Nephroid
Member
Hello there! I am now the proud owner of THIS Minifish..
...freshly purchased off Ebay.
Given the serial number, #1209 out of approximately 14,000 made, I would estimate her to be from the first 1-2 years of production – so a ’71 or ’72? Overall she seems to be in pretty good shape for a boat approaching 50yrs old.
As mentioned in another post, despite sailing club SF’s at my local YC, I am completely new to Sunfish ownership and care. I’m really curious to get everyone’s thoughts on the following areas:
Hull
Haven’t weighed it but to my arms it feels about 80-90lbs, so a touch on the heavy side. Haven’t pulled the drain plug yet, but I didn’t hear any water inside. Mast step does hold water. Will add interior pics of the mast step and daggerboard trunk when I get a chance.
Fiberglass seems to be in excellent condition with some minimal scuffs, scratches and stains.
Only areas I was worried about are some spider webs in the gelcoat on the bottom / keel and this repair under the corner of the stern. Does this look something I should worry about?
Sail
It appears to be original Nylon sail (feels like a kite!). It’s slightly faded and dusty but otherwise in excellent condition. While I love the Minifish class logo, I’m probably going to replace the sail with a modern Dacron one. Will probably hang onto the original for parades and special occasions.
The sail rings seem to be orginal and in good shape but I will probably replace them when order a new sail.
Rigging
Mast, spar and booms and their caps look brand new. There was no mainsheet and the halyard looks like an old laundry line, so will have to add both to the shopping list.
There is a small hook on the forward wall of the cockpit. Is this supposed to be for the mainsheet? Curious if anyone has had any luck replacing this with a modern mainsheet swivel block.
It also has the old rope bridle (traveler) and a loop of the same for a bow handle. Is it worth trying to put in a metal bow handle and replace the bridle with a modern one?
Daggerboard / Rudder
Both seem original and in excellent condition. Springs and pintles on the rudder work great. I may replace the tiller extension with a modern one that can bend upwards as well. There’s a very small gouge on the daggerboard but nothing some sandpaper couldn’t fix. What should I use to refinish the wood?
Well that’s all I’ve got for now. Will update with more as I go along. In the end I paid $850 which was a little higher than I hoped, but still seemed like a fair price for a mini in this condition. So how did I do? Anything I miss or that you would consider adding if it were your Minifish?
Thanks,
John
...freshly purchased off Ebay.
Given the serial number, #1209 out of approximately 14,000 made, I would estimate her to be from the first 1-2 years of production – so a ’71 or ’72? Overall she seems to be in pretty good shape for a boat approaching 50yrs old.
As mentioned in another post, despite sailing club SF’s at my local YC, I am completely new to Sunfish ownership and care. I’m really curious to get everyone’s thoughts on the following areas:
Hull
Haven’t weighed it but to my arms it feels about 80-90lbs, so a touch on the heavy side. Haven’t pulled the drain plug yet, but I didn’t hear any water inside. Mast step does hold water. Will add interior pics of the mast step and daggerboard trunk when I get a chance.
Fiberglass seems to be in excellent condition with some minimal scuffs, scratches and stains.
Only areas I was worried about are some spider webs in the gelcoat on the bottom / keel and this repair under the corner of the stern. Does this look something I should worry about?
Sail
It appears to be original Nylon sail (feels like a kite!). It’s slightly faded and dusty but otherwise in excellent condition. While I love the Minifish class logo, I’m probably going to replace the sail with a modern Dacron one. Will probably hang onto the original for parades and special occasions.
The sail rings seem to be orginal and in good shape but I will probably replace them when order a new sail.
Rigging
Mast, spar and booms and their caps look brand new. There was no mainsheet and the halyard looks like an old laundry line, so will have to add both to the shopping list.
There is a small hook on the forward wall of the cockpit. Is this supposed to be for the mainsheet? Curious if anyone has had any luck replacing this with a modern mainsheet swivel block.
It also has the old rope bridle (traveler) and a loop of the same for a bow handle. Is it worth trying to put in a metal bow handle and replace the bridle with a modern one?
Daggerboard / Rudder
Both seem original and in excellent condition. Springs and pintles on the rudder work great. I may replace the tiller extension with a modern one that can bend upwards as well. There’s a very small gouge on the daggerboard but nothing some sandpaper couldn’t fix. What should I use to refinish the wood?
Well that’s all I’ve got for now. Will update with more as I go along. In the end I paid $850 which was a little higher than I hoped, but still seemed like a fair price for a mini in this condition. So how did I do? Anything I miss or that you would consider adding if it were your Minifish?
Thanks,
John