I don't think the metal ones had pins. The opening is smaller than on a plastic bailer so no pins are needed. So hopefully if the OP puts in a new ball it will stay there.
I don't think the metal ones had pins. The opening is smaller than on a plastic bailer so no pins are needed. So hopefully if the OP puts in a new ball it will stay there.
And I got bow handles from sailcraftri...It's like Oprah, You get a part, and you get a part, and you get a part...
sailingforums.com
I've spent hours trying to rehabilitate those metal bailers made by De Persia.
The $50 plastic. bailers are trouble-free in comparison. It's important that Sunfish owners not step inside the cockpit when the hull is supported by wood or concrete. Or, as Beldar noted, only step inside when the boat is on the water.
Think of those plastic bailers as being fragile, 'cause they will break catastrophically or lose a pin or two along fracture lines. Check for loose pins, and reseat them if you can move them.
New plastic bailers can be installed with- or-without the O-ring that fits outside. Extra-large, I believe it was intended as a shock absorber to limit damage if the plastic bailer is stressed in some way.
Replacement polyethylene balls are available for both De Persia and plastic bailers. "Minimum-purchases" range from five to fifty!
For the recreational Sunfish sailor, I suggest replacing the $50 plastic bailer with a $6 rubber "freeze plug", available at automotive supply stores. Inch and a quarter diameter will get it done. Put the larger washer on the inside.
Been a member of my club for a year, exclusively using club boats. They are 4 Sunfish, 2 Lasers, 1 Capri 14, and a gaggle of Optis. Boat repairs are usually on an as needed basis by whomever is willing and able. But since we'll be using these boats for the foreseeable future, my husband and I...
The ball, in theory, would float up and seal against the bottom chamfered inner edge of the bailer cap. The bailer cap could be screwed completely closed to close the drain hole in the cap threads, or left partly open so cockpit water could drain, either by gravity while the boat was ashore or by venturi effect while the boat was significantly underway.
Alcort recommended putting Vaseline on the cap threads once a month.
The bailer ball on the Sunfish fits in the bailer housing on the bottom of the boat. It limits water from entering the cockpit when the rubber plug is not secur
sunfishdirect.com
The bailer balls are sold in packages of five, so you’d better get a few more boats to restore.
Or forget about the ball, bring a sponge and go sailing.