Oh Lucky Day(s)

timmeraw

New Member
Recently, as my late father used to say, I fell into the outhouse and came out with a new suit on. Actually I did it twice within a week.

I'll get to my Sunfish questions in a second but I have to tell you how I got to getting my Sunfish. About a week ago I was watching Craigslist and saw an ad for a 1955 Thompson wooden boat..best offer. I went and looked at it and after realizing that this little 14' beauty had been sitting in a barn for over 40 years and got it for a
$300 song. I borrow a friends trailer and brought it home. A friend of mine who is an antique wooden boat expert and collector with over a dozen himself told me it is worth at least a few thousand and maybe more.....but anyways.

So now I need trailer for it so I am again watching Craigslist as I do constantly in the boat catagory this time of year ...looking for a trailer. I checked it one more time before I went to bed at 10:30 and saw an ad just posted 5 minutes ago for a Sunfish Sailboat with Trailer, and a windsurfer for $50. YES $50 dollars. As fast as I could type I responded and got a call the next day. Net-net I bought the package(she said she had over 100 replies).

Now about the Sunfish....it is a classic 1965(came with documentation and a bag from Alcort to the original owner with a
spare drain plug and a rudder pin...and there is a plate on the deck but I have it flipped over now working on the bottom so I don't know what it says..I think I saw a number on it)

The boat itself is complete and is in pretty good shape. The original blue and white striped sail is a bit blown out but besides a couple of pin holes and a 1 inch slit that has maybe some duct tape on it, it is serviceable. The rigging is good and the nice original mahogany dagger board and rudder are good also. I found out the that the hull was full of water when I went to lift the trailer tongue to hook it on the ball. When I got it home and off the trailer it took a long time to drain out with the two baby-finger sized drains on the deck.

Ok now to my questions finally...sorry but I am excited about my find...btw the trailer is a small ez-loader Sprint and fits my wooden boat also perfectly.

The bottom is basically in very good shape but for a crappy white paint job after a crappy patch job on the starboard side with fiberglass matt. I turned it over and started on the sanding to prepare for restoring and the fiberglass matt started to seperate so I ended up pulling it all off( about a foot long and 7 inches wide wrapped around the side and bottom.) Under it was some much better work that when all sanded down now is sound and I should only need to fair it up a bit before painting.

As I sand off the crappy white paint job I am coming down to the
original creamy white gell coat and would love to just leave it at that with some fine wet sanding and a sealer but for that fiberglass patch that the person did not use a coloring agent..therefore I have to paint. Now finally my question....what type of paint and color to use? I restored a Ray Green Rebel day sailer a few years ago and used a very expensive 2-part Polyurethane paint and it turned out great and still does after two year. But as expensive as it is per quart ( and I certainly don't need a whole one), is there any other ideas out there for the type of paint I should use for the bottom?

As for the top...it looked like it was in pretty good shape(original classic blue) and I was hoping to just wet sand and buff up...trying to keep at least that original. Thoughs?

Any comments about restoring this old beauty will be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has any source for original Alcort decals and or a really decent sail for a reasonable price, I would greatly appreciate it.

Happy Father's day to the dads out there.

Thanks,
Timmy
ps..sorry for the long diatribe.
 
Sorry for this but I don't think that was a diatribe. This is more of a correction than a scolding.

diatribe |ˈdīəˌtrīb|
noun
a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.
 
Thanks for the correction but I was actually looking for some help with my Sunfish restore questions....IN THE SUNFISH FORUM!
 
Thanks for the correction but I was actually looking for some help with my Sunfish restore questions....IN THE SUNFISH FORUM!

So you have now chosen to make a forceful attack against Fred P. I find that rather ironic!

You can do a search of the forum and see if any of the previous painting discussions help you. I hope that qualifies as help and you do not attack me.

BB
 
If the rest of the hull looks good you could just paint or gelcoat the repair area. Sanding with 600 grit and calling it good is not uncommon.
 
Tim, where are you located? thats a bit of luck finding 2 sailboats that quickly. Is either one ready for sailing, or do you need to work on both? mike
 
Now finally my question....what type of paint and color to use? I restored a Ray Green Rebel day sailer a few years ago and used a very expensive 2-part Polyurethane paint and it turned out great and still does after two year. But as expensive as it is per quart ( and I certainly don't need a whole one), is there any other ideas out there for the type of paint I should use for the bottom?
Polyurethane deck paint is the standard, but I see your point. Got a boat shop nearby who might tap off a pint from a larger job?

You could use the one-part variety. According to the paint makers it’s the same base paint only it relies on ambient humidity to cure so the “drying” process is a little less consistent and can take longer (days) to reach full hardness.

The area sounds small enough you could gelcoat it, but the same cost problem exist.

Krylon spray paint for plastic… :confused: just touch it up often ??



As for the top...it looked like it was in pretty good shape(original classic blue) and I was hoping to just wet sand and buff up...trying to keep at least that original. Thoughts?
You might want to try working UP from a polishing compound on a test spot. No sense in sanding away sound gelcoat by starting at the top of the grit scale when something down the ladder would have done the job less aggressively.

http://www.sunfishforum.com/showthread.php?t=29520



Any comments about restoring this old beauty will be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has any source for original Alcort decals and or a really decent sail for a reasonable price, I would greatly appreciate it.

Decals these days have to come from a custom shop. Grab a sales flyer graphic from your boat’s era, size it on your computer, and take it or send it to a decal maker.

General sailing sails can be had for around $150… Neil Pryde, Intensity, FX
 
Mike,

Yes I have been fortunate to find two good boat deals in a row( I live in upstate ny btw...near Rochester. btw only one is a sailboat ..the other is a late 40's or early 50's classic mahogany outboard boat.

Wayne,

Thanks for all the tips on painting/restoring. I have had quite a bit of past experience using 2-part polly's to paint sailboats but they are both very expensive and only sold around here at West Marine which is a long ways away from me. After a lot of internet research I have opted to use good old Rustoleum Gloss White. Yes it will take a while to fully cure and yes, as an oil based paint some think that it may react with the fiberglass. But...since besides a small fiberglass patch area, the rest of the bottom is still gel coated so that should not be an issue. I used it before one time on an Oday Daysailer II and I saw it two years later for sale by the person I sold it to and it looked as good as the day I painted it.
As for the top....I still need to inspect it very closely but I believe that it is in pretty good shape and a good light wet sanding, followed by a rubbing compound and finishing up with a miracle product I found a few years ago out of Florida called New Glass 2. It is amazing. Once all blemishes etc and chalking etc are removed from the Gel Coat ..this stuff is applied using a tool that is really just a 3 inch piece of Hot water pipe insulation(closed cell poly like a pool noodle) which is wrapped with a chamoiux cloth. You put some New Glass on the cloth and work in about 3 foot areas applying lightly top to bottom. It dries quickly and by the time you get to the end of the 3' patch you can start over again and lay down at least 3 layers. A little goes a long way and I only used about 1/3 of a quart to cover a 27' Catalina topsides and it turned out great. People at the marina where I was working on the boat in the yard thought I had newly painted the old Catalina. It lasted the whole summer and was still looking great the next spring when I dunked it.

Anyways I will include some pictures here as I make progress on the bottom and top. Off to apply second coat on bottom right now.

Have a great day and thanks again for your replies.
 
Hi Again,

I am making some progress and have the bottom looking nice...now for the top. I am trying to remove the spash coaming or whatever it is called and some of the screws just turn and won't back out. Any tips on how to get them out?

Thanks,
Timmy
 
I am trying to remove the spash coaming or whatever it is called and some of the screws just turn and won't back out. Any tips on how to get them out?
If you are installing a port to keep ventilated this is the time to put it in. The inserts are spinning in the deck ... the big problem of using inserts. You need a way to grab and hold them from the underside.

You can try and make a holding device... cut a "V" in a putty knife blade and slip the blade between the coaming and the deck. Wedge the "V" on the insert (yes, you're working blind) and hope it holds enough to allow backing out the screw.
 
..I ended up useing a sawzal. Try pulling up lightly on the coaming and use a fine metal blade. You might end up leaving scratch marks, The old rivets are barely sitting up proud of the deck. Just be carfull and you might end up leaving the scratch marks under the coaming base, (not visable after re install).
Good Luck
 
Thanks for the ideas guys. I don't have a sawsall and in any case cutting stainless steel will be really hard. I think I'll try the v-cut in the putty knife or something similar...like something with teeth to grab it. There are only about 4 or 5 that won't come out.

What are the inserts made of....rubber or plastic? As for the inspection port...yes I should really put at least one in(is there a divide down the middle or something?) With all the water that came out and the apparent weight of the boat I assume it is pretty water logged. I am wondering.....since they put drain plugs in I would have to assume that the makers expected water getting into the hull but how would it get it if there were no voids in the hull or hardware not sealed properly? Would it be through the deck to hull seam(under the metal rub rail)?.
How does one assure that everthing is shored up to prevent getting more water into it after I have it dried out?

Well that is enough questions for now. Gonna start working on the deck wet sanding tomorrow....I finally got it rolled over today after painting the bottom and unfortunately there are two spots that have breached the original blue gel coat. Both the size of a silver dollar...one a white patch(epoxy?) and the other just ground to the fiberglass. I wonder if I can come up with some blue coloring to match the top after I wet-sand and rubbing compound it?
Maybe I'll just leave them as little character spots :)

BTW...I also figured out after flipping it that it is a 1967 based on the manufacturer plate that is number 38607.
 
What are the inserts made of....rubber or plastic?
I’ve seen brass in what I believe were OEM captive nuts, but I’ve also encountered everything from plastic drywall inserts to butterfly mollys installed by owners.


As for the inspection port...yes I should really put at least one in(is there a divide down the middle or something?)
The area between the coaming and the daggerboard slot is clear.
http://www.sunfishforum.com/content.php?pg=construction


I am wondering.....since they put drain plugs in I would have to assume that the makers expected water getting into the hull but how would it get it if there were no voids in the hull or hardware not sealed properly?
Barring damage, water can still accumulate from condensation. The hull has a breather hole in the forward wall of the cockpit. The drain(s) would also help spot leaks due to damage before the weight rose noticeably. Water logging the flotation takes years of a damp environment.


How does one assure that everything is shored up to prevent getting more water into it after I have it dried out?
Even before drying, run a leak test.
http://www.sunfishforum.com/content.php?pg=airtest



I wonder if I can come up with some blue coloring to match the top after I wet-sand and rubbing compound it?
You can buy a gelcoat patch kit that comes with a rainbow of color additives for mixing & matching.
http://www.apsltd.com/p-7806-gel-coat-repair-kit-w-colors.aspx
I’ve seen it cheaper.
 
Wayne,

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I attached a picture of number 38906 sitting on her perfect little tilt-trailer I refurbished yesterday with new paint, lights, wiring, winch cable/hook, new tires/rims.

Left to do....wet/sand / rubbing compound the top, remove/paint/reseat the splash combing, and install a new bridal I am getting form Herb.

I wonder what she's worth as a package with the trailer, all original hardware and sail in I'd say 7.5 out of 10 condition because of one tiny repaired tear and two pinholes where it was wrapped around the gooseneck ring thing and rubbed.
Off to try and remove those stubborn screws on the spalsh cowl. They are in a rubber insert that turns.....gonna try the v-d out putty knife trick.
 

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Update....I got the pesky screws out of the splash copping. I used a small pearing knife and jammed the point into the plastic inserts to hold it from turning as I removed the screws. Now I can see the original gel coat color and hope to be able to wet-sand it back near that.
Have a great weekend.
Timmy
 

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