You did get a brand new 35 year old boat--looks beautiful and your little sailor looks ready to give her a try!
I've got a Porpose II in the same color. At less than 13-feet, it's not my '77 Sunfish's equal. You really have to use the Porpoise' hiking straps due to it's being much narrower. Your Super Porpoise looks longer, and may have fixed that "too-narrow" problem.
A buddy and I went racing today in strong winds, putting me in the Porpoise II.
I won regularly last year, even while switching-off between the two boats. It's not as good as the Sunfish was to windward, but seems to have an edge downwind.
I finished 2nd today, my buddy finished next to last.
As seen in the photo, I'd move that gooseneck to the right on the boom. (Raises the boom and keeps the clew from dragging in the water which leads to a capsize).
It is a beautiful-looking boat. That color (and most reds in general) tend to fade readily. Perhaps a coat of wax—right now—can keep that "new" gleam.
Congratulations!
You might start out by assuming Molded Products, Inc. put some practical experience into where they placed the gooseneck. Usually the gooseneck is affixed so the sail's attitude is in a functional position simply by attaching the halyard where the instructions say. On a Sunfish this gives the boat handling characteristics suitable for beginning, encroaching on intermediate sailing.As far as sail position, I have the halyard attached where the instruction said to put it. It did not give a dimension as where to put the gooseneck. Seems most Sunfish I see, the "v" of the sail is lower than the tip of the boom, so I will make an adjustment on the gooseneck.
Your daughter gets a BIG gold star in my book...My daughter (3 1/2) really liked my friends windflite mainly because it was quiet. She says Sea-Doos are too noisey.
In other words I was mistaken and it did not come pre-installed on the boom? ... Bummer.As far as the gooseneck position goes i'm not sure where it's intended to be. the only dimension given in the instructions was the halyard attachment point measured from the top end down. I just figured putting the gooseneck in a position that visually makes the sail look like others that I have seen. Does this make sense for just starting out?
Put the spars together and loosely roll the sail next to, not around them.Also when transporting on the trailer how should my mast, spars and sail be rigged? Rolled up together, sail rolled up next to spars or ??? Is there or do i need a bag for them? I don't want to damage something in transit as i am just starting out.
It's a 2006 Yacht Club PWC trailer I got off craigslist for $400. Came with bearing buddies and tongue jack. I tool off the bunks and have it rigged up to work for now. this winter I want to make a couple nice padded cradles for it.BTW..., where'd you get your trailer and what did it set you back?
Y'know, that sail may be the most fragile part of your "new" sailboat.
Because of its unique "Porpoise" logo, that sail might never be reproduced or replaced; whereas, nearly everything else can be exchanged with readily-available Sunfish parts. (Except that bow handle, which appears to be a proprietary part).
I'd be tempted to use a second-hand Sunfish sail to start out with, and use the original sail "for show".
(I have a perfect-replacement Sunfish sail on my Porpoise II).
Another item is that rub-rail. Mine has taken a beating over the years, and I'd start looking for a suitable replacement. J.C. Whitney & Co. carried something similar.
Generally speaking, a longer waterline should mean better speed. The Portsmouth Ratings are highly favorable to Sunfish, (rather than to the Sunfish's "clone-fish"). I think that may be due to the higher number of returned reports of race outcomes, rather than some drawback of design.
The Porpoise has a very interesting cockpit drain system. From what I can see from underneath the hull, it apparently "stores" water washed into the cockpit until a favorable boat orientation allows it to drain out!
sweet boat!Y'know, that sail may be the most fragile part of your "new" sailboat.
Because of its unique "Porpoise" logo, that sail might never be reproduced or replaced; whereas, nearly everything else can be exchanged with readily-available Sunfish parts. (Except that bow handle, which appears to be a proprietary part).
I'd be tempted to use a second-hand Sunfish sail to start out with, and use the original sail "for show".
(I have a perfect-replacement Sunfish sail on my Porpoise II).
Another item is that rub-rail. Mine has taken a beating over the years, and I'd start looking for a suitable replacement. J.C. Whitney & Co. carried something similar.
Generally speaking, a longer waterline should mean better speed. The Portsmouth Ratings are highly favorable to Sunfish, (rather than to the Sunfish's "clone-fish"). I think that may be due to the higher number of returned reports of race outcomes, rather than some drawback of design.
The Porpoise has a very interesting cockpit drain system. From what I can see from underneath the hull, it apparently "stores" water washed into the cockpit until a favorable boat orientation allows it to drain out!
"...I am thinking of putting a loop in the rope and running the rope through the metal ring thing on top of the rudder than clipping to the loop about a foot or so above the boat. I like the cable thing on the back of a Sun Fish, and I have seen pics of an SP with those on, but how can I install that on my boat...?"
My Porpoise II didn't have "a space" to install one. I installed it on the top of the daggerboard, which wasn't awful."...Second, how can I install the block thing near the center board to hold the rope? Do I have to install an inspection port to allow access...?"
"...Third, my boat was stored in a barn for 30 years and the front 2.5 feet is faded. How to safely get rid of the fade or restore it. I tried some rubbing compound by hand and it worked for a little while but it came back. I never did get the nice shine like the rest of the boat...Any tips would be greatly appreciated."
The removed disc can be the basis for a mounting point for a mainsheet block—and retain the same maroon color. (Pre-made fiberglass structures are available at specialized boating supply stores).
I feel that the sail is too high in that position and will cause too much heel and threat of capsize.In other words I was mistaken and it did not come pre-installed on the boom? ... Bummer.
Yup, pick a starting point and go from there. You might look into a quick release gooseneck bolt so you can even make boom position changes while out on the water... (Sunfish parts ... or a mountain bike seat post quick release ... what they actually are)
Put the spars together and loosely roll the sail next to, not around them.
Sail/spar bags are nice to keep things free of road grit.
Remember, if things get wet on the trip home, take the sail out of the bag and unroll it to dry.
Check out the current discussion on spar transport...
There's lots more... everyone here could write you a book. But rather than duplicate efforts, you can make use of 95% of what's in the Sunfish Bible and the Knowledge Base here and elsewhere.
http://www.apsltd.com/p-10096-book-the-sunfish-bible.aspx
I think I'd try this halyard location (see picture - redline)
Hi!
Writing here as former-member Porpoise2 (from page 1) those cockpit drains have always been a mystery to me.
After removing the three screws that hold the scoop to the hull, peer into the drain from the bottom of the hull, and see if this sketch—drawn from memory—agrees with what you see:
View attachment 23886
It appeared to me that an open-topped cylinder of 3" black PVC caught water from the cockpit, then drained via the bottom scoop. (Clever, if it really worked as intended).