi Phil,

The sunfish looks great. What did you end up using to paint it? I've got a '75 sunfish that I need to finish patching and then paint. Did you have any trouble taking off and then installing the aluminum edging?

Thanks,

Dan
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I ended up using Interlux - Brightside Polyurethane, it took one quart to primer everything with one coat, used it all up pretty much. Took a quart to do the bottom and cockpit. I did two coats on the bottom and no paint left over. However, on the top, I put two coats and still have around half a quart left.

The trim is easy to remove, drill out the rivets and pull it off, however, I got the trim back on, but there's one place the the trim pulled off again, So i'm going to rivet them a bit differently, but I'll get it fixed. I pulled on it a bit to hard when it was really windy. A little more fiberglass and resin will fix that up no problems.


Total, I had to fix the trailer, it didn't have the running boards, the boat obviously needed some repairs, and now it's set.
 
Did you consider sanding the deck before painting it? An easy to sand filler, and more prep would have yielded a nice finish. Now you have a boat that is poorly painted, reveals every defect, and has diminished the value of the boat.

The process is called "Fairing" where you sand, fill in low spots with easy to sand filler, sand again, and perhaps repeat until the surface is perfect. The use of long-boards for sanding reveals all the low spots, which are filled, sometimes more than once until the surface is flat and smooth. Then an epoxy primer--two part, and a two part paint yield a high quality finish.

I noticed fiberglass patches that were slapped on. While good enough to prevent water intrusion, the one on deck stands out like a sore thumb. The other post with the patch on the bottom is not fair either, but at least it would not be visible while recreational sailing.

Your choice of a one-part paint was a mistake also. That paint does not hold up well, and you can see it is clearly not smooth with lots of brush marks. Epoxy paint, when thinned, and put on using a roll and tip method produces results like spray painting. One part paint is never a good idea for any boat application.

Also, you replaced your Sunfish bow handle with a Herreshoff cleat suitable for a 30 boat--not a 13' Sunfish. It is out of place, heavy, and likely to snag lines on a Sunfish--a bad choice for many reasons.

IMHO, you would have been better off leaving the boat as it was, and simply given it a cleaning and a light sanding. Your results have, if anything markedly decreased the value of the boat. It is not just a poor job, but about the worst possible job that could have been done. However, if you can be humble, and walk away from this understanding why that is the case, and take the time to learn how to do it properly, and then take another stab at doing it properly, you will have gained a lot. Sailors tend to be neat freaks because boats are small and the time spent making them perfect is not all that great. Embrace what it is to be a sailor--have a desire to do things right and make your boat look good.

I hope you will reconsider re-doing your paint job this winter. I'd be glad to offer tips on how to do it properly. I'll apologize in advance for being critical, it seems no-one else here has the guts to say what needs to be said.

I have an older '60's Sunfish that needs the deck refinished. I will start that project tomorrow. Most likely I'll be priming it and painting the deck. I'll have to decide soon whether to renew the gelcoat, or fair and paint the deck.

I'd prefer to renew the gelcoat, as that would look the best, but that is also, much more work than a proper epoxy paint job. I may take a stab at that just because I like challenges. Gelcoat requires lots of sanding and fine sanding and then buffing to bring out the shine. I have a helper so perhaps I'll delegate all that sanding.

Epoxy paint makes more sense. That is what I recommend for you. With 90% of the work in preparation, the acutally painting goes very fast. If too shiny, it can also be lightly wet-sanded with 1200 grit paper to dull a finish that is too bright. I will post a blog on it here if I go that route, and you can see the steps necessary to do a nice job. Feel free to ask questions. I will also post some simple repair photos you can review.
 
NightSailor said:
Did you consider sanding the deck before painting it? An easy to sand filler, and more prep would have yielded a nice finish. Now you have a boat that is poorly painted, reveals every defect, and has diminished the value of the boat.
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While I understand your view point, I did not deminish the value of my boat, I only bought it for $150 with the trailer. And while it may not be the prettiest thing, I could care less, I only wanted a recreational boat to learn how to sail on. And I wish I could've done a better job, and my original intent was to do so. But I have ran out of time and needed to get it done before today. Which I am about to trailer it from Houston TX to Kokomo IN where i live. So my agenda was to simply getting it useable again for when I go home. I know this is not a show boat, but without MAJOR repairs, it never would be. Also, I liked the oringal bow handle better, but it fell apart at the mounting points, so I opted for a regular cleat that does the same job for me. It may look out of place but is functional at least, and I had it laying around whereas a new bow handle was out of my price range.

Here are the pics of before I started in case you would like to compare, keep in mind that I didn't do any real patchwork on the boat, only a few places where the hardware mount holes were.

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The boat had been repaired several times before I owned it, I was merely looking for a boat to play with, and not be too worried about damaging it, although I'd prefer not to.

Also, I was on a very tight budget and time frame. I work 40 hours a week and the boat was another half an hour away from where I live.

I did try to sand it before painting, but even with a 60 grit brand new paper, where the boat had been repair previously was like sanding a hard metal.


I appreciate your honesty, and I wish I'd have the funds and time for a correct repair, but for my use, this will do and I can have just as much fun. I do not plan on showing it off, just enjoying how to sail. Thanks for the comments.
 
Hey, Welcome back to Indiana! I am down in Bloomington. Where do you sail at up there? I have been going out on Lake Monroe down here, and we have a could of smaller lakes in the area I have been eyeing. Couple of weeks ago I took my fish down to Patoka Lake, lot of chop down there though from all the big power boats.

If you are ever in the Bloomington area let me know.

Cheers

Oh I forgot to mention, aside from your Blue Spash guard your boat looks very similar to mine. The previous owner painted it with a red deck and white hull as well.
 
WOP31 said:
Hey, Welcome back to Indiana! I am down in Bloomington. Where do you sail at up there? I have been going out on Lake Monroe down here, and we have a could of smaller lakes in the area I have been eyeing. Couple of weeks ago I took my fish down to Patoka Lake, lot of chop down there though from all the big power boats.

If you are ever in the Bloomington area let me know.

Cheers

Oh I forgot to mention, aside from your Blue Spash guard your boat looks very similar to mine. The previous owner painted it with a red deck and white hull as well.
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That's awesome, well I'm from Kokomo IN, so I'll probably take it to Lake Freeman or Mississinewa Resevoir. Which the Resevoir is by far my favorite place.

I haven't been to Monroe lake in at least 10 years. Well good luck to you!
 
I noticed your bridle line on the aft deck. A better option would be a line, or better yet the stock wire traveler, without a loop in the middle. That little "loop" in the middle is by-gone era stuff. Your boat will perform better and be easier to handle in a blow. If you use line, watch for wear.
 
isleofwightlen said:
I'm glad you enjoyed refurbishing your 'fish , and I'm sure you'll have fun sailing her.
That's what it's all about !
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Thanks, I just wanted a toy and to enjoy something while I was in Texas for the weekends. Hopefully I'll enjoy it this week and next time I'm in Texas.

rmw12942 said:
I noticed your bridle line on the aft deck. A better option would be a line, or better yet the stock wire traveler, without a loop in the middle. That little "loop" in the middle is by-gone era stuff. Your boat will perform better and be easier to handle in a blow. If you use line, watch for wear.
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I may look into a wire traveler, that's just what was on it when I bought it, and for now, I'll use it until I get more funds. I was buying everything on a need to have basis as my real spare funds go into my truck. I may (for now) just put a new rope traveler on there without the loop to see how that works with it. Thanks for the advice.

gsr977 said:
She's come a long way! Looking real good, congrats!
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Thanks, I believe it is at where I want it to be, would I like it to be nicer? Yes! But my funds and time don't comprare to my actual usage and what I needed to do to make it useable. So for now it'll stay as is and be a fun toy.
 
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