New Sunfish owner

wbrown62

wbrown62

Member
Just bought a '77 model Sunfish. I have never sailed one before, so I have been perusing the forums to learn all I can. I also own a Hobie 16 so I do know a little about sailing. :)

I have been cleaning her up and decided to remove the splash rail in order to clean off old caulk and grime. I noticed some of the screws do not bite into anything when I put them back in. What is used as a backing for the screws? It almost looks as though some plastic wall anchors had been previously used. Can something like this be used in the deck? I also plan to use 4200 to bed the screws and splash rail. I am assuming this will be OK as well.

BTW, I weighed the boat on a bathroom scale and it weighed 130 lbs, so I suppose it's not water logged. YAY.
 
The splash guard should be riveted and 3m caulk applied to all the holes and rivets to prevent leaks. This is the way that it was originally attached and not with screws. Splash guard problems can be a sign of the the inner foam blocks being detached from deck and this effects the integrity of the hall as these block provide the stiffness to the hull along with flotation.
If hull does not have inspection ports I would recommend installing them also so you can see the interior of the hull. Soft spots on deck and the bottom of the hull are also signs of the foam blocks coming loose along with the hull making a loud banging noise when sailing in choppy conditions.
You can see where foam blocks are located in the Knowledge Base.

Minas man
 
Haven't noticed any soft spots. The deck and hull seem solid with little or no give. I was planning to install a port between the splash rail and dagger board trunk. Where is the best place to purchase a hatch kit? I checked Mariner Sails and they have 4, 5 and 6 inch, but the 4 and 5 inch or slightly curved for curved decks and the 6 inch is flat. I was thinking of the 6 inch but not sure if its the best size. Thanks for your advice.
 
BTW boats of this era DID have a screws for the splash rail. Having not removed one I don't know how to reattach it.
 
I have a 1979 hull and that uses rivets and I did a loose foam block, splash guard repair and inspection port install on a 1980 hull last season that was rivets but beldar boathead is right as I checked out my 1966 Canadian made hull and it has screws that are driven into a metal cylinder with a flange, like the back of a rivet, hey they might even be the backs of rivets. I do not know what was original fasteners for the 77 but either would work.
For me the backing or lack of backing would determine the type of fastener that I would use for re-attachment of splash guard. Gad to hear that your foam blocks are tight. I use three 6 inch ports, one behind the splash rail and two in the forward front cockpit the reasons are given in some of my other posts so look them up. Tip, keep the covers lightly screwed in to the mounting flange when fastening the inspection ports so they keep the proper shape, and it keeps the caulking off the threads. I prefer rivets for the fasteners as no backing required and it can be done from one side unlike screws and bolts.
I have used the 5 inch threaded ports but the 6 inch make it so much easier when having to work in the interior of the hull.

Minas man
 
wbrown62 said:
Haven't noticed any soft spots. The deck and hull seem solid with little or no give. I was planning to install a port between the splash rail and dagger board trunk. Where is the best place to purchase a hatch kit? I checked Mariner Sails and they have 4, 5 and 6 inch, but the 4 and 5 inch or slightly curved for curved decks and the 6 inch is flat. I was thinking of the 6 inch but not sure if its the best size. Thanks for your advice.
Click to expand...

I used to put the larger ports in, but I've really come to like the 4 inch Becksons myself. (You want to be sure that they are screw-out and not pry-out.) With ports, bigger is not always better unless you need it larger for some repair. I also like using clear plastic covers because they fog up if there is water developing inside, and you can see at a glance. An alternative is to get a port to fit the 'cat bag' you might be considering. I use the Viking ports sometimes, and others that are also similarly shallow, but the Becksons are pretty heavy duty and I like them better. I've gotten them at West Marine and APS, but you can probably just google a search.

As to the splash rails, I've just dipped the screws in the 3M 5200 or 4200 and screwed them back in. I also put a thread of the sealant along the whole bottom of the rail before replacing. There is typically not so much pressure on the rail that they tend to pop out. Even when I've started out thinking I would through-bolt them, I end up just screwing them back in pretty much as they were just out of laziness and they tend to stay.
 
I ordered a port with a screw in lid from Beckson, so at this point I think I will wait to get the port installed and then check to see what is underneath at the splash rail area and proceed from there. Thanks for your help. Cant wait to get her sea worthy and hit the water. I do have a 3 inch crack on the bottom across the keel that I must repair before taking her out. Shouldn't be a big deal though since I do have fiberglassing experience. I am assuming an automotive fiberglass repair kit would suffice in this case. I'm not sure if there is any difference in that and marine fiberglass epoxy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top