Best Online Site for Sails and Boat Parts

Greg Q

New Member
Hi,

I've acquired two older boats that will need some parts. One will need a new sail....

I was going to order everything through SunFish Direct. Does anyone have any experience with this site? They happen to be in Southeast Michigan where I live so I can easily pick them up to avoid shipping costs.

Looking at a recent thread on here "Is this sail any good?", I came to the realization that when comparing sails, Sunfish Direct is significantly more expensive than say Intensity Sails.

When buying sails and parts in general, is there any advantage in terms of quality or durability if one were to buy from LaserPerformance.us? Which appears to be the OEM site?

I'm just trying to determine to go with OEM or "aftermarket" when it comes to buying parts for a Sunfish. I've have to believe that given how simple these boats are, that aftermarket is usually just fine.

I do not plan on racing, strictly recreational use.

Thanks!
 
Sunfish Direct used to be one of the best. Give them a call and make sure they are ready to fill your order.

You might ask them if they have any New Old Stock Laser Performance sails that they would sell you at 40% off. Even at full price we think the Laser Performance sails are great sails, they have an excellent cut to them, good stitching and top notch hardware. They have always been of high quality and very durable. Laser Performance.us is the manufacturers site.

We like putting OEM sails on the boats that we restore, that improves their resale.

Tell us more about your new Fleet!
 
Thanks for the input Charlie,

My fleet consists of two AMF late 70's sunfish. The first one being a 1978, the second, which I have not picked up yet I suspect to be of the same year or close. Both belonged to my uncle who was very passionate about sailing and built several of his own sail boats before he passed away two summers ago. He bought these Sunfish off a neighbor on Neebish Island, Michgan in da Yoop :)

Both boats are water logged. My wife and I did manage to sail one over the past summer (first time ever sailing anything). The second one I have to pick up in the next month or two and begin drying it out and making some minor hull repairs.

I've been reading these threads closely as well as the knowledge center on the forum and I'm pretty confident that I can do a leak test, repair any hull damage, buy some parts, and get them both sailing this summer.

Attached picture is my wife and I sailing the one Sunfish we have so far. What a blast, even with a boat that takes three of us to get in and out of the water!! Looking forward to sailing it this summer after it loses some serious water weightt
 

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Those are good boats, they are heavier by about 10 pounds, should come in around 139 pounds but usually 4-5 over that. The hulls are pretty much bullet proof. Get them dried out and they'll be good for another 40 years ++.

We love that Riviera style sail, it came out around 1984. Our favorite, rigged for our 1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE, and on the cover of our Manual.

Wave Audrey hike out 2.jpg


Thanks for sharing the photos. Do you have names picked out for the boats yet?
 
Hey that's great to know! I'm really hoping that with the dried out hull it'll really start moving, and make it easier to get on/off the water.

Yes, we absolutely love the sail too- it's so pretty out on the water! My wife and I are in our late 20's, and we've been motor-boating for years in and around Torch Lake, MI. Now, we have a new found love of sailing. It's a whole different experience on the water!

Awesome picture! I love it

No names yet- but we still have some time to come up with them :)
 
If you're going to sail for fun and not race in official Sunfish Class races, then just get the sail from Intensity Sails.

Have you contacted Sunfish Direct about picking items up directly from them? I didn't think they had an actual "storefront" shop - their address is just a storage facility in New Baltimore. There used to be a Sunfish supplier in Muskegon (I think it is now Torreson Marine?) - but I haven't been there in years, so not sure how much they would have in stock anyway.

Have you looked into the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club? They sail a few races on various small lakes in SE Michigan over the course of the summer, and usually do a camping weekend or two as well. I'm also SE Michigan but have yet to get my schedule to align to sail with them.
 
Through the years we have bought parts, and vintage boats, from many sources. The best is Alan G., he will deliver to your doorstep, he cartopped our Standard Sailfish from New York to Florida. Here is Skipper and Alan at the official Change of Command ceremony.

IMG_0276.jpg


The vendor we have bought from for the longest time is Yankee Boating Center, we could call them for line kits and give them the colors of the boat and they would match with similar color lines when they could.

Another source right here under our nose is the Wanted Ads section of the Forum. We also have bought from Laser Performance, Intensity, Annapolis Performance Sailing (but they just shut down their parts house), ebay, and Craigslist. We also bought from our local Laser Performance Dealer but he switched to mostly kayaks and we pretty much cleaned off his parts wall. So if you use the LP Dealer locator, or any Dealer source for that matter, check first to see if they have the parts In Stock. And check shipping costs, sometimes the Free Shipping makes one source a better deal even if their parts are more expensive.

If you buy from an individual, be sure to ask if they have anything else they want to unload, we bought an old Lightning mast once to use as a flagpole and came home with a great box full of marine grade stainless.
 
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Thanks for the reference, this place is minutes away from my house. It's never come up on any internet searches I've done thus far
Hi Greg. I live in Muskegon and have maybe enough gear to outfit a half dozen Sunfish, including rudders, daggerboards, booms, masts, and sails. An accumulation of 50 years. I’m in the paring down phase of my life and would be glad to contribute to the cause. Email is [email protected].
 

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