Best Way To Secure Wood Daggerboard?

B

BG3

Member
Another item I need to tackle for my father's Sunfish: What is the best way to secure the wood daggerboard in the event of a capsize? The Laser and plastic Sunfish blade have an easy solution but, not sure what to do for the wood blade.

I considered securing one end of the bungee to the bow eye and making a loop using a bowline at the other end to slip over the head of the wood daggerboard.

Any thoughts or advice
 
Copy from a previous post

Many racers run the cord around the board or from the hole in the board up around the mast and through the tack (where the booms come together) back to the board on the other side of the mast.

This will hold the board up downwind and keep it from falling out of the boat if you capsize. It also helps hold the boom out in very light air (JC Strap) 58984 EW, Jan 4, 2010
 
Demon said:
Copy from a previous post

Many racers run the cord around the board or from the hole in the board up around the mast and through the tack (where the booms come together) back to the board on the other side of the mast.

This will hold the board up downwind and keep it from falling out of the boat if you capsize. It also helps hold the boom out in very light air (JC Strap) 58984 EW, Jan 4, 2010
Click to expand...

Right, but, that won't work for a wood blade w/o a hole.
 
I would drill the hole. In the 80s wood boards came new with a small hole in one of the handles so you could tie a line. BB
 
This is a 1980 model. I just measured the board and I'm now thinking it was a home-made daggerboard...

It's too thin, too short (front to back @ the top and bottom) and a little too long. Might just see if Dad wants to pony up for a replica blade from Intensity. Would likely help the boat point better...
 
BG3 said:
Guess I can drill a hole...
Click to expand...
or you could just add a small eyestrap on top of the board.
deck_hardware_eyestrap.jpg
 
Interesting string. When wood boards were all there were, many of us installed a solid brass door handle on the top of the wood board to make it easier to grasp and raise/lower without dinging up our knuckles. The handle also provided a nice attachment point for the aforementioned (above) bungee cords to tension the board and prevent loss in a capsize. As luck would have it, I happen to have one of these boards with handle for sale in the "For Sale" section of the Sunfish Forum, see: "Four Wood Daggerboards for Sale". Check it out.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
I loop a cord around the back of the daggerboard then down through the bow handle, and hook the cord back to itself. It works great for me, and no holes required.
 
I don't tie mine down. I'm using a daggerboard from a Scorpion which has a double spring. It's a pretty tight fit, so I don't think the board could fall out, but I haven't capsized in the three years I've been been sailing :)
 
baseman said:
I don't tie mine down. I'm using a daggerboard from a Scorpion which has a double spring. It's a pretty tight fit, so I don't think the board could fall out, but I haven't capsized in the three years I've been been sailing :)
Click to expand...
Another advantage of running a line from the daggerboard up around the mast to the tack of the sail and back is that it not only will hold the sail out when going downwind in light air, but it also will hold the daggerboard up if you adjust the height of the daggerboard as you're sailing (raise it up downwind, all the way down when reaching, etc). And, should you ever capsize, it also keeps the daggerboard from floating too far away.

Cheers,
Tag
 
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