I say use 'em

mixmkr

mixmkr

Well-Known Member
In my other recent threads I showed how I "butchered" my '69 fish. Initially hesitant to do so because of the model year I proceded on because ...well because. 300,000+ made right? A lot of vintage guitars where "destroyed" in the 80's from "upgrades" where the value NOW has been greatly compromised (not original anymore) ... could older fishes be this way in 20 years??
 
A friend just bought a perfect Viking. Only the boards are different than a Sunfish, and it has the desirable DePersia bailer.

(In this Google image, the logo appears, but the gooseneck needs to be moved forward).

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To keep the Viking sail logo, he had a professional install a window in the sail, and patch a few mouse-holes. As long as such Vikings are available for $75 :eek: don't cut holes in your Sunfish!
 
A lightly used Sunfish garners only a small premium. And with all the parts you can restore just about any boat, so no I don't think a vintage Sunfish will draw a premium. The only thing I can think of is if someone discovered an unbulit kit with all the parts.
 
appreciate the replys. However restoring and original are two greatly different things, in many other cases. A 1962 Fender Stratocaster guitar with a NOS pickguard, electronics and tuners greatly devalues the instrument, as compared to an all original, EVEN if it doesn't play as well. 25 years ago, people weren't thinking that so much, but it makes a big difference to value nowadays. I'm thinking in 20 years, a 60's Sunfish might be harder to find all stock in great condition and wondering if there might be those that prefer all original...just because. Personally..[to me]...it's just a boat and there are many more important things in life...so I fix things like I like them and so I will use them more. Who needs a 75 yr old Sunfish in mint condition, sitting in their garage?? I guess because some things are more "collectable"... and a Sunfish is meant from kids to top racers....to be used.
 
For collectability, a sunfish is on a different planet than other items such as guitars and cars. It takes 3 ingredients to make an item valuable - desirability, rarity, and condition.

Is a Sunfish desirable? Yes! But the pool of potential buyers is small because of it's size and limited utility. A vintage guitar looks cool and could be bought by someone that doesn't even know how to play because it doesn't take any effort or space to put it on display. A vintage car is a pain to own but even the ugliest models have a following of eager buyers.

Rarity - No. Minor changes, most all of them improvements over 60 years doesn't help the value of the older models.

Condition - This is the factor that matters. Most old Sunfishes are left outside to rot away, but there are many of them stored indoors, hardly ever used and are in excellent condition. There are more than enough of these beauties to fill the demand so the prices will remain very reasonable. If you're sitting on an old nice one it wouldn't be worth the time or space to wait for the market to turn up.

But you are right, original always trumps restored. But in the case of a Sunfish, the most important factor that determines the value of a Sunfish is how useable it is.
 
Charlie is right. Even beautiful wood Fish from the 50s have a hard time commanding a premium and they are already rare.
 
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