First sail on "new-to-me" Sunfish

wbrown62

wbrown62

Member
Had a fantastic day sailing my Sunfish on Lake Belton near Ft Hood in Texas. The wind was about perfect all day. I sailed alone, with my daughter, then my wife and later my daughter went out with her husband. Had a small SNAFU at one point and my wife took a dunk in the lake while I stayed dry. LOL! (I promise this was not on purpose) We had a good laugh over that since it happened near the swimming area with who knows how many people watching. I think my wife was slightly embarrassed to say the least. At any rate, a fantastic time overall, but I have a few questions.

1. Sailing close hauled, I noticed the leach of my sail would flutter. I suspect my outhaul may have been tensioned too tight. Is this correct? My sail is fairly old and has undoubtedly lost some of its shape. Also I do not have the newer style outhaul with a jam cleat (which I think I am going to correct). It's just tied off to the end of the spar.

2. Also, my mast top is loose on one side and I noticed what sounds like a plug that slides up and down inside the mast when it is turned top-to bottom and back. Should the mast be plugged and sealed? My Hobie mast is sealed to keep water out. I feel the Sunfish mast should be as well.

3. I would like to purchase a spar bag to store and transport the spars, mast and sail. Could someone recommend a well made bag that doesn't break the bank?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and have a great day.

Walter
 
1. Old sails loose their shape and the leech will eventually flutter as you have found out. Your outhaul will not correct this problem. Larger boats actually have leech lines in them that you can adjust. I would invest in a new sail before doing the racing gear upgrade. You can get new sails (all white) from www.intensitysails.com for $135 plus shipping. I have red/white/blue sails with windows for $150. Contact me at cjo1023 at yahoo dot com.

2. The cork that was in the end of the mast is moving around inside the mast. I would take the mast cap and mast base off. Remove the cork. Then re-install the end caps with sealant as you have already considered.

3. Again you can get a sail cover at www.intensitysails.com for $59.99. Or you can get direct from the same manufacturer for $54 at http://www.slosailandcanvas.com/servlet/the-Sailboat-Covers-cln-Sunfish-®/Categories. Intensity sells the SloSailandCanvas sail cover so I only mention it because if you get a sail you might as well get the cover and save shipping from two sources. I also have a sail bag that I use that was made for an Escape sailboat. It is longer than needed so I fold the end over and there is a strap at the right spot that tightens the cover. I have new ones at $40.
 
Thanks for the info. As far as No 1, I most likely will purchase a new sail before too long, but I may make do with what I have until next summer. It depends on how much I will be out sailing this summer. On number 2, I notice there appears to be 2 very small pins, 180 degrees apart through the mast cap. Is it just a matter of punching these pins out to remove the cap or is there a different preferred method for removal? thanks
 
For recreational sailing there is not much benefit to a new sail. You could fiddle with the out hauls to try to minimize the flutter.

Yes, just punch out those pins, seal, and reinstall the pins. BB
 
I use a sharp tipped hole punch for getting a drlil started in metal. When taking the end caps off I make sure I catch the pins as they fall out.
 
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