Hello
I have not sailed in 30 years. As a child I lived on the Magothy river and sailed and boated when ever we had good weather.
I have been racing motorcycles for four years and am about to semi retire.Only racing one or two times a year. I am tired of broken engines ,travel ,hotels and pressure. I want to relax and go sailing. Anything bigger than a sunfish is to much work.
I have been looking for a used Sunfish. There are plenty out there . BUT most are 20 to 30 years old. I dont have a lot of money to spend right now as I still have to race till October.
My big question is. Should I buy new? 4000 dollars for a new boat seems like a lot .But 2500 for an old boat that may need work has its draw backs also, Should I keep looking for a "good deal" or just save up for a year? I don't mind work. I like building things . But mostly I want to sail the Chesapeake Bay
Thanks.
You should be able to find a solid used boat for (way) less than $2500. Many decent (older) boats are selling for $500-1000. See the For Sale section to get some idea.
I guess my concern is what sort of condition the boat will be in after 20 years.More specifically the inside of the hull. I have been reading all the articles about buying a used sunfish. And all the articles about hull repairs and drying out the hull ,adding inspection ports and the like. Are the boats OK if they just sat in the rafters for ten years? I guess that is my worry.
I will keep looking and reading and saving and hopefully I will have a boat soon enough.
after 20 or so years a sunfish that has been almost unused anywhere should be in good condition but with some polishing work to doto the hull and deck. if you dont mind doing that buy an older boat but if it is older than that it might need much more work to do (like replacing the foams, sealing the filtrations and lots of lots of details)
Racer X, i bought my first Sunfish 3 years ago and paid $1,000. It is race rigged with the class sail and daggerboard. I haven't repaired anything, although i did switch spars because i didn't look close enough and there was some corrosion were the gooseneck clamps on with the quick connector. Easy to spot if you look. Just recently I purchased another boat for the wife to mess with. It cost me $300, is dry, has recreational sails, an old style daggerboard I'll switch out, and someone changed the bailer to a different style than class legal. When you go looking for a boat take a bathroom scale with you and weight the hull, it should be close to 130 if it's dry. But even then, if you're just sailing and not racing a lot of the cost of the purchase is reduced. Personally I wouldn't buy new when there are so many good boats around. Best, Win ever.
Thanks for the replys . I will most likley buy used. I am the type of person that likes to tinker with things . I should buy a race ready boat . I will want to upgrade it even if I don't race.I am just like that.
I read about the weight . How about the blocks comming loose? Is that a common problem? Just a result of waterlog.
WELL thing happen some times
I got a phone call from an old friend. His parents are moving into a smaller place. Guess what he asked me?? he says" I have a little sail boat in there garage. Do you know anyone that wants it before it goes to the dump?" My heart raced . I said what Kind is it?.HOPE HOPE HOPE. its a 1974 Super Snark.
I looked it up on line and it seems perfect for me and its free. I still want to get a Sunfish .But now I can hit the water a year early. I have not seen it .I will pick it up on Sunday. He says his parents sailed it just a couple years ago.And its all there. and very well kept. Just covered in dust.
I will post up some photos.
That is kinda the plan . If my wife likes sailing then I may get a Vanguard 15. But I will sell the Sunflower sailboat a motorcycle and then see how it all goes.
Thanks
Well I started working on my boat. First the clean up and re rigging. I got new lines and some stainless steel screws to replace a couple rusty ones. I know this is not an expensive boat. But hey its free.
I hand washed the sail . Tomorrow I will take it to a taylor. The leading edge lower corner is coming apart.Not torn but the threads are comming loose .just about four inches. I figure stiching it up and see how it goes. A new sail is 135 dollars so if it shreads when I go out I will replace it.
I followed a you tube video advice and used Gorilla glue to repair a couple holes in the hull .It is foam with an ABS plastic cover.The owners son took it white water rafting so it got beat up some. :-(
But it is totally seaworthy and I can't wait. My wife wants nothing to do wit it .So a Sunfish is in my future. Next stop is Heart Miller Island. As soon as I get a PFD
Just don't take it out if you expect much wind or any seas - those "spars" are not designed for much wind, and that open hull will take on water pretty easily. This boat is designed for protected waters only. BB
When I got back into sailing after a 20 hiatus my first boat was a Super snark made for Sears in the mid 70's. What made it super was that it had a fore deck with a splash guard that is is needed in heavy weather. Beldar Bladerhead is right in say that they can take on a lot of water in heavy winds and chop. The last time I was in the snark in those conditions I was with my son and he was the full time bailer, that boat did not have the fore deck.
I am on my third Snark and I keep it around as a light hull that I can throw on the vehicle and take any where, it is also a great training boat, and it is good for company to get people out on the water.
Of course the Sunfish is twice the boat compared to the snark but I keep it around for the above stated reasons. I only used it a hand full of times last season but it is good to have it as part of the fleet. Like any good host my qualified sailing guests sail the 79 Sunfish and I stretch out in the 80's snark sunfower with baller and sponge or rag.
Picture is of my son and I getting ready to head out and rendezvous with my brother in-law in his 2009 worlds Laser that he bought after the races were over.
><> Minas man <><
Many times I wished that I had kept the deck/splash guard off of my first snark. It was made of thin molded plastic that I could have duplicated using a vacuum form molding.
The second snark that I owned had a fiberglass homemade deck that was so heavy and ugly that I removed it immediately .
I would suggest using a heavy water proof material like a skirt on a kayak or thin ABS plastic.
Here's a couple of pictures that show the deck/splash guard on my 1970's Snark that was sold by Sears.
I picked up a piece of hi quality plywood. and some molding at the Home Depo. Some small stainless steel screws and Poly urethane. This should be better than nothing.
I got the Sunflower finished. The fore deck.New rigging lines.I patched the hull and a taylor mended the sail. I still need an analog GPS(a compass) and a life vest. But that is it.
You should be able to find the water temp for your location without trouble. A 'shorty' (thin) wetsuit wouldn't be a bad idea for right now, but I don't know where you are planning to sail, so it's hard to give definitive advice.
I went out scouting boat ramps. I started close to home and the first one was a winner. 20 minuite drive from home. I went to Rockey Point Park . Talk about nice. They have a sailing center with a couple dozen boats lined up . Safe parking. And clean clear water.
This weekend is motorcycle racing .But next week for sure. I looked at Paddles and a PFD at REI any recomendations on a life vest. I tend to not skimp on safty.
Nice that you found a good spot to put in. As far a PFD's go get a approved model that is the correct size and fit and leaves you free to move your arms for sailing. The more comfortable it is the more likely that you will want to where it. so depending on how hot it is where you are you can get one that suits your weather conditions.
I bought mine several years ago, and have Class III all-sports type - most likely suited for jet-skiing, really. I've read on the forum though, that a lot of people like to use the Class III type that are meant for kayakers - they often zip up the front, with still some adjust-ability, and have deeper arm areas to give you more flexibility.
Here's what I use for sailing and kayaking. Works fine, especially when sailing the Fish while sitting on the cockpit sole. You want a jacket that is long enough in back to cushion the edge of the cockpit, more comfort. It adjusts at the sides and I like the flexibility of the body instead of being one piece of foam. Cheers, Winever.
Thanks for the tips. I suspect I will be sitting sideways with my back to the rail so I will look for one that has good back padding.
This is no lake I found. It is wide open Chesapeak Bay. A bit intimidating For me and my little yawl. There are a couple more ramps I will check out. But this place will be great when I get a Sunfish.But I think the Sunflower will be happyer in the Magothy River further south.
In general, price is not necessarily related to quality or safety. Two kinds are available in the US:
1. US Coast Guard (CG) approved
2. Approved in Europe, but not CG approved. Obtaining CG approval is a very expensive process and some of the PFD manufacturers choose not to go through the process. However, this latter kind is often preferred by racing sailors because they may fit better or give better leeway to more active sailing styles.
I would choose a CG approved one, just in case I would get inspected. Also, it's possible to get protested in a US regatta for not wearing a CG approved PFD. Yes, there's an infamous case where this happened.
Finally, although REI is a really nice store, you can likely find a less expensive PFD at Sports Authority, West Marine, etc.
Well I did it . I went out sailing for the first time. First thing I did was capsize. I put the goose neck on the wrong side of the mast. That put the boom upside down. The loops that hold the rigging where on top and that tangled the rigging . Thanks to the advice from this forum I chose the protected side of Rocky Point Park . The wind was light at first but once I cleared the point it picked up and off I went . Everything was going well till I turned down wind. The tangled rigging held the sail at tight hull and over I went.
I guess that was lesson one .How to right an upside down sail boat. I climbed on the dagger board and righted the boat then bailed it out and got to shore. Once the rigging was sorted out I sailed in a circle for an hour until the clouds looked threatening. Then went home.
I had a good time and am looking forward to going out again.
Just a photo of me and my Sunflower. I learned a lot for the short time I was out. First I was glad to have safty equipment . Even though I was just off shore. ANYTHING can happen and did.
Second was the rigging thing. I did not even know you could put a sail on backwards.
Also the wind was to strong for this boat. With NO experience I felt out of control as soon as it started moving. I was able to put it in irons and get my head together. But I feel this boat will teach me a lot. I figure sailing this will make me a better sailer and when I get my Sunfish I will be competent to sail a real boat.
Glad to see you out on the water. Yes the Snark is a good training boat and it sounds like the education has already begun. If you go back and look at the pictures of my snark earlier in this post you will see a flag mounted to the top of the mast, this helps with determination wind direction, you can use ribbon also and mount at the top of the gaff too.
If you think the snark (sunflower) is fun the Sunfish is twice as fun and fast and far more comfortable.
I have a tiny piece of line hanging from my mast tip . There was no mistaking the wind direction on this trip.It was 10 to 15 knots and two food waves.
.I was VERY uncomfortable. My lower back was sore for a while after sitting in that position for a couple hours.
I look forward to a Sunfish . Just the smooth operation of the lines would be good. I had a lot of trouble raising and lowering the sail. But when it gets warm and the wind dies down this will be a lot of fun.
Went out again this weekend 8knot wind and it was still to much for this boat. Or at least for me. I founf a cove that had a colume of air moving down it and spent a couple hours sailing down then tacking back .it was great.
As I see it this is why a Sunfish is WAY better. The hull of the Sunflower tips the scale at 50 lb the Sunfish is 130lb that weight and the fact that the hull of the Sunflower is curved makes the Sunflowe much less stable. Also I am forced to sit in the center of the boat there is very little hiking out going on. The dagger board of the Sunflower is maybe a foot below the hull. And the rudder is almost level with the bottom .All this adds up to a boat that dose not like strong wind.
I did have a good time and learned a lot . I am going to find a larger calmer body of water next week .