ylojelo
Member
after a closer look, it seems that my 35 year old nylon pulley has seized. Is the replacement bullseye a direct fit or should I fashion a way to attach a new pulley?
Halyard Bullseye Fairlead
- Thread starter ylojelo
- Start date
Wayne
Member Emeritus
Measure the center line-to-center line of the screws. Fairleads come in a couple of different CL to CL sizes. Did you notice the pad for your block is turned 90* from the way newer Sunfish have the Bullseye fairlead mounted? You could fill the old holes and drill new if you want to install a fairlead in the current orientation. Then it's a non-issue.
You could also put in a new block. Racelite is still around. RWO, Harken, and Ronstan all make small base pads or eyestraps that can be combined with a small swivel block of an equivalent size.
ylojelo
Member
yeah, soon after I posted. The easiest thing to do then is find a matching replacement? Funtionality should be pretty much the same either way, right?
Hi Wayne: I saw your post on this thread and wonder if you can help me. I bought an old (pre 1972?) Sunfish and the bullseye fairlead appears to be broken. All there is next to the mast is a slightly concave oval bronze(?) plate with I think 2 holes that, I assume, originally fitted the actual fairlead ring. I noticed that the plate is, as you say in your post, at 90 degrees to way fairleads are oriented now (and which makes most sense since you're running the halyard along the deck to the cleat). Do you know if I can still get a replacement for this bronze, old-style fairlead, or how I would replace this one with a new style one? I guess there is a plate underneath the old fairlead, but I'm not sure if the fasteners I have with the new fairlead are self-tapping. Anyway, thanks for any advice. Simon
Unfortunately, Wayne passed away Oct 9, 2010...
We all miss him...
We all miss him...
Alan Glos
Active Member
I have several of the original deck mount halyard blocks (with the oval base that you mentioned) and if you want one, e-mail me at: aglos@colgate.edu and I can reply with with prices and logistics for getting one to you.
Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
beldar boathead
Well-Known Member
As Alan says, your boat had a block (pulley) attached to that plate. Newer boats have a fairlead, not a block. Buying a replacement part from Alan will be your simplest and probably best solution. BB
ylojelo
Member
yes, that is what I did, bought the piece from Alan and I was good to go. As with all these deck pieces, because you can't be sure how well the wooden backing plate is secured to the inside of the deck, do one screw at a time. Unscrew one, loosen the second, rotate the plate and screw in the first screw into the new plate. Now remove the second screw and proceed as normal.
Yes, that's what I'm going to do, thanks!
eshapiro9
New Member
Hi Alan! Super old thread but if you get this, do you still have any fairleads or have any advice? Mine is missing entirely from my 1968 sunfish. Worried that it might be letting water into the hull as well. Not sure if that’s a possibility. Let me know if you can help, thanks!
Alan S. Glos
Well-Known Member
The good news is that I do have this part in stock. The bad news is that the wood block under the deck that this fitting screws into may have rotted away or come loose from the underside of the deck and has fallen into the bilge. In this event, you have nothing to screw the fitting into as the fiberglass deck is too thin to take the load. I suggetst you get a woodscrew that fits the hole on the deck, screw it (gently) into the hole and see if it still holds. If yes, buy the block from me ($15 + shipping) and install it with the screws I will provide and some epoxy in the screw holes. If no, fill the screw holes with epoxy, install a cleat on the mast (about 2' up from the deck), let the mast cleat carry the load of the halyard and tie off the loose end of the halyard in the event you capsize (and don't want the rig to separate from the boat.)
Let me know what you find out.
Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
Let me know what you find out.
Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
eshapiro9
New Member
Hi Alan! Thanks a lot for the thorough response. I think I’m going to opt for the second option — fill the holes and put a cleat on the mast. Thanks a ton though! Probably will be coming back with some more questions. You seem to have all the answers!
L&VW
Well-Known Member
Sorry to confuse the matter, but the bronze block/fairlead doesn't offer the options that the later plastic fairlead has WRT later adding a vang.Even better is the same plastic fairlead (option) that has a s/s metal lining. (Not legal for racing).
Charles Howard
Active Member
eshapiro9 if you put a cleat on the mast you will still need a fairlead. Once the sail is cleated at the mast the remaining halyard is fed through the fairlead then to the cleat on the deck. This will keep the rig on the boat if you capsize.
Alan Stewart
New Member
In the event that the wooden backing block has rotted or dropped away inside the hull, you should go up a size or two with your SS mounting screws and ALSO bed your fairlead or oval block plate (which has more surface area and a lower-friction assist in hoisting the sail!), with 3M 5200 (permanent), or 4200 (removable). You can also use pop-rivets with the oval plate - not sure you’ll be able to find long enough ones to mount the plastic fairlead. You DO want to keep your rig secured to the hull in any event.
Alan S. Glos
Well-Known Member
Good plan. The mast halyard cleat is a good rig as it reduces the "down" thrust of the mast on the bottom of the mast hole and actually makes he boat a (little) easier to tack. Go for it.
Alan Glos