Common causes of hull damage?

cnovark

cnovark

Member
Another total newbie question...what are the main causes of hull damage? I sort of anticipate the occasional bump into a bulkhead or something. How much damage does that do? I'm considering a newer and very very pretty Sunfish and was wondering how much abuse it could take without getting totally beat up. Basically I'm torn at the moment between getting a sound but not pretty 70s Sunfish for a little under a thousand with trailer, or a 2008 one with a racing stripe, racing sail, extra sail, fiberglass rudder and daggerboard, covers, and a trailer for around $2500. I CAN afford the nice one, but don't know if I SHOULD--ie, how much am I gonna bang this thing up as a newbie?

You guys have been super helpful and I love this forum. Thanks.
 
Good questions.
When I started sailing I borrowed a Sunfish for a year, because I wasn't sure if I would stick with it, or if it was a passing thing for me. As it turns out, I'm glad I did because when I figured out I really was serious, I also then knew that I really wanted and that I would appreciate a new boat. If I had started by buying a boat, I would have bought a used one - it would have been right at the moment, but a mistake in the long run. So...it depends.

As for 'how much damage'... A few common mishaps are 1. Hitting the board on something underwater or coming into shore with the daggerboard down, which can damage not only the board but the trunk itself, 2. Running it onto the beach or shore and not babying the hull (more an issue with new boats) - with the newer boat and dolly, like the $2,500 one mentioned - I would never, ever let the hull touch the beach - even if it's all sand, 3. Doing cosmetic 'damage' like scraping the forward bolt sticking down (even with a duct tape buffer) on the lower spar, or the tiller, across the deck...not that that's terrible, but it happens to beginners and the scratching can look ugly.

Here is what I would do, in retrospect. Get the new boat, if you like it. Also pick up a cheap practice daggerboard for use for awhile. If you can't get a free wooden board from someone, pick up someones busted plastic board or an Intensity board. I use a damaged plastic board when messing around and save the good boards for regattas. I might even pick up a cheap beater hull to go with it, just for awhile, and use my good rigging and stuff (but not the good board) on it. Use the old board while learning. Always use the dolly when using the new hull..never let the newer hull touch the ground, or beach.

The really best advice I can offer, though, is to join a local Sunfish sailing club first. Texas has active clubs with world class sailors, though you will have to ask around. That's what I did, years ago, and that's how I fell into a borrowed boat while I learned. It also made the whole sailing experience immeasurably more rewarding, and dramatically accelerated learning. Clubs are a good source of boats. This season I picked up a fully race-equipped newer boat for not much at all - not much over half the number you mentioned - from a club member who was moving. At the same time, I've been passing along assorted gear I don't need anymore to a club rookie I'm trying to help along. In sailing clubs, that kind of thing happens, and with patience, everything works out.
 
With all that in my prior post I forgot to mention perhaps the most common cause of Sunfish hull damage -- improper transporting. I don't think I've ever trailered a Sunfish hull-side down, and with maybe a very few exceptions of customized cradles or maybe trailex-types with support on the chines, no sailors who are serious about the care of their hull do either. You don't want any pressure on the hull when trailering. Nevertheless, we sometimes see boats trailered that way -hull down -though there are few surer and more insidious ways to ruin a Sunfish. A post on another thread just now about trailers triggered the thought - Sunfish trailers can be almost any size - you just need a bunk to support the boat deck-side down.
 
My '76 Sunfish came with heavy aft-deck cracking—likely from falls within the boat. :( Another site of damage is backing into shallow water with the rudder down.
 
minifish2 said:
With all that in my prior post I forgot to mention perhaps the most common cause of Sunfish hull damage -- improper transporting. I don't think I've ever trailered a Sunfish hull-side down, and with maybe a very few exceptions of customized cradles or maybe trailex-types with support on the chines, no sailors who are serious about the care of their hull do either. You don't want any pressure on the hull when trailering. Nevertheless, we sometimes see boats trailered that way -hull down -though there are few surer and more insidious ways to ruin a Sunfish. A post on another thread just now about trailers triggered the thought - Sunfish trailers can be almost any size - you just need a bunk to support the boat deck-side down.
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All good advice, but the statement about the proper way to transport our toy is too categorical IMHO.
My observations from National and Regional championship regattas is that about half the people transport the hull on trailers bottom down and the other half carry the hull upside down. Of course, not all trailers are alike and some are more likely to inflict structural damage over the long term.
For people who do a lot of sailing in the absence of others to help with carrying the hull and turning it over, a trailer is almost mandatory if the boat is stored away from the water. In such situations, a trailer is just so convenient.
 
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