Gearing up

scap114

Member
As the boats in the north start being readied for the season has anyone else found that the little projects have turned into more than you expected. Want to share your stories of getting the boat ready? In my case, it was the trailer. One of the tires had gone flat during the winter. As I looked at the trailer I decided I should replace the lights, and also grease the bearings and get the tire remounted. When I tackled the bearings I found the races were pitted, so it turned out to be new races, seals and bearings. The lights are still in the package, that is for another week.
 
Great topic.............
I have been gearing up since August 2006 to sail this Memorial day weekend 2007. I picked up a nice used SF in upper state Michigan last August. The former owner is an avid sailor and ice boater in the upper state of Michigan. The boat has had some scuffs repaired (w/ West Epoxy) from racing taps and a couple of bow scratches from the tack bolt, but very solid, light and the top deck is very bright for a 1979. I bought the boat without a trailer, and the story starts. I transported the SF in the rear end of my 2002 Envoy with the bow handle under my right elbow and the stern cantilevering out the back end for abaout three or four feet. I began my search for a trailer that same week. Late October I finally found a little fixer upper trailer that turned out to be an all aluminum Trailex trailer. It originally was a double decker, but seems to have rolled over judging by the scratches and torn fender on one side. The axle had only one race and was not in production anymore. The trailer dates back to the late 60's. So I had to have a custom narrow axle made, new light set, strip the peeling black paint off the aluminum frame, and build a great bunk craddle I found on the SF Sailor Forum too. I noticed some day light under my coaming while working in the garage (25-30 degrees with a heater) this winter. Two of the rivets had pulled part way through the deck so I removed the coaming. I also had to install a deck port for the coaming repair and a hiking strap too while I was in the hull. The coaming had been worn on the top from being stored upside down on a beech or something. I have since repainted the coaming with Brightside. I plan to reset the coaming this Thursday. I have rubbed the deck to eliminate most of the oxidation over the years. I noticed this once the original gelcoat was revealed when the coaming was taken off. I replaced a double clam cleat with a Harken 019 and used the original mainsheet "hook" as my under deck reinforcement. I had three holes, from the clam cleat, to use to mount the block. I used two and just set a bolt and lock nut to close the third. My boat is now registered and the trailer is now registered too. I have also stripped, SS threaded doweled my wood rudder, stripped my daggerboard, and re-varnished them both over the winter. The tiller and extension just the same.
I plan to sail her this weekend and christen her with an ice cold beer, may be not quite in that order. Yes, I have been bitten by the Sunfish bug again. I grew up sailing these wonderful boats and really have not sailed them since my late teens. I was a sailing instructor as an Eagle Scout and now have an eager Brownie and a Junior Girl Scout that will enjoy the thrill of sailing with this fish as well. I plan to make a photo album of all of this later this summer.
Everyone have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend.
 
I am restoring (well making the boat seaworthy) a 78 fish that was abused and left sitting idle for several years at a faimly summer camp in Wi. I bought the boat from one of the grandchilden who sailed it when it was new.

The boat came with a tilt trailer designed for a power boat, complete over kill for a SF. Sometime just before it sat unused, the trailer tilted while going down the road punching a 4 inch hole in the bottom. The poor fish also had lots other war wounds from novice sailers on a rocky lake.

The boat was soaked with water when I got it and I have been drying it out since last fall. I have gotten at least 3 gallons of water out of the boat so far. Thanks to the info on this site I will continue to dry her out over this summer. I know she will never be a racer but will serve as a good teaching and recreational boat for my kids.

As an experienced fiberglass guy, I was not afraid to tackle the fish. During the repairs to the hull I discoverd that the foot well was cracked and all of the underlying support was gone. That was a fun job and took more time and effort than the repairs to the hull. There is no easy way to work on the cockpit with out leaning and bending in all directions. You can't get to both sides of the damaged area and a lot of what I had left was water soaked and crushed. I have no idea how the cockpit was so badly damaged. There were no obvious signs of somthing hitting or being dropped in the cockpit. Weird?

Well to say the least, a lot of fiberglass and resin has gone into the boat this spring. I've got to get the coaming put back on, put new registration numbers on the hull, weld the trailer so it doesn't tilt and replace the lights on the trailer this week to get her ready. I am hoping to get her into the water this Memorial weekend for the first time!
 
Finally came down from the lake to get the Sunfish out. I have given her a good wash but she looks older than when I put her away and is really starting to show her age. Starting to see some fading and some spider cracks. Don't remember the gouge on the rear deck from the tiller being so deep. As she is a "67", you would think she would be in better shape. I guess I will have to do some restorations on her. I did replace the original sail 2 years ago, but, like they say, boats are just a hole in the water you pour your money into. They just don't make things to last anymore.
 
I am trying to keep my '67 afloat... just ordered inspection ports, Harken 016 and spring, eyebolt, bow handle (cracked at the screws last year with just a moderate tug), a new old-style bridle (gave way while on vacation last year, made one with plastic coated cable and wire clamps from the local hardware store... yes, I always bring my toolbox on vacation now). Oy, what I have I gotten myself into??? :)

And that's not even mentioning that my teen daughter really wants to paint the deck with Van Gogh's Starry night (I am an artist, but never painted anything with GelCoat on fiberglass!). This is too much... think I'll go sailing tomorrow, sans bow handle. :cool:
 

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