Is there a Sunfish service manual?

[bdorman]

Hi guys,

I've volunteered to inspect and refurbish-where-possible my community's 12 Sunfish. The primary problem is a lack of on-going maintenance so I expect to find everything from screws that need to be tightened to full-blown hull repair (typical community ownership...when "everyone owns it", no one takes care of it :-(

I've owned 25ft to 40ft sailboats in the past and always done my own maintenance and repair. I know it will be a big job but I'll have the resources and there's no deadline so I can afford to take my time and do things right.

Anyway...is there a Service Manual for Sunfish?

Other suggestions are appreciated.

(I've already learned from this site that my first job is to weigh each boat and note any that weigh more than 138 lbs -- Many thanks!)

 

[danpal]

I would start at the following site. Kent Lewis (Signal Charlie on this site) has done a great job documenting how to repair a sunfish. He also has published a book if you're interested in purchasing it.

http://smallboatrestoration.blogspot.com/

Another book you might want to purchase is the Sunfish Bible which has information on sailing and repairing sunfish's.

 

[signal charlie]

Hi bdorman

First, congrats on your new Fleet! That is nice of you to volunteer your time, and you'll find that the Sunfish is easy to work on. This Forum is also a great place for repair questions and a parts resource. And if you notice at the top of the page, Intensity Sails offers new parts as well as many other vendors. Depending on where you are located Laser Performance might even have a dealer.

If the boat has a metal edge, the factory weight was 139. We all gain a few pounds over the years, so I find that 145ish is not uncommon. If you have 1988 or newer boats with the rolled edge, their factory weight is 129. Common areas for leaks are the daggerboard trunk, bailer hole, mast step and the deck/hull seam.

There is a repair manual, rudimentary but it overs most of the basics. See attached.

I also sell "The Sunfish Owner's Manual" that has photos and descriptions of repairs, it is an excellent decktop reference

Good luck with the Fleet, we'd love to see some pictures!

Cheers
Kent