Racing an old boat

[mountainfisher]

Hi, newbie here. I have an old (pre '71) hull that I want to restore and race. My question is, is it worth it? Will the boat be as quick as newer boats? I understand I need to get the boat to minimum and polish out etc. I have the skills to do all that. But like a laser, does this hull get so soft or something that it's just not competitive anymore? Thanks for your input

 

[Wayne]

Hi, newbie here. I have an old (pre '71) hull that I want to restore and race. My question is, is it worth it? Will the boat be as quick as newer boats? I understand I need to get the boat to minimum and polish out etc. I have the skills to do all that. But like a laser, does this hull get so soft or something that it's just not competitive anymore? Thanks for your input

Sort of depends on what level of racing you aspire to. Locally, you are probably going to find other racers with boats similar to yours.

Like all boats sailed competitively and more frequently in challenging conditions, a Sunfish will show fatigue. A new boat will probably out perform a 40 year old boat. Keep in mind, One Design racing is 75% sailing skill and 25% equipment...., granted that equipment needs to be kept up and used competently.

 

[Wavedancer]

I largely agree with Wayne. Except that I would put the percentage skill at 90 and the equipment at 10%, roughly.

It is, of course, important to upgrade your (pre-'71) fish with the racing sail and the foam daggerboard to be on equal footing with (most of) the others. If your boat is reasonably stiff, the only problem you might face is the old style rudder popping up on a screaming run or reach.... That will throw you way back, unfortunately.

 

[mountainfisher]

All good points, certainly going to be club racing to start off. Some of my competitors have fully tweaked out new boats acquired from recent worlds events etc. I certainly am putting a new rudder bracket setup on, have a new racing sail, rig cunni/outhaul and will refinish the bottom and dry out the boat. I was just curious, the fish by its' hull geometry is a much stiffer boat than a laser/lido/420 etc. So, does it make a diff? What is the oldest hull # placing in nat'l reg'l events these days? Not that I expect, being currently 225# and way out of practice to do anything at that level, I'd like to know what the diff might be.

 

[Wavedancer]

I was just curious, the fish by its' hull geometry is a much stiffer boat than a laser/lido/420 etc. So, does it make a diff?

To a large extent, the stiffness of a Sunfish is due to its internal support structure, the six styrofoam blocks. When one or more of these blocks looses its attachment to the hull, the stiffness suffers. This will be noticeable bouncing around in waves, less so on flat water.

What is the oldest hull # placing in nat'l reg'l events these days? Not that I expect, being currently 225# and way out of practice to do anything at that level, I'd like to know what the diff might be.

Sorry, but I can't answer this question. Sunfish sail numbers are associated with the owner, not the boat. Hence, when you look at the results of a regatta, you can't deduct anything about the age of the boats. But I have seen older hulls at regional championships. Pre-'71 is really old of course, but as I have said before, don't worry. And you will have a good excuse in case you don't finish so well....

 

[Wayne]

I largely agree with Wayne. Except that I would put the percentage skill at 90 and the equipment at 10%, roughly.

... ... ​

It is, of course, important to upgrade your (pre-'71) fish with the racing sail and the foam daggerboard to be on equal footing with (most of) the others. If your boat is reasonably stiff, the only problem you might face is the old style rudder popping up on a screaming run or reach.... That will throw you way back, unfortunately.

You can lock the rudder in the down position once you're on the water. It requires you override the kick-up operation by cranking down the tensioning bolt to a point it no longer allows the rudder to release.

This is the prescribed procedure for racing from the Sunfish setup instructions c1952.

. . . just don't forget to back off the bolt before beaching.​

 

[btsunfish]

If your boat has all original equipment (sails, rudder, etc.) and you plan on "hardcore" (i.e. Regionals, Nationals, etc.) racing, you may need to replace some parts for racing, as rocks and such destroy the shape of your board and sails stretch out. this could run you into many hundreds of dollars, assuming you need a new race sail and new blades. Spars and masts can also end up not so straight from years of "tough love" and may or may not still be class legal anymore. If your boat has new equipment, disregard all of this.
Club racing is a horse of a different color. Club race boats don't necessarily need to meet class standards, as it's more focused on the fun of sailing competitivley than the "hardcore" racers (not to say that class racing isn't fun!) If you race your boat with friends or a club, the boat is probably fine as it is.