I bought my first Sunfish just yesterday. I live in area where I could not locate a boat for sale within a 3 hr. drive for many months.
The one I did find did not have paperwork. I am trying to decipher the number on the stern. It appears to be engraved rather than
molded into the hull. I have consulted the Sunfish Age and Hull ID page on this forum but am still uncertain.
Hull ID : AIW2084IA888
Is This the new format? The following is my best guess. If you have any extra insight I would appreciate your input
AMF Alcort
SER # 20841
Production Month = January
Production Year = 8
Model Year = 88
Boat has a cuddie, aluminum gunwhale trim, stainless gudgeon, if that helps
Nice boat, AIW is Alcort Sailboats Inc, at that timeframe the company Loveless and DeGarmo was using the Alcort name. AMF had ditched the brand and Pearson took over 1989ish.
Yes your boat is a 1988, and a good one. For the most part when the "Manufacturer" changed fro Alcort to AMF to Loveless and DeGarmo to Pearson to Vanguard to Laser Performance (Portsmouth) it was mostly a name change with most of the same folks hanging around, just wearing a different color tie to work. Same molds, same smelly polyester resin. The boats got lighter by about 10 pounds in 1989 and the hull shape changed to the rolled gunwale, from our restoration perspective those were not necessarily better features. We can't open up a seam on the newer boats to repair internal bits and don't feel that the newer hulls were as bulletproof as the older hulls. People glow about the 8% weight reduction but in the history of Sunfish most Skippers have outgained that 10 pound weight savings
Here's a late 1987 Loveless and DeGarmo, she is the one boat we had for such a short time, about 23 hours, that we didn't even get to sail her. We actually bought her back a few years ago and she disappeared quick again, no Sea Trials the second time either. Her name is ELLE. She needs wax, and we love the blue hulls.
Our friend Sean did put some wax on her and sailed her in the Gulf.
Thank you very much for that feedback. I feel a lot better about my purchase. I bubble tested the hull today and it looks pretty water tight. Looking forward to getting on the water with it.
I have only sailed a Cyclone 13 before. This boat looks slot more laid back.
Regards,
Jon
Looks can be deceiving. In my somewhat limited experience, the Sunfish is easy to sail, hard to master, and ready to dump you in a New York second if you don’t listen to her!
For readers elsewhere, that would be the Gulf of Mexico, known for its "sugar-sand" beaches. (Bring suntan -30 lotion for the tops of your feet, and extra-dark sunglasses!)