Bow Handle Repair??

[jyeager1]

Just bought a used Sunfish and the bow handle was loose and had been screwed into the deck using sheet metal screws. What's the best way to repair this so that the bow handle is usable again?

 

[mike4947]

What usually happens is the wooden block that is inside the hull dry rots or comes loose and there's nothing to screw to any more.
The correct fix is to put a small port in the deck near the handle location so you can replace the block. Either wood or metal is acceptable for the new plate.

 

[jyeager1]

Thanks for the response - how large a port should I put in and is right behind the handle location OK? Are there any stringers or re-inforcement pieces to worry about in that area of the deck?

 

[cprettyman]

There is a foam block that runs up the center and stops a few inches short of the bow handle in my boat. I don't know how much this varies from year to year. Mine is old - 1969 or 1970, and it stops about 4" back from the back end of the handle.

I chose to put a very small port at the bow, so I was removing less fiberglass. I used a 4" port. It's pretty tight for getting my arm in to work around, but I can do it - just. A 5" port would have made life easier,and a 6" port, which I used at the rear, for rudder repairs, would have made life easy - but it didn't seem like a good fit at the pointy end of the boat.