Original Sunfish Pre 1971 Rudder Pin

Eric VB

Member
I bought a Sunfish a couple of weeks ago and it has the old style rudder and gudgeon. I was browsing Sunfish parts on ebay and someone has just the rudder pin listed for $160 saying it is extremely rare. Mine has the original pin pictured below. Is this ebay seller just sunfishing for dollars or is this pin really that valuable?

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They are Sunfishing. They are expensive though, a factory pin can go for 25-40 dollars. And then if you want to resell it, add some dollars.

If it's the last piece of a period correct restoration puzzle and you want OEM, then who knows what someone would pay? We've sold a few for 50-75.

FWIW I'd tape that pin down securely if you trailer the boat for any distance, as the keeper chain is not very robust.
 
No you'd win the lottery if you found a box of New Old Stock DePersia bailers.

Congratulations on your new boat, we'd like to see more photos please. She looks to be in good shape, 1967 or older. If there is a metal Serial No. plate by the coaming we can tell you her production year.

A few notes, you may know but other readers may not, the carriage bolt on the rudder releasing mechanism should go the other way, with the adjustable thumb nut on top. Easier to adjust and you don't want that protruding below the keel. This diagram is for the wooden Sailfish and Sunfish, most of the metal parts and the principles are the same.


Alcort Rudder Releasing Mechanism Patent page 1.png


The carriage bolt on the fiberglass Sunfish is outside of the hull in a groove molded into the transom. When parts of the rudder releasing mechanism become worn or loose, there is potential for bottom of the vertical hinge plate to pop out of the keel latch plate. Alcort/AMF began adding a nylon tube to encase the carriage bolt to reduce side to side movement of the bolt. The parts should also be replaced or tightened as needed. We have some tubing buried in our Alcort garage that may work, and The Usual Visitors in this Forum may have a good source or the original tube. Pictured below is the tube that fits the wooden Sailfish and Sunfish, and the fiberglass Super Sailfish MKII, which all have shorter transoms.

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Here's the measurements for the tube:


And you can search our youtube page for tips on operation and tuning for the "old style" rudder.

 
Would a lock pin like this one work as a rudder pin for the old style rudder? The pin is 1/4" diameter and 3 1/4" long. I thought it might be more practical than using a wrench to get the pin out.
 

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This works really well for anyone else with an old style rudder. It's much easier than messing with a wrench to get the pin in and out. The size I got is pin diameter 1/4" and pin length 3 1/4". I paid $2 for it at Tractor Supply.
 
Rare Vintage Sunfish Parts:

#1 DePersia bailer screw-in cap. Sailors often unscrewed these caps to improve the bailer function and then capsized and sent the cap to
Davy Jones' Locker. Others were stolen to replace their missing caps. I have seen them sell for $50. Crazy.

#2 The aforementioned old style, pre-1972 horrizontal bronze rudder "toggle" pins. The retaining chains often broke and the pins were lost on the road. Genuine, used factory issued pins can sell for up to $40. Again crazy. A stainless 1/4" hex bolt with nylon hex nut sells at any decent hardware store for under $3 or the aforementioned Tractor Supply pin with wire retainer for even less. *

I have sometimes salvaged a damaged-beyond-repair Sunfish hull just to get these parts.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY

*I know of one source for well made, new aftermarket pins for under $25.
 
There are plenty of stainless steel pins with detent balls that work as well. The $2 TS part might rust in saltwater use.
 

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