Hi everyone!

NDman06

New Member
Hi everyone-

My name is Dean, i'm out of West Haven, CT. I just got a AMF Alcort Sunfish from a friend of a friend for free. :) As you well know, nothing is absolutely free. The boat needs very little work. There's a cracked rudder and just some general maitenence that needs to be done, but she floats and sails well.

I have no idea what year she is. My best guess is '70s. She has no aft storage, a wire bridle with a loop, a shadow daggerboard, a racing sail, no hiking strap, and her deck is Blue with white stripes on the fore deck. The bottom of the boat was painted with a horrible paint that has turned to blue chalk. The serial is painted over so, i cant read it. :mad:

I plan on installing an inspection port fore of the mainsheet block and installing a hiking strap. I also plan on replacing the bridle with a new wire without a loop. I just spent the day sanding the rudder and I plan on sealing up the crack and giving it a coat of fiberglass to make sure I don't end up in the middle of the harbor with a broken rudder. :D

I picked up a copy of The Sunfish Bible and it has helped me alot! I look forward to learning alot from this forum and sharing wha I learn with others. :)

-Dean :)
 
Dean,

Check page 344 of the SFB for tips on repairing the rudder crack. It has rods inserted perpendicular to the crack as reinforcement.

When you can, replace the "Shadow" board with a Barrington or a new Race Board. Both are an improvement over the Shadow, with the Race even better.

The three loop bridle is fine (unless it shows rust or wear) for now. When you replace the bridle, DO NOT remove both screws hold the eye loop at the same time (it's a pain to replace the block backing). Loosen both, remove one, slip the old bridle out and the new bridle in.

Check Yahoo Sunfish Sailor. The Files section has a chart that will help you determine your SFs age. Is the serial number on the upper right tansom or on a plate behind the splash guard. 1971 saw the cockpit cubby introduced, 1972 had the serial number placed on the transom. Yours is probably a 1970 or earlier.

Between this Forum and Sunfish Sailor, ask your questions, some one will answer and help you out. Also check the Tip and Tricks and FAQs on the SF Class home page. Read past posts (both sites) and check out other sources as you find them, lots of good info out there.

Good Luck
 
Thanks Supercub,

I've been trying the yahoo site but, the files don't seem to be working. I keep getting a redirect error. Maybe it's just my computer. Thanks for the tips!

-Dean
 
NDman06 said:
Hi everyone-

My name is Dean, i'm out of West Haven, CT. I just got a AMF Alcort Sunfish from a friend of a friend for free. :) As you well know, nothing is absolutely free. The boat needs very little work. There's a cracked rudder and just some general maitenence that needs to be done, but she floats and sails well.

I have no idea what year she is. My best guess is '70s. She has no aft storage, a wire bridle with a loop, a shadow daggerboard, a racing sail, no hiking strap, and her deck is Blue with white stripes on the fore deck. The bottom of the boat was painted with a horrible paint that has turned to blue chalk. The serial is painted over so, i cant read it. :mad:

I plan on installing an inspection port fore of the mainsheet block and installing a hiking strap. I also plan on replacing the bridle with a new wire without a loop. I just spent the day sanding the rudder and I plan on sealing up the crack and giving it a coat of fiberglass to make sure I don't end up in the middle of the harbor with a broken rudder. :D

I picked up a copy of The Sunfish Bible and it has helped me alot! I look forward to learning alot from this forum and sharing wha I learn with others. :)

-Dean :)



Supercub gave you good advice.

Although it looks sporty, a strap is not absolutely required to be competitive, or have fun. If your legs are the right size, you can hike with your toes under the leeward side deck. But if the boat is heavy (>150 lbs), installing a port is recommended to dry out the innards (actually, you need two ports for that to work well). Good luck!
 
Dean,
Did you join the yahoo SF Sailor group? To access the files, photos and other stuff, you need to join. No cost, just some basic info needed (to prevent spamers) and you are off and running.

In addition to Wavedancer's post, I do not have a hiking strap on my boat (yet). Make sure you have the protective edging (plastic or aluminum) installed around the cockpit lip edge. Not so much to protect the edge, but to protect your feet or "shoes" (booties/boots,sneakers etc) from being cut up by the rough fiberglass edge. . Watch out for any bolts that may be present under the lip under the mainsheet block or behind the notorious "HOOK" (ouch). I normally use the opposite cockpit side lip for hiking. In higher winds, I have hooked my feet under the front and rear lips of the cockpit, almost on the centerline to get further out (and a lot wetter from the spray) to keep the boat flat. It wears you out, but fun.
 
That sounds like good advice until I can install the strap! Yay! I can Hike now! :D

I did join the yahoo group, but everytime I click on a file it redirects back to the original page and Safari (my web browser...i have a mac :) ) gives me an error message
 
Dean,

Wayne, the moderator of Sunfish Sailor, is aware of the problem. He has posted some info about some incapatability between Apple and some web sites. Check the SF Sailor messages for more info.
 
I've been trying the yahoo site but, the files don't seem to be working. I keep getting a redirect error. Maybe it's just my computer.

I did join the yahoo group, but everytime I click on a file it redirects back to the original page and Safari (my web browser...i have a mac :confused: ) gives me an error message

Dean, Other Mac owners are telling me the latest version of Apple Safari is still buggy. I am told earlier versions work as do IE for Mac, Netscape, and the rest.

Contact me in the Sunfish_Sailor group and tell me what you want to view. I'll figure out a work-around.

Wayne
Sunfish_Sailor
 
A great way to learn more about "fixing up" your boat is to go to a regatta. Pick any! Just show up, with or without your boat, and talk to everyone. They'll be happy to see you. As they have time, they'll show you specifics that you can apply to your boat. Join in the racing and just have fund. You'll likely surprise yourself and not even finish last! My first regatta with my own boat I was SO new I had the mast on the wrong side of the booms. It wasn't until the second day that someone said something. Everyone's got to learn, and getting started is the best way. Just show up. You'll be glad you did.
 

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