Early 50s sailfish restore

If there was ever a mess about boat it is the Sailfish, perfect for light winds and ghosting. Great core workout, it is easier to lean back and tack vs leaning forward. You can also put a short beach chair on it and kayak, that would make a good picnic platform and with its weight it makes a very stable SUP. I can actually paddle one of these, vs falling off of the lightweight SUPs.

View attachment 35750

We wrote an article about the Alcort Sailfish for Small Boats Magazine. It is a comprehensive look at the Super Sailfish with information on the smaller Standard Sailfish and same size fiberglass Super Sailfish MKII.

Where will your boat be homeported, and are you keeping the name?

No real port except my house / garage. Where I live there are many small lakes and a few large ones that I can access. I think I am going to go with the oriiginal name and call it Flotsam. I also have a minifish. I'm near Saratoga Springs NY
 
If there was ever a mess about boat it is the Sailfish, perfect for light winds and ghosting. Great core workout, it is easier to lean back and tack vs leaning forward. You can also put a short beach chair on it and kayak, that would make a good picnic platform and with its weight it makes a very stable SUP. I can actually paddle one of these, vs falling off of the lightweight SUPs.

View attachment 35750

We wrote an article about the Alcort Sailfish for Small Boats Magazine. It is a comprehensive look at the Super Sailfish with information on the smaller Standard Sailfish and same size fiberglass Super Sailfish MKII.

Where will your boat be homeported, and are you keeping the name?
Great article!
 
Wow, I've heard wonderful things about that area, weekend destination for the city folk back when?
still is at the horse track in august, about 1/2 hour away is lake george.
toga.PNG
 
There are a couple on ebay right now- search Sunfish gooseneck. One guy is selling 2, but note that price is for each. I have one I’d sell for $25 plus $5 shipping. PM me if interested.
 
Regarding rails, rudder and daggerboard, is ther any reason to not use hard maple? I have quite a bit on hand and if it makes no real difference. I would like to put it to good use.

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
Depends on where you store your boat. Hard Maple: Rot Resistance: Rated as non-durable to perishable, and susceptible to insect attack.
 
Mahogany is dern-near universal among boats and water, but still can develop "cup". :oops:

Use the maple as a chopping block. :cool:
 
Depends on where you store your boat. Hard Maple: Rot Resistance: Rated as non-durable to perishable, and susceptible to insect attack.
Also means that your finish will have to be durable. Any nicks or wear-thru will let water soak in while sailing, so high chance for rot. I have heard insects enjoy sailing, so you could provide them a fun escape from their mundane lives!
 
Everybody tries different things. Wouldn't surprise me to hear someone cut some handrails out of PVC or UMHW. They'd last forever and the material is easy to work with. If you have maple, try some maple, just don't store the boat upside down with the rails in the dirt. As Beldar said, a couple of good coats of varnish, or paint, or epoxy. Standard wood care.

I used Lowe's #1 select pine for the inner stem in our Penobsot 14 ST. JACQUES, 3 pieces laminated with Titebond III. Oooh you should have heard the howls on the WoodenBoat Forum! Gave it 2 coats of epoxy and then paint over the top of that. She's holding up just fine after 6 years. Most boats do, they don't die when properly stored and maintained, they die from neglect.

Here's Skipper and Capn Jack giving the Seal of Approval.

Jack Penobscot 14 stem test fit ACL JDH .JPG


ST. JACQUES to the left, covered and covered.

Sunfish Shack v4 St Jacques.JPG
 
Everybody tries different things. Wouldn't surprise me to hear someone cut some handrails out of PVC or UMHW. They'd last forever and the material is easy to work with. If you have maple, try some maple, just don't store the boat upside down with the rails in the dirt. As Beldar said, a couple of good coats of varnish, or paint, or epoxy. Standard wood care.

I used Lowe's #1 select pine for the inner stem in our Penobsot 14 ST. JACQUES, 3 pieces laminated with Titebond III. Oooh you should have heard the howls on the WoodenBoat Forum! Gave it 2 coats of epoxy and then paint over the top of that. She's holding up just fine after 6 years. Most boats do, they don't die when properly stored and maintained, they die from neglect.

Here's Skipper and Capn Jack giving the Seal of Approval.

View attachment 35956

ST. JACQUES to the left, covered and covered.

View attachment 35957

I know about maintenance, I still have a late 60s Folbot that was built from a kit, kind of a cross between a canoe a kayak. Wooden frame with a vinyl /canvas skin. I bought this one after searching for 15 years. I built one when I was a kid with my uncle. We had it until the mid 80s when it was stolen. Great boat. I think that is where my love of both woodworking and wooden boats started. When I was a kid I rigged that old folbot with a tent pole and sewed a couple sheets together, bamboo boom lol. Crude but it worked coming upriver agaist the current. I grew up on the Hudson river in Stillwater NY. fast water there. I've had small boats all of my life. Thanks for the input. I was thinking the same on the maple. I'm even considering pre-treating it with bug killer (fake pressure treating) and letting it dry well before varnishing. Thanks again for all of your help in this project.
 
Chuck has got the bug! I understand that “Just couldn’t pass it up” feeling!

LOL, My wife asked today if I'm keeping all of them, I said, not sure. The oday I found while looking for a trailer. Guy want's 100 bucks for both, trailer makes transport so much easier than the racks on my truck. basically a free boat. He has everything but the mast.
 
Sounds like a deal! Check to be sure trailer has a VIN and ideally some registration history. Not sure about NY, but CT DMV makes it near impossible to register a trailer without these.
P.S I say use the hard maple, since you have it and you want to make your own. Coat everything in epoxy, then varnish/poly (epoxy alone not UV protected).
Or- careful- find another Sailfish for $50-$100 and use the parts!
 
Sounds like a deal! Check to be sure trailer has a VIN and ideally some registration history. Not sure about NY, but CT DMV makes it near impossible to register a trailer without these.
P.S I say use the hard maple, since you have it and you want to make your own. Coat everything in epoxy, then varnish/poly (epoxy alone not UV protected).
Or- careful- find another Sailfish for $50-$100 and use the parts!

He has all paperwork on both boat and trailer from last year. I guess he's moving south and has 3 other boats to move. This is his spare and he wants it gone quickly. If I find another, I will have another project. :) I'm not good at parting repairable things in general, boats in particular. Epoxy is a great idea.
 
On the Javelin check that the centerboard moves freely, the shroud and forestay tangs are in good shape and that the mast step looks right, no cracks bulges etc...And check the WWYY (WeekYear) manufacture date on the side of those trailer tires, 6 years is max even if they look new.

Trailer Tire Tips https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/trailer-tires/

She needs to have good sails, the boat gets expensive fast otherwise.

Javelin specs.jpeg


Those Folbots were cool, transformers in disguise. We had a Klepper sail rig for a bit, it was a good size and we sold it to a gent in Tennessee who was thrilled to find it. Got it free in when we picked a Windflite.

If you go the epoxy route most brands sell a Special Clear Hardener, that will let the beauty of the wood shine through. We coated ZIP with West System 105 resin with 207 Special Clear Hardener, planned to then varnish also but it looked great with just the Special Clear. Since she stays inside or under cover I wasn't worried about UV protection. My Ship Carpenter buddy Keith recommended that application, he uses it a lot on yacht interior finishes.

Audrey Zip gen 2 rudder Lagniappe Beach.jpg


He is also a big fan of Rustoleum Marine Topside Enamel on wood, you might look to see if your local Lowes sells it as they might have the color you want. We used TotalBoat Wet Edge on our Super Sailfish ZSA ZSA and other wooden Sunfish CHIP. On the Standard Sailfish WINNIE we used Valspar Ultra enamel, the same product we used on BARBASHELA's restoration. We pick our paint based on the color we want, form Interlux Brightside, Pettit EZPoxy, Rustoleum Marine, TotalBoat or Valspar.

Rustoleum Marine Topside Oyster White

Audrey Willow boat lift.JPG


TotalBoat WetEdge. The blue is Interlux Brightside.

IMG_1074.jpg


Audrey and Winnie 19 may.jpg


Valspar Whipped Apricot, Swiss Coffee and Mark Twain House Brown.

Audrey 1880 rowboat Barbashela.JPG


Thanks for sharing your small boat adventures.
 
What is this with Folbots? :oops:

I have two--sold the sailing rig after the fabric got impossible to float the vessel. Other parts are still around. :oops:

The buyer of the sail rig also had a Dad flying PBY amphibious U.S. Navy aircraft against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy in the Solomon Islands--1943.

The other is wood-framed, and hasn't moved for 20 years. 'Still under cover...was offered $100 just for the Folbot flag/ensign/burgee (whatever you call it). :) I'd take the $100, if I can ever find the flag! :confused:
 
On the Javelin check that the centerboard moves freely, the shroud and forestay tangs are in good shape and that the mast step looks right, no cracks bulges etc...And check the WWYY (WeekYear) manufacture date on the side of those trailer tires, 6 years is max even if they look new.

Trailer Tire Tips https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/trailer-tires/

She needs to have good sails, the boat gets expensive fast otherwise.

View attachment 35959

Those Folbots were cool, transformers in disguise. We had a Klepper sail rig for a bit, it was a good size and we sold it to a gent in Tennessee who was thrilled to find it. Got it free in when we picked a Windflite.

If you go the epoxy route most brands sell a Special Clear Hardener, that will let the beauty of the wood shine through. We coated ZIP with West System 105 resin with 207 Special Clear Hardener, planned to then varnish also but it looked great with just the Special Clear. Since she stays inside or under cover I wasn't worried about UV protection. My Ship Carpenter buddy Keith recommended that application, he uses it a lot on yacht interior finishes.

View attachment 35960

He is also a big fan of Rustoleum Marine Topside Enamel on wood, you might look to see if your local Lowes sells it as they might have the color you want. We used TotalBoat Wet Edge on our Super Sailfish ZSA ZSA and other wooden Sunfish CHIP. On the Standard Sailfish WINNIE we used Valspar Ultra enamel, the same product we used on BARBASHELA's restoration. We pick our paint based on the color we want, form Interlux Brightside, Pettit EZPoxy, Rustoleum Marine, TotalBoat or Valspar.

Rustoleum Marine Topside Oyster White

View attachment 35965

TotalBoat WetEdge. The blue is Interlux Brightside.

View attachment 35961

View attachment 35963

Valspar Whipped Apricot, Swiss Coffee and Mark Twain House Brown.

View attachment 35964

Thanks for sharing your small boat adventures.

I'm going to need to find a mast for the javelin, apparently someone clipped a tree with it, boom, sails and the rest are good to go
 
Looks like I may be able to go natural on the deck like I want. YAY!!!
 

Attachments

  • 20200115_141514.jpg
    20200115_141514.jpg
    831.2 KB · Views: 32
  • 20200115_141422.jpg
    20200115_141422.jpg
    564.7 KB · Views: 45
  • 20200115_141358.jpg
    20200115_141358.jpg
    589.4 KB · Views: 40
  • 20200115_141347.jpg
    20200115_141347.jpg
    696 KB · Views: 31

Back
Top