Hull weight

M

mental floss

Member
I'm considering getting into Sunfish at the Masters level and getting a newer boat. It has been decades.

When did the weight change from 130 pounds to 120 pounds or am I mistaken? Are the 120 pound boats less durable and more likely to "oilcan" with time?
 
I may be wrong, but I have rarely seen a Sunfish at 120 lbs or under. The few new boats I have weighed come in about
127 - 129. Compared to older hulls, the new ones see to have more glass in the hull and maybe a little less in the deck.
Hence the decks seem less stiff but the hulls are quite stiff and don't seem oil can.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
I believe the old boats were 139 and new 129. The new boats I have seen are pretty rigid and have not had years of flexing or leaking.

There might be new charter boats left over after the Worlds?
 
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Alan S. Glos said:
I may be wrong, but I have rarely seen a Sunfish at 120 lbs or under. The few new boats I have weighed come in about
127 - 129. Compared to older hulls, the new ones see to have more glass in the hull and maybe a little less in the deck.
Hence the decks seem less stiff but the hulls are quite stiff and don't seem oil can.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
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I agree with Alan regarding construction, but the newest boats these days often weigh in at 120-123. I would not worry about weight as long as it is 130 or less.
 
beldar boathead said:
I agree with Alan regarding construction, but the newest boats these days often weigh in at 120-123. I would not worry about weight as long as it is 130 or less.
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We have a lot of Sunfish at our active club and we get in a great deal of comparative lifting each week, and there is a definite weight (and quality) heirarchy that is not directly correlated with age. The lightest boat on our racks is an SLI built boat that does not weigh over 120 and is stiff like new after a couple of decades of regular racing. The owner has always been obsessive, and brought his scale along and weighed numerous new boats at the dealers at the time he bought his.

I have really sweet Vanguard-built 2002 that I keep on the trailer just for racing that when I weighed it some years back weighed 122. It has always been light and dry, but I am not as abusive as some sailors. When I was shopping for it I took a lesson from my friend and also brought along a scale (and another sailing friend) and we hand-lifted new boats at the dealer and then weighed the finalists. My everyday Sunfish is a later Vanguard a few pounds heavier.

I once restored a nice mid-60's that weighed in at about 120, but it was too fragile to be a good racer - the fiberglass was noticably finer than later boats - and while nice and light it developed some stress cracks on the seating area when sailed agressively.

I am not so impressed with the newer LaserPerformance boats, and we have had problems with them among our group, including one bought new that was returned to the factory under warranty but that still has the same problems now that it is out of warranty. The boat looks terrific but it's vexed. In fact, out of I believe 3 LP's at our club, I wouldn't trade either of my beloved Vanguard hulls for any. I really appreciate the Vanguard boats more these days than I did, and also the SLI's.

Beyond looking at age, weight and hull condition, also consider prior ownership. There are some sailors who have beautiful, newer, light, immaculate boats that you would never want to buy. And it is the sailor and not necessarily the venues sailed or anything.

Several of those sailors read this board regularly, and no offense, you know who you are and let's put it this way, you know there are otherwise nice looking boats owned by, say, certain competitors you would not let your friends buy. Some good sailors (and some not so good ones) are incredibly hard on their boats. Very often it is the very athletic ones at the top of the standings, but you can't generalize. Conversely there are quite a few sailors who's sailing style is very easy on boats and after a couple of decades of racing these boats are as good as new.

The best advice is, if possible, find an active club. The most physical sailor at our club thankfully does not follow club tradition (sell old boats only to other of our club members or prospects) and instead sells through the dealer because he wouldn't think of selling such a heavily abused boat to a friend. He'd be selling because that still-beautiful boat is no longer competitive. He and others like him, though, would know a fast boat (or even *the* fast boats) and can help you.
 
mental floss said:
How are you weighing your boats?
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I use a high-quality bathroom scale with one of those easy to read round dials. The scale has to be on pavement or a solid floor so it is well seated. Two of us lift the boat up on its edge and balance it on the scale so we are just steadying it on edge and not lifting, and then read the weight.
 
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