Paid Me To Take The Boat !

IrishAyes

New Member
I have been searching for a Sunfish off and on for several months. My reluctance in buying one is where I can sail it. Living in the Charleston, SC area, we have lots of water, however it seems to be suited more for power boats, kayaks and sailboats with an auxiliary power source capable of bucking the tidal and river currents; often 2-1/2 or 3 mph. One of the local yacht clubs sponsors a Sunfish flotilla and has the only suitable launching facility on the harbor, but they have a 3 year waiting list to join. Other than going to a lake about an hour away I am shut out.

I saw a garage sail ad with a Sunfish listed, checked it out and am now the owner of a very nice 1983 boat, (hull only) that they offered to pay me to haul away. I have now cleaned it up. It has no damage or repairs and has joined my fleet of 3 kayaks and a Com-Pac 16 Sailboat.

Am I wrong in thinking that I am better off dollar-wise to buy a complete boat with mast,spars, dagger board, rudder, sail etc and using my new found hull than I am to try to find all the individual pieces and parts? If I can get the boat 'sailable' without breaking the bank ....... maybe that hour long trip to the lake won't be so bad.

I can find a mast and booms. Any thoughts where I can pick up a used Dagger and Rudder/Tiller??

ChuckO
Charleston, SC
 
I'd say you've done well, especially if you're not racing this Sunfish. :) It's a real Sunfish, and not a clone? :oops:

To buy a complete Sunfish with mast, spars, dagger board, rudder, sail, etc., would cost you a minimum of $500, and it's likely that fiberglass repairs, leaks, replacement hardware, or sail issues will need to be addressed. (But at least you can examine the whole package close-up).

"Finding" a mast and spars isn't the same thing as having them at your house. (Both require expensive freight-shipping, as both are "too long"). :confused: Aluminum rudder "cheeks" are available as a separate item, and wooden rudder, tiller, and daggerboard can be constructed of mahogany at home. It's possible that the seller had previously sold-off everything else, so I'd put in an ad at Craigslist "Looking for a Sunfish to buy", and locate all of the other necessary parts. (Reject all Craigslist replies that ask that you reply to their e-mail address—that is spam—or even a scam).

A used, but complete, Porpoise II clone-fish would come with "everything-else" that fits a Sunfish. Look for "Wind-Flite", and other less-popular (and thus cheaper) models that are equivalent to Sunfish. They should be available (used) for much less than $500, and parting it out would supply you (and buyers) with still more useable hardware. A Porpoise II hull "build" is strong and close-enough to a Sunfish that "organ-donor" panels could be cut out (and sold) for repairs to Sunfish. :cool:
 
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Congratulations that's great luck. Given you are in Charleston, you shouldn't have much trouble finding the parts you need. Put an ad on craigslist and start asking around. There are thousands of old sunfish out there rotting under houses and in people's back yards after the kids have grown up. I live in NC and see sunfish parts for sale all the time. Good tip: search for generic words like "sail" or "rudder" instead of "Sunfish" on craigslist. Often people have old sunfish parts and don't know what they have. I just saw a full sail (with holes)/boom/mast for $75 on craigslist couple of weeks ago. It was listed as an AMF Sail. If you need new parts, Intensity Sailing is a great source for high quality aftermarket parts that will not break the bank.
 

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