New Sunfish

norcalsail

Well-Known Member
So I was able to get some pictures of the new Sunfish. I rigged it up and it can sail. Some problems with the boom-seems bent and the sail doesn't sit tight at the bottom. May require fixing. I'll see..Cat has to be involved in everything...
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Got some okay photos but took many more, Seems like a good boat...
 

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I'm not so good at posting pictures but this is the new boat. I rigged it today and it can sail. Not so good at rigging either but trial and error will get me there.
 
Beautiful boat! The boom looks okay from the angles I see. And the sail is supposed to be pooled like that, it has extra draft cut into the foot, you will be pleased with how it sets out in a breeze. The older sails you are used to are pretty flat. The bottom edge (foot) is curved, not straight and there is some broadseaming to give the sail camber, like a wing. Keep the outhauls tight for heavier wind days and loose for light wind days. After a few sails you might adjust them a bit to suit you.

Here is a new Laser Performance Mai Tai sail we bought early this year, we were surprised when it showed up with an LP sticker on it vs North Sails.

IMG_6449 2.jpg


You boom is going to bend a bit, nature of the design.

IMG_6463 3.jpg


Tacking through the wind, boom straight, foot of sail puddled on the boom.

IMG_6467.jpg


Well none of the above matters because the Queen Kitty approves! Does the boat have a name yet?

And thank you for sharing pictures, first new boat we've seen in a long time.

Cheers
Kent and Skipper
 
Very nice! To add to what Kent said, if you look at the middle of the three pictures he posted, you’ll see the boom bends when you sheet in. The curve in the bottom of the sail is designed to roughly match the curve in the boom sheeted it. As Kent said, Sunfish sails over the past 20 years or so are cut to “pool” as the bottom.

The top spar should be tied so the outhaul is snug.

I’d start with the outhaul tied so the sail comes to about 4 inches from the end of the boom. As Kent says, if it gets really windy you can tighten it to flatten the sail. Racers have the outhauls set up to be adjustable “on the fly” but that isn’t needed for recreational sailing.
 
Beautiful boat! The boom looks okay from the angles I see. And the sail is supposed to be pooled like that, it has extra draft cut into the foot, you will be pleased with how it sets out in a breeze. The older sails you are used to are pretty flat. The bottom edge (foot) is curved, not straight and there is some broadseaming to give the sail camber, like a wing. Keep the outhauls tight for heavier wind days and loose for light wind days. After a few sails you might adjust them a bit to suit you.

Here is a new Laser Performance Mai Tai sail we bought early this year, we were surprised when it showed up with an LP sticker on it vs North Sails.
View attachment 27507

You boom is going to bend a bit, nature of the design.

View attachment 27508

Tacking through the wind, boom straight, foot of sail puddled on the boom.

View attachment 27509

Well none of the above matters because the Queen Kitty approves! Does the boat have a name yet?

And thank you for sharing pictures, first new boat we've seen in a long time.

Cheers
Kent and Skipper

Thank you Kent and Skipper for your advice about this. I was a little concerned something was not right but not so much now and can see what you're talking about. That Mai Tai sail looks really good by the way. I have been reading a lot about sailing and Sunfish boats and forgot about the Bernoulli effect that occurs with the physics of sailing. The sail needs that camber. Love these pictures and appreciate your knowledge! Phil
 
Awwww... look at the kitteh!!! A true mariner's cat, LOL. Sharp-looking boat, my friend, colors look nice and your family on shore should be able to easily single you out in marine traffic, should there be any traffic. I wouldn't wrap that halyard round the gooseneck, no need to risk fouling it or impeding the rotation of the gooseneck in any manner... just my $.02, FWIW. Beautiful boat, man, you're gonna have some fun aboard that little megayacht, LOL. ENJOY!!! AND DON'T FORGET TO TAKE PICS, GET YOURSELF AN INEXPENSIVE CAMERA AND USE A ZIP-LOC BAG FOR PROTECTION... DON'T DROP THE CAMERA OVERBOARD!!! :eek:

P.S. You can buy a small waterproof case to store camera, car keys, a copy of your vessel registration, etc., several manufacturers offer such cases. Clip it somewhere out of the way, but where you can reach the camera when you don't have your hands full sailing the boat. Another option is to sling the camera round your neck or over your shoulder on a dummy cord or strip of webbing... one of those waterproof disposable "sport cameras." Some guys just hide their keys on their vehicles, up under the wheel well or inside the bumper. :rolleyes:
 
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wrapping the halyard up and over the gooseneck is used for vang tension - but it's not really that necessary for recreational sailing.
there are some tips on rigging setups at Starboard Passage (he does talk some about the boom vang there): Sunfish | Starboard Passage
 
I agree it isn’t needed for rec sailing. This video also shows vang rigging
so if you are going to rig it, watch the video.

NorCal I can’t see the image that you took that well, but it looks to me like you will pull your deck cleat out of the deck downwind on port, so pls check how you have rigged it.
 
wrapping the halyard up and over the gooseneck is used for vang tension - but it's not really that necessary for recreational sailing.
there are some tips on rigging setups at Starboard Passage (he does talk some about the boom vang there): Sunfish | Starboard Passage

Roger that, I never bothered with it aboard my Minifish, I'm an adherent of the K.I.S.S. principle: "Keep It Simple, Stooooopid!!!" LOL. :confused:
 
I'm so jealous of that brand new boat - it's beautiful! great color combination, too.
Thanks Tag, The color combo really works-I wanted the bow to stern stripe but this works well. Hard to believe it's sittin on my back deck!
Very nice! To add to what Kent said, if you look at the middle of the three pictures he posted, you’ll see the boom bends when you sheet in. The curve in the bottom of the sail is designed to roughly match the curve in the boom sheeted it. As Kent said, Sunfish sails over the past 20 years or so are cut to “pool” as the bottom.

The top spar should be tied so the outhaul is snug.

I’d start with the outhaul tied so the sail comes to about 4 inches from the end of the boom. As Kent says, if it gets really windy you can tighten it to flatten the sail. Racers have the outhauls set up to be adjustable “on the fly” but that isn’t needed for recreational sailing.

Thank you for this info- I may have some adjustment to do. Little by little; I have learned a lot on this forum and you tube!
 
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Awwww... look at the kitteh!!! A true mariner's cat, LOL. Sharp-looking boat, my friend, colors look nice and your family on shore should be able to easily single you out in marine traffic, should there be any traffic. I wouldn't wrap that halyard round the gooseneck, no need to risk fouling it or impeding the rotation of the gooseneck in any manner... just my $.02, FWIW. Beautiful boat, man, you're gonna have some fun aboard that little megayacht, LOL. ENJOY!!! AND DON'T FORGET TO TAKE PICS, GET YOURSELF AN INEXPENSIVE CAMERA AND USE A ZIP-LOC BAG FOR PROTECTION... DON'T DROP THE CAMERA OVERBOARD!!! :eek:

P.S. You can buy a small waterproof case to store camera, car keys, a copy of your vessel registration, etc., several manufacturers offer such cases. Clip it somewhere out of the way, but where you can reach the camera when you don't have your hands full sailing the boat. Another option is to sling the camera round your neck or over your shoulder on a dummy cord or strip of webbing... one of those waterproof disposable "sport cameras." Some guys just hide their keys on their vehicles, up under the wheel well or inside the bumper. :rolleyes:

Thanks Ghost Rider , Furboy likes to hang out when anything new comes around. A very funny Kitta! I tied the halyard sort of as I saw it on a you tube vid but never did this on the old Sunfish. Something I realized was that the curved bottom of the daggerboard points to the stern. I been doing it wrong all these years but never had anyone to tell me differently-I thought the curve faced forward, seemed to make sense. Lots of great folks on this forum to help me with my knowledge about these things.
 
wrapping the halyard up and over the gooseneck is used for vang tension - but it's not really that necessary for recreational sailing.
there are some tips on rigging setups at Starboard Passage (he does talk some about the boom vang there): Sunfish | Starboard Passage

Thanks Tag, I had seen this on you tube so tied it like that in the moment. I've been wondering how much difference such things make for rec sailing. Can't wait to get this thing on the water!
 
I agree it isn’t needed for rec sailing. This video also shows vang rigging
so if you are going to rig it, watch the video.

NorCal I can’t see the image that you took that well, but it looks to me like you will pull your deck cleat out of the deck downwind on port, so pls check how you have rigged it.

Thank you Beldar, I will simplify that and review some rigging vids. Very happy to be able to get feedback here! Otherwise I'm flyin solo...
 
The big question (for Chris and me, at least) is, where was the boat made and when?
Could you please show the inscription on the stern?
 
The sail has a tag that says "Made in China" so that seems telling... also just saw this blue tag says "fee paid". Wish that was my California "use tax" that I expect to be charged upon registration.
 
Thanks NorCal! The CN indicates China. The British boats start with GB. The British boats also come with either Chinese or Sri Lankan made sails. The fee paid is to World Sailing, as Sunfish is a World Sailing recognized class - thus we get to hold World Championships, are eligible to participate in the Pan Am games, etc.
 
Thanks NorCal! The CN indicates China. The British boats start with GB. The British boats also come with either Chinese or Sri Lankan made sails. The fee paid is to World Sailing, as Sunfish is a World Sailing recognized class - thus we get to hold World Championships, are eligible to participate in the Pan Am games, etc.

I was thinking the "CN' might indicate China-thanks for the info!
 
Thanks norcalsail! Great info.

Is it correct then to say that (legal) Sunfish sails do not necessarily come from the North loft in Sri Lanka anymore?
 
I believe recreation sail production has moved to a loft LP found in China. They had a test racing sail from China in use at the NAs. It looked fine but don’t know how it performs. The sails to be provided at the worlds this fall will be from North.
 
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Hey, Norcalsail, seeing your new boat inspired me to check the boat ads on C/L, LOL... my boat won't be new when I buy it, but that's okay, as long as she's in good shape. Saw a C-15 on a trailer for under a grand, probably get it for $900 or so... nothing wrong with a Coronado 15, but it can be a bit much for a solo sailor. Saw a fairly beat-up Laser on a trailer, but the owners were asking $2800... they must have been high on crack. Found two Lido 14s in the Portland C/L ads, both on trailers, one good-looking boat for $2000, the other beat to hell at $750. Coolest find was an old wooden staysail schooner from an Alden design, that bad girl was awesome, but ya gotta be well-off to keep a boat like that, the maintenance alone doesn't come cheap... plus you're a slave to varnish in every spare moment, LOL. :eek:

I thought about buying a nice boat and living aboard, but it wouldn't be fair to the kittehs, and I gotta have my pool table as well... meh, I can go the landlubber route and still sail small craft, no worries. Out of all these choices, I'd probably go with the C-15 for under a grand or the better Lido 14 for under two grand... I expect to make some new friends when I relocate, I can always put 'em to work helping me launch the boat, LOL. That C-15 transom can be reinforced to take a small outboard, temporarily converting the boat to a fishing vessel... leave the rig at home and just take the hull, motor, fuel tank or can, etc. A friend and I did that with a C-15 in Dago, makes for a decent little runabout or fishing skiff without the rig in the way, pretty comfortable too with plenty of room for gear, beer cooler, and whatnot. :rolleyes:

JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT YOUR BOAT PURCHASE HAS CREATED A RIPPLE EFFECT, LOL... SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!?!? ;)

P.S. Oh, yeah, for any J/24 sailors interested (I know there's a separate forum here for y'all), that J/36 (with Kevlar sails) is in the Seattle C/L ads, the boat actually berthed in Bellingham up north. Just figured I'd mention it, ya don't see those every day. :cool:
 
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Hey, Norcalsail, seeing your new boat inspired me to check the boat ads on C/L, LOL... my boat won't be new when I buy it, but that's okay, as long as she's in good shape. Saw a C-15 on a trailer for under a grand, probably get it for $900 or so... nothing wrong with a Coronado 15, but it can be a bit much for a solo sailor. Saw a fairly beat-up Laser on a trailer, but the owners were asking $2800... they must have been high on crack. Found two Lido 14s in the Portland C/L ads, both on trailers, one good-looking boat for $2000, the other beat to hell at $750. Coolest find was an old wooden staysail schooner from an Alden design, that bad girl was awesome, but ya gotta be well-off to keep a boat like that, the maintenance alone doesn't come cheap... plus you're a slave to varnish in every spare moment, LOL. :eek:

I thought about buying a nice boat and living aboard, but it wouldn't be fair to the kittehs, and I gotta have my pool table as well... meh, I can go the landlubber route and still sail small craft, no worries. Out of all these choices, I'd probably go with the C-15 for under a grand or the better Lido 14 for under two grand... I expect to make some new friends when I relocate, I can always put 'em to work helping me launch the boat, LOL. That C-15 transom can be reinforced to take a small outboard, temporarily converting the boat to a fishing vessel... leave the rig at home and just take the hull, motor, fuel tank or can, etc. A friend and I did that with a C-15 in Dago, makes for a decent little runabout or fishing skiff without the rig in the way, pretty comfortable too with plenty of room for gear, beer cooler, and whatnot. :rolleyes:

JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT YOUR BOAT PURCHASE HAS CREATED A RIPPLE EFFECT, LOL... SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!?!? ;)

P.S. Oh, yeah, for any J/24 sailors interested (I know there's a separate forum here for y'all), that J/36 (with Kevlar sails) is in the Seattle C/L ads, the boat actually berthed in Bellingham up north. Just figured I'd mention it, ya don't see those every day. :cool:

Hey Ghost Rider, very interesting, I'm afraid I don't know too much about other boats but would like to see the pics of anything you get. I've got to get the new one registered and have an invoice but no actual Bill of Sale. Sent an email inquiring but haven't heard back. Be cool to see what you find!
 
Pretty sure this is not a UK built Sunfish. If it was I would be extra jealous. :^) It is a beautiful boat. Nice looking cat too.

Hey Dickhogg, Seems it's from China. Is there much of a difference? I really like the color combo...oh yeah, the cat has to be involved in everything! Thanks, Phil
 
Hey Dickhogg, Seems it's from China. Is there much of a difference? I really like the color combo...oh yeah, the cat has to be involved in everything! Thanks, Phil
Hey. (Sorry. I deleted my post after I realised there was a whole other page of posts confirming it as from China) From what folk have been saying the GB boats are "Ice Blue". I have seen the new lasers in this colour and I think what you have is a much nicer colour. I love the red cockpit. Sail is great too. Enjoy sailing it!
 
Hey. (Sorry. I deleted my post after I realised there was a whole other page of posts confirming it as from China) From what folk have been saying the GB boats are "Ice Blue". I have seen the new lasers in this colour and I think what you have is a much nicer colour. I love the red cockpit. Sail is great too. Enjoy sailing it!

I have a history of buying things based on looks and color. Mostly OK purchases but sometimes not...HA ha. Really great to have a new, clean Sunfish, can't wait to get it on the water-Phil
 
Hey Ghost Rider, very interesting, I'm afraid I don't know too much about other boats but would like to see the pics of anything you get. I've got to get the new one registered and have an invoice but no actual Bill of Sale. Sent an email inquiring but haven't heard back. Be cool to see what you find!

Oh, yeah, that rigmarole... I went through that after buying a Chinese ThumpStar pit bike online, no title, just an invoice, had to pay tax and fill out some bull$h!t forms just to get an OHV sticker, go figure. Be prepared for a similar runaround, just don't lose your temper, it'll only delay matters, LOL. In some states, any sailboat under a certain length does NOT need to be registered, can't remember if CA has such a rule, I always registered mine anyway because they didn't cost that much and I didn't wanna get hassled by waterborne revenue collectors. Had no paperwork whatsoever for the Minifish when I bought it, had to register it as a "home-built boat" just to get a sticker, pffffft. Meh, I built the glass repair on it, so WTF... sometimes these damned bureaucrats find the most ridiculous reasons to aggravate taxpayers, LOL. :confused:
 
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