Please advise!

[Athanasius Schnee]

Somebody please advise. I'm a mere novice, happy with my second-hand battered Sunfish to skirt the shores of the Long Island Sound. My old sail tore so I bought a replacement from Sunfishdirect. It cost $239. To my surprise what I received has a weird crinkly, plastic feel (Dacron, I think). Very different from the smooth, cloth-like texture of the original. It sails ok but feels cheap and is noisy. Is this a modern "improvement "? Is this company even connected to the boat company of that name? Have I been misled? And if so, where do I get a sail like the old one and how much will it cost? Thanks for any insights! Athanasius

 

[beldar boathead]

Your old sail was probably old and worn, and had lost its crispness. A new sail should be much stiffer and have some crinkliness. Does the sail have a fish logo on it? Sunfish Direct sells official ones that have a fish, and knockoffs that don’t. Their knockoffs are fine for sailing around and are cheaper, but don’t have as aerodynamic a shape as the official ones.

 

[Athanasius Schnee]

No logo. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[LaLi]

Sunfish Direct is a dealer for products from LaserPerformance, the builder and rights holder of Sunfish, but they're not otherwise connected. Their 239-dollar sails aren't class-legal (those cost at least 380), but they're probably fairly close copies, and as such vastly superior to your original sail. The "crinkly, plastic feel" isn't "weird" but normal, and the "noisiness" is a GOOD thing

_

 

[Athanasius Schnee]

Thanks! Don't know much about sailing but I know this: it's all about the feeling. Knowing I haven't been taken I can relax and enjoy the subdued color scheme of my sail, chosen to complement the boat-colors (blues and whites, in contrast to the former retro rainbow).

 

[Charles Howard]

Enjoy the new sail. It will perform much better than the old sail.

 

[signal charlie]

Sails were silk, cotton, coated nylon and now Dacron. New sails are noisy when they flap, but they do offer better performance. We like them all.

 

[L&VW]

Yours is a modern "improvement".

 

[signal charlie]

To answer your other question, "where do I get a sail like the old one and how much will it cost?" You can find older style manufacturer's sails for sale here in this Forum, or on ebay, craigslist and fb marketplace. There are several used parts sellers here in the Forum who may already have a quieter, softer sail. Post a picture of your boat and let us know what colors you might like. You can also put a post in the Sunfish Wanted Ads section of this Forum. As for what it will cost, we've seen low of $75 up to $150 or so. In rare cases a New Old Stock sail shows up, we've found a few on ebay. Here's 1963 wooden Sunfish CHIP sporting a "new" 5 panel sail, nice soft feel but still has a good shape, we paid $125 with shipping included on ebay.

We bought a new sail in 2013 for our wooden Sunfish ZIP to replace the used North Sail from the Fogh Canada Loft, 1980s era. The North sail is quiet and soft, the new sail is noisy but it is a fantastic sail if we wanted to enter a race. In fact so good that it overpowered the small daggerboard and elephant ear rudder (both are since upgraded). So choose the conditions you want to create while you are on the water in your boat. Maybe you get a second set of booms and have a Go Fast sail and another rig for the Drink Coffee days?

ZIP sporting her North Fogh Loft Canada sail.

The newer sail is better to splash people with.

 

[Athanasius Schnee]

Thanks to all who have enlightened me on the sail question. Here's another: my hull (from the 80s) began feeling heavier. I turned it upside down and a few lbs of water came out. Beyond that is there a bigger issue? Is the inside lined with foam and does it just get saturated beyond repair? If so will that not only make it harder to carry but slower and lower in the water? Thanks!

 

[signal charlie]

Beyond that is there a bigger issue? - Yes, your boat has a leak(s). You should do an air leak test to figure out where and fix it.
Air Leak Test

Is the inside lined with foam and does it just get saturated beyond repair? There are 6 extruded polystyrrene (XPS) foam blocks inside the hull that provide structure and flotation, held in place by expanding foam. All of this foam can entrap water at the rate of 8.3 pounds per gallon, and a 129/139 Sunfish can gain a lot of weight fast if the water is left inside the hull. Foam can be dried out or replaced, but it is better to not get to that point. Here''s an extreme case, 39 pounds of extra weight right here, they got a little happy with the foam gun at AMF this day.

2 photos below not ours, thank you to whoever took them.

If so will that not only make it harder to carry but slower and lower in the water? Thanks! Yes to all of that, plus it can cause the boat to capsize easier because of a higher center of gravity and make capsize recovery more difficult.