Picked up a Sunfish hull today...let the games begin!

signal charlie

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Rescued a hull today, it has a few repairable holes but someone stripped off every part. Even the trim inside the cockpit! We are going to use this boat to practice fiberglass repair, paint the top, get it ready to go and see if the local sailing school wants a donation.
I have most of the other parts except a gudgeon, a splashguard, the trim and a bow handle.
 

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Any guesses on the year (no HIN on the stern, but new style rudder and cockpit storage), and what color sail would have come with this color deck?
 
I had to peel off some old silicone that was below the rub rail. Used a razor blade and a standard screwdriver, then some 120 grit sandpaper to clean off the residue?
 
Here are some pictures of old silicone, why it was put on below the rub rail I'm not sure? The seam between the hull and the deck is in good shape, maybe there were some pinhole leaks. Also the old bailer was removed. The seam between the hull and the cockpit is in good shape.
 

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Has anyone heard of the fiberglass delaminating on the deck close to the starboard side drain plug and splashguard, causing a soft spot or flex in the deck? Or can you get a soft spot if the foam comes loose in that area?
 
Got some new parts on the way, and another box of used coming from Alan. I have a mast and one good spar, a rudder, cheek and tiller, and a really tired sail. Maybe I'll check out a local sailmaker...

81039 $49.99 1 Recreational Line Kit
85009 $7.00 1 Rudder/Tiller Connecting Bolt
85010 $7.00 1 Tiller Extension Bolt
85080 $7.00 1 Rudder Pivot Bolt
91085 $5.00 1 Drain Plug, Beckson
91100 $3.00 1 Eyestrap 23mm
91122 $28.00 1 Bow Handle
91190 $7.00 1 Coaming Rivets
91191 $11.00 1 Aluminum Pop Rivet
 
I had to peel off some old silicone that was below the rub rail. Use a razor blade and a standard screwdriver, then some 120 grit sandpaper to clean off the residue?
There is a product that is designed to remove old silicone sealer. I'd take a photo of the tube, but have no idea where I put it! :confused:

Here are some pictures of old silicone, why it was put on below the rub rail I'm not sure? The seam between the hull and the deck is in good shape, maybe there were some pinhole leaks. Also the old bailer was removed. The seam between the hull and the cockpit is in good shape.
Try storing the Sunfish on the edge with the "suspected pinhole" leaks. Condensation should leak out.

Or can you get a soft spot if the foam comes loose in that area?
Once you've sailed your "new" Sunfish, whether or not the foam is intact at the "soft spot" will become apparent by the sound the hull makes against the waves. The sound is a bit like a dull "boing".
 
Here are a couple of the challenges.
1. Previous owners thought deck was soft and delaminating under end of splashguard and drilled holes with thought of injecting epoxy. It flexes a bit, but I've had other boats in much worse shape. 2nd pic is a shot inside (turned sideways) under the right side of the splashguard. Debris is from drilling holes.
We plan to repair and paint the deck. Any suggestions for repair, esp without cutting an inspection hole?

2. Someone started a repair on the hull, looks like they faired it out then stopped. Good news is I can see the underside of the splashguard area :)
My plan is to use a good boat as a template to shape a fiberglass patch that we can slip inside the hull, epoxy into place, then layer in the rest of a patch. Putty, feather and paint.
 

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Here are a couple of the challenges.
1. Previous owners thought deck was soft and delaminating under end of splashguard and drilled holes with thought of injecting epoxy. It flexes a bit, but I've had other boats in much worse shape. 2nd pic is a shot inside (turned sideways) under the right side of the splashguard. Debris is from drilling holes.
We plan to repair and paint the deck. Any suggestions for repair, esp without cutting an inspection hole?

2. Someone started a repair on the hull, looks like they faired it out then stopped. Good news is I can see the underside of thesplashguard area :)
My plan is to use a good boat as a template to shape a fiberglass patch that we can slip inside the hull, epoxy into place, then layer in the rest of a patch. Putty, feather and paint.


Everyone will give an opinion, and I'll toss in mine, fwiw.

First, I would put in the inspection ports. I understand the reasons for not wanting to, but I'd do that first off. As it is, if the restoration is without them, it may be a cosmetically nice boat at the end, but there are too many issues.

Second, from the pictures it looks like it will be a nice boat. If it were me I would not paint the deck or hull or anything. I know many here would disagree, but paint on a Sunfish (or Laser) is always just covering up something and not 'natural'. If I were looking for an attractive result I'd wet-sand that beautiful green deck back into beauty, or at least make that my first option.

But back to the ports. That boat has a lot of issues that beg for a port. First,that drain hole in the stern is not normal and should not have been necessary - of course the same goes for the hole in the hull. That boat has had water issues that suggest ports are critical for really proper drying. What is the weight? Second, to do the hole patch properly, I'd glass from the inside with more structure than just an insert, and also fill that stern drainhole. Third, ideally it would be desirable to through- bolt and reinforce the backing on fittings wherever possible. Ports would allow access inside for all that, and again, would be good for drying the boat out.

If you can clean up and shine up the deck it will probably look really nice -and original -for a long time. While it is not easy to match colors, gel coat is always seems preferable to paint on Sunfish.

But of course that's all just opinion. Good luck!
 
Got some hardware in the mail today, put the rudder together!
 

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Made a backer patch for the hole on the chine. Slipped it inside today and it is drying. Did some marine tex work, small crack on keel. Put a base coat of spray rustoleum on hull
 

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repairs looking good. as for the paint or just polishing the gelcoat. In this case, they did drill alot of holes on the deck which will never dissapear once repaired unless you paint the deck, so paint it, you could always paint it and not buff to a full shine to mimick the look of the gel coat.
 
Added 8 layers of fiberglass and used West Systems epoxy. Then another box of parts showed up with gudgeon, deck hardware, splashguard and trim, yahoo! Gudgeon screwed right in, which was a huge relief.
 

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Used marine tex to smooth chine repair. The Hurricane Isaac strolled by and gave us a little rain and higher tides in NW Florida.
 

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Took boat out for a test sail/leak check. It sailed great and no leaks.
Patched deck with Marine Tex. Sanded.
Started waxing with 3M Marine Restorer and Wax
 

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Added trim and installed deck hardware. Ray (of Hope) is finished and ready for a new skipper!
 

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Installing the trim was pretty straightforward. I put on the bow and the stern pieces first, looking for the old rivet holes to go on top. When Alan shipped trim he taped each sides pieces together, so I laid out one side at a time and matched up the bends in the trim to the hull curve. Trim had been cut to smaller lengths to fit in shipping box, so I drilled some new holes on end of each piece to attach. Used rivets from Laser Performance. A few of the rivet holes even lined up :)

The shot of the boat on its side is when I was filing excess Marine Tex out of bottom of daggerboard well. I put too much in while filling in some thin looking areas of fiberglass, so I filed excess off then slid in board to make sure it moved freely.
 

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Leak check for Ray.we had very light winds which is how I like it when out on a test hop. She sailed great and the Seitech dolly makes beaching a snap. Pelican did a fly by while I was out, then my wife did the official acceptance sail. The new rudder, tiller and hiking stick we made worked great, with help from some new hardware from Yankee Boating Center.
 

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The splashguard installed easily as well as the bow handle, halyard block, cleat, sheet hood and bridle eyes traps. We had new lines cut at West Marine, 25 feet each for halyard and sheet, picked diameters that we like and a soft braid. Bridle was 3 feet. Also got a package of small diameter line for the outhauls.

"Ray of Hope" is finished and is ready for her new owner to swing by!
 

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very impressive....I am just staring out with a 74 project...I weighed the boat at 155 lbs...no water coming out, I plan on installing beckson deck plates with waterproof bags to make the plates usable as dry storage..again great job.
 
Hi Neal,

Thanks for the compliments, it was fun to restore the boat. Lots of folks use those storage bags.

If you have time, start a thread on your boat and post a few pics, it is fun to watch the transformations and people using their boats. Also, there are a lot of helpful folks and excellent resources here, share your expertise as well.

Adios
Kent
 

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