Looking at a 1985 Sunfish to buy

Breeze Bender said:
Great pic.
And I agree, give your nice blue hull and deck a good soapy wash, then fine wet sand with clean soapy warm water, rinsing as you go, and finally you could use rubbing compound (maybe overkill after wet sanding), then 3M fiberglass restorer and wax. You’ll be amazed by the difference. It is a rare color and a good looking boat, I wouldn’t paint it. I’d put a little thickened epoxy in any visible chips or voids in the mast step. I like West System Six10 (comparable with Thixo) because it’s easy, premeasured and dispensed with a caulk gun. Tape off the area, mix the two parts. I use a gloved finger to line the mast step and fill any voids. Tape a chip brush to a paint stick for reaching deeper into mast step if you need to.
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Thanks. What grit sandpaper?
 
brockenspectre said:
The other plane is an Extra 300S and the green tail is a 1941 Aeronca L-3, disassembled. I have an airplane problem. The Sunfish is therapy for the airplane problem....

I just bought Maguires Marine restorer kit with their own de-oxidizer. A lot of the 3M reviews refered to Maguire's so I gambled with them. Odd that the coaming isn't faded at all. Should I just de-oxidize and polish the top deck? No wax? There are cracks in the gel coat on the top deck.

I replaced all the wiring and lights, and cleaned out the mouse nests in the trailer.

Attached is the Aeronca during happier times.
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A neighbor has an Aeronca on floats. :) (Or had, his email isn't responding).

One season, I watched as this floatplane, with a Cadet passenger, fairly leaped into the air. :eek:

Asked about it later, it seems he'd installed a 130-HP engine...!
 
Hi, I am with the FAA and I am here to help!!

I actually am a Fed but no worries I am also actually here to help. I have a many hours in the back of our flight test aircraft doing testing of the TCAS systems among other things. I am/was the flight test engineer who installed and ran the systems during the flights. There is not an RA I have not experienced in the air.

Look up N39, N49, N38 and N40. I have been all over the place in them. Sadly, some people decided to get rid of the test aircraft.

Traffic Traffic..
 
signal charlie said:
Delta takes care of my airplane problem...fun times in Chicago O'Hare a few days back.
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All you guys sure know how to spin an intriguing sailboat post! Is everyone a pilot around here? Beldar? My wife says I should have been a pilot. I missed my chance serving my country in the Air Force. I wimped out. Now I'm not sure I could stomach my boys serving our Commanders in Chief. (Tangent!!)

signal charlie said:
looks like typical gelcoat cracking due to age and lack of maintenance.
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Ok, I'm sorry but this does make my envy feel better. My 50 year old boat shows these crows feet too. They'll sail just fine!

:D Ah the fun!
 
I was able to get rid of the oxidation, but wasn't able to get rid of the scratches. I was afraid to sand too much and sand through the gelcoat or the color. Here are some before and after pics. I used a Porter Cable polisher with wool for the cutting compound and foam pads for the other polishers. I waxed the bottom. Should I wax the top deck or does it make it too slippery?




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Just read this entire thread for the first time... great find, good price, and nice job getting rid of that oxidation! I've used Meguiar's automotive products before, but it looks like their 'Marine & RV' line really works, the difference in 'before & after' shots is like night & day, lol. :eek:

Didn't know y'all were pilots... during your travels, have you ever met Addison Pemberton of Pemberton & Sons Aviation? They restore and fly vintage aircraft, best I've ever seen in my life, with thousands & thousands of man-hours put into every project. :rolleyes:

I actually flew with Addison once in an old biplane, it was the best flight of my life, beat the commercial aviation scene hands down, lol. The Pembertons have made a bunch of videos, and some of their photographs are absolute classics!!! :)

That Boeing 40C they restored, that was just wreckage they recovered from some mountainside, and they rebuilt that plane so it flies today... oldest Boeing aircraft still in flight, if I recall correctly. The story behind the salvage and restoration is amazing, I'm truly impressed by this family and their efforts. :D

And ya gotta respect the way they commute, instead of a family station wagon they have a seaplane on a dock on the river, lol. Man, what a cool way to live! To heck with all the traffic and gridlock on the ground, just fire up the seaplane and cruise to your destination... ;)

Oh, well, more power to 'em, they sure do a good job on the vintage aircraft restorations... keeping history alive, to the point of flying those old aircraft to shows, reenacting flight on the old mail routes, they even have a cool shot of vintage aircraft flying over the Statue of Liberty!!! :cool:
 
Breeze Bender said:
Great pic.
And I agree, give your nice blue hull and deck a good soapy wash, then fine wet sand with clean soapy warm water, rinsing as you go, and finally you could use rubbing compound (maybe overkill after wet sanding), then 3M fiberglass restorer and wax. You’ll be amazed by the difference. It is a rare color and a good looking boat, I wouldn’t paint it. I’d put a little thickened epoxy in any visible chips or voids in the mast step. I like West System Six10 (comparable with Thixo) because it’s easy, premeasured and dispensed with a caulk gun. Tape off the area, mix the two parts. I use a gloved finger to line the mast step and fill any voids. Tape a chip brush to a paint stick for reaching deeper into mast step if you need to.
Click to expand...
Breeze, would fiberglass resin work in the mast step? Light coat as a prophylactic sort of this? I know nothing about this. I'm just trying to gain knowledge about different products and their best uses. I know less about Thixo and west 10 than anything.
I also would like to dress my dagger well at bottom of the hull with something as well. Maybe same product or marine tex. Thoughts???
 
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