Parents with a Sunfish Question

[Saltydog87]

My wife and I were blessed with a baby girl last March! This also meant that the Sunfish didn’t come out of storage, as we were up to our ears trying to keep a newborn alive.

Eventually, I would like to take our little one out on the Sunfish on a light-wind day, but I’m also trying to be a responsible parent. I’ve been looking at life preservers, 0-2 year growth charts and trying to project whether or not to invest in a “newborn” life jacket (0-30 lbs) or waiting until later for a “child” (30-50 lbs).

My question for parents on the forum is: around what age did you trust taking your kid out on the Sunfish? What factor(s) helped make your decision?

So far, my concerns would be…
- proper life jacket at all times
- avoid the lower boom!
- handling a capsize (ideally in a light-wind day avoid altogether)
- potential that kiddo wants to get to shore quickly for potty or other reasons (stay close to shore)

 

[tag]

I think 2-yrs old was probably the youngest I actually sailed with one of my boys.
In this video at about 2 minutes in you can see me grab my 2-yr old from my wife in a kayak. My 5-yr old was already with me.
It was a VERY calm drifting day on Lake Michigan and she stayed nearby in the kayak.

 

[Saltydog87]

I think 2-yrs old was probably the youngest I actually sailed with one of my boys.
In this video at about 2 minutes in you can see me grab my 2-yr old from my wife in a kayak. My 5-yr old was already with me.
It was a VERY calm drifting day on Lake Michigan and she stayed nearby in the kayak.

This video is great - thanks! It also helps appreciate the difference between a 5-year old and a 2-year old.
Neat placement of the GoPro, too - strapped to the tiller near the rudder?

 

[tag]

Yeah on my older Sunfish I had made a little wooden mount at the tiller. I later switched to mounting it upside down out on the lower boom.

GoPro camera points of view on a Sunfish sailboat

when I first got my GoPro Hero camera – it was actually the GoPro Hero Surf package (they now have an improved version 2 camera, mine is the original version), which included a giant stick-on…

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