Restoring a 1960 Fiberglass Sunfish

br549

New Member
Hello,

I made a few postings last year on our 1960 sunfish. Thanks for a few members directing me to the serial number history. It was made in 1959, but is a 1960 because it is fiberglass. (2449 on the rudder fitting) All the hardware is bronze except for the bow fitting and screws which hold down the splash rail which are stainless.

I just took off the splash rail and noticed the boat was actually yellow. It is now a faded cream color everywhere else. I was planning on color matching the cream where the gelcoat needed some minor repairs. Should I just paint the whole thing yellow again? I have access to a paint booth.

I think it is neat that I have a boat so old and want to restore it in a fashion that preserves its original character. We still want to use it. I have kept the old school rudder, tiller and extension.

For now, I am just going to do the repairs using white gel coat and not chase the color.

Does anyone make reproduction "Sunfsh - Alcort" or hull tags?

Thanks for your help!

BR549
 
Should I just paint the whole thing yellow again?

Does anyone make reproduction "Sunfsh - Alcort" or hull tags?
I think going with a yellow would keep with that period in time. This leaflet was up on ebay awhile back. It's dated covering years 70/71/72 and is representative of the colors at that time.

In 1960 there would have only been the Green, Yellow, Blue, Red, and White..., no stripes.

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I am not aware of any commercialy available replica decals or stickers, but there are enough pictures existing you could take the artwork to a sticker maker and have a set duplicated.

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Thanks for the info.

I see there are a number of suggestions to put in a 5" inspection port. I bought one, but am reluctant to install it, with the intent of keeping it original.

The boat is a 1959 based on the serial number, and it was called a "Super Sailfish".

I will go through the process of weighing the hull. The hull does not leak from what I was told. I will find out soon!

Regards,

BR549
 
br549:

It isn't clear what boat you have; a Sailfish is quite different from a Sunfish....

For what it's worth: a Super Sailfish is bigger (hull and sail) than a 'regular' Sailfish. To get relevant advice, please clarify.

And thanks Wayne for that colorful piece of AlCort history.
 
br549:
It isn't clear what boat you have; a Sailfish is quite different from a Sunfish....
For what it's worth: a Super Sailfish is bigger (hull and sail) than a 'regular' Sailfish. To get relevant advice, please clarify.

Wavedancer,

The boat in question is a Sunfish...

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Fig 1​


I recall the earlier conversation because the serial number is an anomaly in the record we typically reference.

Original Thread

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Fig 2

The boat is a 1959 based on the serial number, and it was called a "Super Sailfish".

Considering I compiled that timeline I'll take the blame for not making things clear. The serial number list we commonly refer to (origins unknown) shows numbers pre-dating any numbers ever found on boats. The list only covers Sunfish. A Sailfish record, if one ever existed, has never surfaced. It is my speculation they did put a numbering system in place about 1955, but until the fiberglass production began for the 1960 model, numbers only appeared on the invoice paperwork.

Prior to the 1960 production, serial numbers would have been for wood hull Sunfish. This is why your serial nmber is such a mystery, going by the information we have available. There's no question the boat is a Sunfish, however, the number is obviously out of sequence for the numerical series we've known. I'm inclined to believe the data is simply inaccurate.

In The Sunfish Bible, Will White's interview with Cortlandt Heyniger (one of the Alcort founders) sheds a little light on the issue, when Cortlandt freely admits Alcort was more than lax about record keeping in those days. I've even revised the Sunfish Timeline with a little speculation and the observation no one these days seems to truly know what was what numerically during the beginning year or so of fiberglass producion.

The only other statement we have to go by is Cort's recallection, in the same interview, that in 1959 Joe Schmidt (industrial fiberglass salesman) sold Alcort on the idea of going with fiberglass and taught them how to tool up so in the very same year they had the Sailfish on the market in the new material. Fiberglass Sunfish debuted at dealers the following year.

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Finally in the water after 31 years! It sailed just fine. It does not have the nice Harken hardware on it, but helped me build up some arm strength. The tiller rides in the air about 8 inches off the deck and does not flex unless you decide to bend the brass straps.

I'd rather have a modern rudder that tips up when the mechanism goes over center when moored....

It is neat to have the bronze hardware buffed and the wood parts refinished with four coats of Epifan's. I will keep it stock. I could not find copper rivets long enough to go through the tiller though. The attempt I made to form one caused it to buckle inside the wood. I used stainless screws and acorn nuts instead. I threaded a brass rod for the tension member and installed brass acorn nuts.

The original sail tends to cup in light wind, but follows a nice form in 15 kt winds. It cruises best with a 15 degree or slight heel. Next: refinish the gel coat Yellow between sailing ventures.
 

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