New member.

norcalsail

Well-Known Member
Hello to all, I am a new member and have been reading posts on this site as well as anything I can find online that will help me improve my Sunfish skills. Back in the 70's, I spent the school year in California and visited my Dad in Florida for the summers. In 1977, I was twelve and my Dad and I went to northern Florida and he bought a Sunfish in pretty good condition. That summer, we took it to northern Wisconsin where it has remained to this day. It is at our old family home that my great grandparents bought in 1925. The property is on a good sized lake and great for sailing. Dad taught me to sail and except for a few spontaneous opportunities here in California, this was the only place I have sailed. He did get a Laser and I was able to get that going there too. I was able to visit this summer and that old Sunfish still goes though it could use some work. Well, I got back and decided I had to have my own boat out here in northern California. Thought about a Laser but decided a Sunfish would be better as I want to be able to move it and sail it on my own and it is lighter and easier to deal with. So I ordered a spankin new one from a shop up in Portland, Oregon and am waiting to get it here in Santa Rosa CA. this week. The information on this site has been great and I appreciate all the knowledge from experienced members. Thanks for the expertise...Phil Nymark
 
Thank you signal charlie, I am hoping to get it here soon but have not heard anything today-these things take time ...
 
Well, Norcalsail, the Fish will definitely be lighter than the Laser when it comes time to transport it, move it around near the water's edge, etc., particularly when you're on your own. Back in Laser days, I usually had help in the form of willing crew, so loading (cartopping) & unloading weren't a big deal, especially with a (homemade) dolly for the boat. Quick flip from cartop or truck to dolly, wheel the boat to the water's edge, and "Voila!!!" When I didn't have help in the form of crew, I'd sandbag one or two of the Seal Team guys walking up to town from the nearby base... never had one turn me down when it came to flipping the boat on or off the vehicle, LOL. Perhaps my age had something to do with it, though I never failed to mention that I served in the Infantry, aye??? ;)

Of course, I'd have the dolly sitting next to the vehicle so it was evident what needed to be done, and the actual flip only took a matter of seconds. Once I had the boat on the dolly, it was easy enough to wheel it back & forth, though I had to drag the hull through soft sand for a short distance. Not a problem, the Minifish was even lighter so it made things easier, yeah? Now that I'm getting on in years, my cartopping days are done, but I may still buy a small sailboat on a trailer and get out on the water that way... I'm thinking a Lido 14 or something similar, be kinda cool to end up with a Lido after so many decades of sailing, since I began my "nautical career" aboard a Lido. Nothing wrong with those little boats, friends & I had heller fun aboard them back in the day. :rolleyes:

HOPE YA HAVE FUN WITH YOUR NEW BOAT, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, AYE??? JUST KEEP MARINE SAFETY IN MIND, AND POST SOME PICS WHEN YA GET AROUND TO IT, LOL. :cool:
 
Well, Norcalsail, the Fish will definitely be lighter than the Laser when it comes time to transport it, move it around near the water's edge, etc., particularly when you're on your own. Back in Laser days, I usually had help in the form of willing crew, so loading (cartopping) & unloading weren't a big deal, especially with a (homemade) dolly for the boat. Quick flip from cartop or truck to dolly, wheel the boat to the water's edge, and "Voila!!!" When I didn't have help in the form of crew, I'd sandbag one or two of the Seal Team guys walking up to town from the nearby base... never had one turn me down when it came to flipping the boat on or off the vehicle, LOL. Perhaps my age had something to do with it, though I never failed to mention that I served in the Infantry, aye??? ;)

Of course, I'd have the dolly sitting next to the vehicle so it was evident what needed to be done, and the actual flip only took a matter of seconds. Once I had the boat on the dolly, it was easy enough to wheel it back & forth, though I had to drag the hull through soft sand for a short distance. Not a problem, the Minifish was even lighter so it made things easier, yeah? Now that I'm getting on in years, my cartopping days are done, but I may still buy a small sailboat on a trailer and get out on the water that way... I'm thinking a Lido 14 or something similar, be kinda cool to end up with a Lido after so many decades of sailing, since I began my "nautical career" aboard a Lido. Nothing wrong with those little boats, friends & I had heller fun aboard them back in the day. :rolleyes:

HOPE YA HAVE FUN WITH YOUR NEW BOAT, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, AYE??? JUST KEEP MARINE SAFETY IN MIND, AND POST SOME PICS WHEN YA GET AROUND TO IT, LOL. :cool:

Well, Norcalsail, the Fish will definitely be lighter than the Laser when it comes time to transport it, move it around near the water's edge, etc., particularly when you're on your own. Back in Laser days, I usually had help in the form of willing crew, so loading (cartopping) & unloading weren't a big deal, especially with a (homemade) dolly for the boat. Quick flip from cartop or truck to dolly, wheel the boat to the water's edge, and "Voila!!!" When I didn't have help in the form of crew, I'd sandbag one or two of the Seal Team guys walking up to town from the nearby base... never had one turn me down when it came to flipping the boat on or off the vehicle, LOL. Perhaps my age had something to do with it, though I never failed to mention that I served in the Infantry, aye??? ;)

Of course, I'd have the dolly sitting next to the vehicle so it was evident what needed to be done, and the actual flip only took a matter of seconds. Once I had the boat on the dolly, it was easy enough to wheel it back & forth, though I had to drag the hull through soft sand for a short distance. Not a problem, the Minifish was even lighter so it made things easier, yeah? Now that I'm getting on in years, my cartopping days are done, but I may still buy a small sailboat on a trailer and get out on the water that way... I'm thinking a Lido 14 or something similar, be kinda cool to end up with a Lido after so many decades of sailing, since I began my "nautical career" aboard a Lido. Nothing wrong with those little boats, friends & I had heller fun aboard them back in the day. :rolleyes:

HOPE YA HAVE FUN WITH YOUR NEW BOAT, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, AYE??? JUST KEEP MARINE SAFETY IN MIND, AND POST SOME PICS WHEN YA GET AROUND TO IT, LOL. :cool:

Thanks Ghost Rider, I'm hoping to be able to move this boat around by myself, from truck to lake and back. May have to build and improvise some help like rollers on a lumber rack and the like. I'm not adverse to asking for help lakeside but don't want to count on it and may look for more remote sailing opportunities than is standard. Decided to bite the bullet, get a new boat and put it on the "never, never" for now. Got a good motorcycle to sell to pay it off. I think I might have been able to almost pick this thing up back in my twenties but not now dammit!. I will post pix when they get the boat to me. Sure have learned a bit online while waiting...!
 
welcome and congrats on a brand new boat! I'm sure I'm not the only one on the forum that is jealous of that!

did you plan to get a trailer? that might make it a lot easier to transport and get it in/out of the water. a dolly to roll the boat around on the ground and down to the beach is also a nice addition - there are a few you can purchase, and this site has plenty of home-made versions that work really well, too.

cheers,
tag
 
Norcalsail,

Protect that investment and your boat will last a long long time. We love dollies to move the boat around, and covers if the boat lives outdoors.

We get our covers from SLO Sail and Canvas in San Luis Obispo. Pacific Sunbrella Blue, spars on deck, with straps. Get the basic Sunbrella that breathes, not the waterproof or Top Gun. Nothing is waterproof, except for it holds moisture IN and mildew starts. The spars on deck cover gives us the option to leave all the gear with the boat on the road or on the beach. It also fits nice without the spars on deck. A good fitting cover is eesential to keep the cockpit and sail from becoming critter condos.

We like the Dynamic Dolly so much that we became e-dealers. Great customer service, shipped from the US, usually same day. They have held up great in our salt water environment of NW Florida. We do a lot of boat storage TETRIS with our restoration projects, and the dollies are back savers. If you are interested in a Dynamic Dolly, send me a PM and we can get one out with free shipping.

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Cheers
Kent and Skipper
 
welcome and congrats on a brand new boat! I'm sure I'm not the only one on the forum that is jealous of that!

did you plan to get a trailer? that might make it a lot easier to transport and get it in/out of the water. a dolly to roll the boat around on the ground and down to the beach is also a nice addition - there are a few you can purchase, and this site has plenty of home-made versions that work really well, too.

cheers,
tag
Hi Tag. I definitely will want some kind of dolly but am hoping to transport with my truck in some manner. If it seems too much, I may have to get a trailer. Originally, I had wanted to get a used Sunfish but did not see too many locally and after reading about some projects decided I have too much to do around the house already. So I got one new from a shop up in Portland and am waiting for them to get a shipment down this way. Hoping to hear something soon...Thanks for the welcome-Phil
 
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Norcalsail,

Protect that investment and your boat will last a long long time. We love dollies to move the boat around, and covers if the boat lives outdoors.

We get our covers from SLO Sail and Canvas in San Luis Obispo. Pacific Sunbrella Blue, spars on deck, with straps. Get the basic Sunbrella that breathes, not the waterproof or Top Gun. Nothing is waterproof, except for it holds moisture IN and mildew starts. The spars on deck cover gives us the option to leave all the gear with the boat on the road or on the beach. It also fits nice without the spars on deck. A good fitting cover is eesential to keep the cockpit and sail from becoming critter condos.

We like the Dynamic Dolly so much that we became e-dealers. Great customer service, shipped from the US, usually same day. They have held up great in our salt water environment of NW Florida. We do a lot of boat storage TETRIS with our restoration projects, and the dollies are back savers. If you are interested in a Dynamic Dolly, send me a PM and we can get one out with free shipping.

View attachment 27424

View attachment 27425

Cheers
Kent and Skipper
Sure like the pictures and will keep the dollies in mind. I may take this boat to some more remote lakes like up in the Sierra so will need some reliable transport options. Thanks for the advice on breathable covers, I'll keep that in mind. Phil
 
Yes, a brand new Sunfish! Your Dad taught you well. Congratulations and enjoy every minute!
Thanks Breeze Bender, I feel like sailing will become a way to add to my two favorite things: camping and swimming. There are a lot of lakes in my area and I plan to explore places I can camp and access the water easily. I already know of a number of spots here in northern California. Also, it can be a focus for Saturday day trips locally. Told my wife it's gonna change my life! Thanks for the congrats, Phil
 
Santa Rosa isn't that far from the coast, you could take the boat out there on a long weekend. Friend of mine crashed his Datsun 1200 on the PCH near Point Arena... thought he was Mario Andretti and took a curve posted 20 m.p.h. at 50, go figure. I was sitting shotgun and my hard skull spidered and pushed out the windshield as the car ground up against the embankment and eventually struck a rock. My friend's face ripped the rearview mirror off the shield as well. Lucky for us it was an "inside curve" up against the hill, rather than an "outside curve" where we most likely would've sailed off the cliff and died on the rocks below, LOL. Car got towed into Pt. Arena, but the one mechanic in that burg didn't have the necessary parts: tie rod, sway bar, and some other part which I can't remember at present. CRS again... :confused:

We lived in a motel for a week or more during this episode, and I ultimately rode a Mercedes minibus from Pt. Arena to Santa Rosa, where I found the necessary parts in a junkyard before riding back to get the car fixed. The minibus took the scenic route along the Russian River, and I had the shotgun seat up forward... nice view from the front of that minibus, the Russian River was beautiful back in the day. Don't know how it is now, this happened back around 1980... we had originally planned to run the PCH from Mexico to Canada, but this wreck and the subsequent drain on trip funds forced us to turn back at Pt. Arena. We crossed the coast range ASAP to pick up I-5 and run it all the way down to Dago, literally crossing the bridge into Coronado on fumes (I thought for sure we were gonna run outta gas on the bridge grade). ;)

Oh, to be young again... or NOT, LOL. That was a crazy trip... in fact, my friend had just purchased a bunch of cassette tapes (dating ourselves here), including "BLIZZARD OF OZZ" with Ozzy Osbourne, so the classic tune "CRAZY TRAIN" became the theme song for the trip. It was playing when my friend crashed, which somehow seems appropriate. We were serious partyers back then, so the music was always loud... not through neighborhoods or where cops were present, but out on the scenic coast highway with nobody else around. We'd camp on the beach or in the forest along the way, sometimes in legal campgrounds... in those days, one didn't get hassled much for crashing on a public beach. It sure was a wild journey, to this day I wish we had made it all the way to Canada, or at least to Cape Flattery and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, LOL. :rolleyes:

My point in rambling on here is that you can load that boat and go camping out by the ocean... I just glanced at my trucker's atlas to remind myself what lies along that stretch of coast, and I see Bodega Bay lies a relatively short distance from Santa Rosa. That's a cool bay, I believe it's the same one where Hitchcock filmed "THE BIRDS"---better add a 12-gauge and a box o' bird shot shells to your list of sail gear, LOL, or get one of those collapsible paddles so you can swat any birds that give ya trouble. Looks like there's a campground there (Sonoma Coast State Beach), and nearby Pt. Reyes National Seashore is awesome , though I don't know if the rangers will let ya sail out of any of those campgrounds. Pt. Reyes is a historical graveyard for ships, so be careful if ya go there, don't wanna add the new Fish to the list, LOL. :eek:

WELL, I'D BETTER GET ON MY CHORES HERE, CAN'T REMINISCE ALL MORNING... GOTTA DO DISHES, LAUNDRY, GET CLEANED UP AND START LOADING MORE BOXES. GOOD NEWS IS THAT I MADE A HUGE BATCH OF MY HOT & SPICY HOMEMADE CHICKEN & SHRIMP BURRITOS LAST NIGHT, SO I'LL BE STYLIN' WHEN IT'S TIME TO MACK, LOL. :)

Edit: Here's a quick pic or two of the burrito mix, made with fresh Jalapeno & Serrano peppers, onion, vine-ripened tomato, etc., and that pot is deeper than it looks, LOL. Slap cheese on an extra-large tortilla, dump the mix on top, roll it up and nuke it, then top off the burrito with fresh guacamole & sour cream, maybe a little drizzle of hot sauce on the very top for appearance's sake. These burritos don't suck, I can tell ya that much, LOL, but each plate has about 10,000 calories. :cool:

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CHEERS!!!
 
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Great story and yeah, I know the Mendocino Coast pretty well and I have stayed along there vacationing near Point Arena. I used to go to college up in Arcata and would ride my motorcycle down to Irish Beach or stay with friends in Mendocino. Beautiful ride but you gotta pay attention on that road. I have been thinking about sailing in Tomales and Bodega Bay as the ocean wind seems like it might be more reliable and steady than that on the various lakes. I kinda like fresh water better though and have been warned off the northern SF Bay until I get some experience. I did read a post here from a guy who sailed at the mouth of the Russian River and was hoping to hear from him. May stick to lakes. By the way, I have tix to see Ozzy on his final solo tour this Fall. Saw him twice in 2016 on Black Sabbath's final tour. Hard to believe those guys can still do the tour but they do inspire me to get off my butt, get active and go sail. Just got to get the boat here-expecting a call about delivery any time-torturous...
 
While you're waiting you can get your camera ready to take some pictures, it will be nice to see some pictures of a newer boat. Is she a new LP from the China factory or a new old stock boat?

Cheers
Kent
 
The latest boats they have imported - at least to the east coast - are UK built. It'll be interesting to see what you get. Did they tell you what color it'll be? The UK boats are 100% baby blue except for the splash rail which comes in colors. The Chinese ones have been all white with red or blue trim.

BTW, when my wife and I lived in San Francisco, we enjoyed sailing on Tomales Bay. You can get a permit to camp on Pt. Reyes, so you can launch on from the public launch in Marshall, pull up on the beach on Pt. Reyes and stay overnight. You can also just pull back out at the boat launch and have a great meal at the restaurant at Nick's Cove, right by the launch - you don't even need to drive!! We saw a few seals in the bay - lots of fun for us east-coasters!
 
While you're waiting you can get your camera ready to take some pictures, it will be nice to see some pictures of a newer boat. Is she a new LP from the China factory or a new old stock boat?

Cheers
Kent
Hi Kent, I was wondering about that. I had read they were sending the labor to China but this could be old stock LP. I sure hope they are keeping quality standards up to par. May send the company an e-mail about shipment as they were supposed to contact me yesterday-patience needed on my part. Oh yeah, I will post pictures showing details of a recent boat.
 
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The latest boats they have imported - at least to the east coast - are UK built. It'll be interesting to see what you get. Did they tell you what color it'll be? The UK boats are 100% baby blue except for the splash rail which comes in colors. The Chinese ones have been all white with red or blue trim.

BTW, when my wife and I lived in San Francisco, we enjoyed sailing on Tomales Bay. You can get a permit to camp on Pt. Reyes, so you can launch on from the public launch in Marshall, pull up on the beach on Pt. Reyes and stay overnight. You can also just pull back out at the boat launch and have a great meal at the restaurant at Nick's Cove, right by the launch - you don't even need to drive!! We saw a few seals in the bay - lots of fun for us east-coasters!
Hey Chris, I ordered mine with a white hull and a red stripe lengthwise and the Colada sail. Hope the quality is there. Been thinking of sailing fresh water only but Tomales Bay is close, big and quite tempting. There is a private campground on the north side that we can access; an easy drive from home here in Santa Rosa! Thanks for the info...
 
They made a few test boats in the UK last year. They told the class those would not be coming to the US. But lo and behold, they are! The LP site and the APS site both show new boats being 100 percent baby blue, which is the color of the UK Lasers. And the UK boat at the NAs was baby blue, while the Chinese boats were white. So my guess is they are switching production to the UK.

What is even more interesting is the UK boats they made last year have no foam blocks. They claim they have reinforced the bottom so the blocks are not needed, and they’ve put cubitainers in for floatation. I don’t know if that is how the NAs boat was as it had no inspection ports. If they can make the boat durable without blocks that would be great, but I don’t know about LPs engineering prowess.

For NorCal Sailor, the red center stripe boat would be US production from a couple years back and that would be a good boat to have. I am surprised there are any left at this point.
 
They made a few test boats in the UK last year. They told the class those would not be coming to the US. But lo and behold, they are! The LP site and the APS site both show new boats being 100 percent baby blue, which is the color of the UK Lasers. And the UK boat at the NAs was baby blue, while the Chinese boats were white. So my guess is they are switching production to the UK.

What is even more interesting is the UK boats they made last year have no foam blocks. They claim they have reinforced the bottom so the blocks are not needed, and they’ve put cubitainers in for floatation. I don’t know if that is how the NAs boat was as it had no inspection ports. If they can make the boat durable without blocks that would be great, but I don’t know about LPs engineering prowess.

For NorCal Sailor, the red center stripe boat would be US production from a couple years back and that would be a good boat to have. I am surprised there are any left at this point.
Thanks for that info-I hope the quality is there!
 
Patience is a virtue, think positive thoughts...

"THE BOAT WILL ARRIVE TOMORROW... OM-M-M!!!" ;)

And so it shall be, Grasshopper... LOL. :cool:

Reminds me of a cool Zen proverb:

IF YOU ARE FILLED WITH DESIRE, YOUR SORROWS SWELL LIKE THE GRASS AFTER THE RAIN... BUT IF YOU SUBDUE DESIRE, YOUR SORROWS FALL FROM YOU LIKE DROPS OF WATER FROM A LOTUS FLOWER. :rolleyes:

[Chinese gong crashes here...] :D

Whatever ya do, don't beat up the 350-lb. truck driver who delivers your boat... LOL. :confused:
 
Thanks for that info-I hope the quality is there!
Patience is a virtue, think positive thoughts...

"THE BOAT WILL ARRIVE TOMORROW... OM-M-M!!!" ;)

And so it shall be, Grasshopper... LOL. :cool:

Reminds me of a cool Zen proverb:

IF YOU ARE FILLED WITH DESIRE, YOUR SORROWS SWELL LIKE THE GRASS AFTER THE RAIN... BUT IF YOU SUBDUE DESIRE, YOUR SORROWS FALL FROM YOU LIKE DROPS OF WATER FROM A LOTUS FLOWER. :rolleyes:

[Chinese gong crashes here...] :D

Whatever ya do, don't beat up the 350-lb. truck driver who delivers your boat... LOL. :confused:
LOL, Thanks Ghost Rider, it will be really cool when it arrives. Hope it's striped like I ordered, I'll see soon.
 
Please let us know what shows up and where it was made. The word out of LP today is all new boats, whether made in China or the UK are baby blue. The early 2018 boats from china are definitely white.
 
Yes Chris, thanks for the alert. I checked with LP as well and new boats from both locations are Ice Blue, with a choice of red, blue, orange or white coaming. Sunfish Race $4780 and Sunfish $4495.

Laser Performance

Cheers
Kent and Skipper
 
Please let us know what shows up and where it was made. The word out of LP today is all new boats, whether made in China or the UK are baby blue. The early 2018 boats from china are definitely white.
Hey Chris, The color choices were either white with a red stripe running lengthwise or white with a blue stripe running lengthwise, both stripes thick and centered in the middle. The choices were an icon. I really want the paint to be what was indicated on the site; I chose red stripe. It is supposed to be here within a couple of hours-we'll see. Colada sail delivered to my door, $4,520. Guess I got to pay a use tax on registration-Phil
 
Hey Chris, The color choices were either white with a red stripe running lengthwise or white with a blue stripe running lengthwise, both stripes thick and centered in the middle. The choices were an icon. I really want the paint to be what was indicated on the site; I chose red stripe. It is supposed to be here within a couple of hours-we'll see. Colada sail delivered to my door, $4,520. Guess I got to pay a use tax on registration-Phil
It's from West Coast Sailing in Portland Oregon. If you check out their site you can see what I described...
 
Those are US made from 2015 or maybe 2016. They were well-made. Interested to see what arrives. You will enjoy it regardless!!
The boat arrived about 3:00 pm today. The driver, my son in law and myself carried it to the deck in my backyard. Really cool but no red center stripe. White hull with a red well and red splashguard. It seemed quite a bit lighter than our old family Sunfish in Wisconsin. Colada sail had the window which I was happy about-probably a good idea for me and makes up for the lack of stripe. No manual to tell me how to put in the self bailer, screw the rudder together,etc. I figured it out but will make sure all is good before I make anything permanent. White fiberglass rudder and daggerboard-the boat is really beautiful and I plan to use it till I'm done and hand it down to the kids.
 
The boat arrived about 3:00 pm today. The driver, my son in law and myself carried it to the deck in my backyard. Really cool but no red center stripe. White hull with a red well and red splashguard. It seemed quite a bit lighter than our old family Sunfish in Wisconsin. Colada sail had the window which I was happy about-probably a good idea for me and makes up for the lack of stripe. No manual to tell me how to put in the self bailer, screw the rudder together,etc. I figured it out but will make sure all is good before I make anything permanent.
White fiberglass rudder and daggerboard-the boat is really beautiful and I plan to use it till I'm done and hand it down to the kids
.
I'd be tempted to locate a nice 50-year-old Sunfish and have Dad and the kids racing Sunfishes. :)
.
 
One of my daughters and my son in law both are interested in learning to sail. It would be nice to build a family fleet!

And so it begins... LOL. Good news, the boat is now in your hands, and you'll soon be having a blast while sailing her... perhaps taking an occasional swim as ya push the nautical envelope, LOL. Don't forget to post photos when ya get around to it, and though ya might wanna start out on one of those nearby lakes, keep Bodega Bay in mind... :rolleyes:

CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
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