Righting a sunfish

Skipper sez they tied the milk jug (empty, with the screw cap on) to the top of the mast.

Other things that could make a boat turtle could be heavy foam or water trapped in a mast which throws off the CG. Or a sheet remaining cleated, the boat will keep sailing under, the sail likes water flow as much as air flow. One of the few times Skipper has seen a boat turtled is when I did it with my Brother In Law along for a ride. A Marine and a Firefighter. We started to tip and I sheeted in but we didn't hike enough, then my noob instinct took over and I didn't release the sheet. Boat went right over and continued, sheet jammed and the upper boom stuck in the bottom. We bent the upper boom getting the boat unstuck, Skipper's boom on her favorite boat WAVE. I'm pretty sure we're still married 28 years later because she's not done letting me hear about it.

For new folks out there it is better to skip all the cleats, ratchets, swivels etc and hold the sheet. Better control and less chance of a sheet being fouled, and if arms get tired the open fairlead, aka sheet hook, is available to offer some respite.

Old School, not even a sheet hook.

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For the sake of new folks out there, when things aren't working out wiggling the stick and tugging the line, let everything loose. The boat and sail plan is well designed so it rounds up towards weather (wind) vs sailing away to the lee (downwind). There should be a Figure 8 knot on the end of the sheet to keep it from escaping the boom blocks in the event that the sheet has to be let go completely.
 
There may be water stuck in my mast. Several people recommended that I drill a hole in the bottom cap to let the water drain but water didn’t come out. I can hear some in it when I move it back and forth- but it doesn’t sound like much.
 
Skipper sez they tied the milk jug (empty, with the screw cap on) to the top of the mast.

Other things that could make a boat turtle could be heavy foam or water trapped in a mast which throws off the CG. Or a sheet remaining cleated, the boat will keep sailing under, the sail likes water flow as much as air flow. One of the few times Skipper has seen a boat turtled is when I did it with my Brother In Law along for a ride. A Marine and a Firefighter. We started to tip and I sheeted in but we didn't hike enough, then my noob instinct took over and I didn't release the sheet. Boat went right over and continued, sheet jammed and the upper boom stuck in the bottom. We bent the upper boom getting the boat unstuck, Skipper's boom on her favorite boat WAVE. I'm pretty sure we're still married 28 years later because she's not done letting me hear about it.

For new folks out there it is better to skip all the cleats, ratchets, swivels etc and hold the sheet. Better control and less chance of a sheet being fouled, and if arms get tired the open fairlead, aka sheet hook, is available to offer some respite.

Old School, not even a sheet hook.

View attachment 53181

For the sake of new folks out there, when things aren't working out wiggling the stick and tugging the line, let everything loose. The boat and sail plan is well designed so it rounds up towards weather (wind) vs sailing away to the lee (downwind). There should be a Figure 8 knot on the end of the sheet to keep it from escaping the boom blocks in the event that the sheet has to be let go completely.
Dumb question but what did they use to tie the milk jugs to the mast?
 
Probably Dacron cord, 1/8th inch diameter. It's handy for a lot of things. You could use waxed twine for that matter, it is strong. Need to be small diameter.
 
There may be water stuck in my mast. Several people recommended that I drill a hole in the bottom cap to let the water drain but water didn’t come out. I can hear some in it when I move it back and forth- but it doesn’t sound like much.
I suspect your mast filled up (unnoticed) as it entered the water's surface--then drained out (unnoticed) as the Sunfish was righted. It doesn't take long to fill mast and spars that are poorly sealed. (Or have pinholes corroded through the metal).

Years ago, the factory originally crammed a big cork in each end of the mast. Those corks can still be bought in well-stocked hardware stores. I use waterproof foam because I bought a lot of it :rolleyes: for stabilizing the factory's internal Styrofoam logs.

BTW: Avoid turtling in shallow water--strong winds can irreparably bend the spars. (And spars are hard to replace). :(
 
"BTW: Avoid turtling in shallow water--strong winds can irreparably bend the spars. (And spars are hard to replace)."

Been there done that, got the scorch mark from Skipper's wrath to prove it. But WAVE got a complete new set of spars out of the deal. I guess they were easier to find at the time than a new spouse. Skipper said she was watching from the shore and was astounded at the sight of the boat turling, like an Blue Angels aileron roll, she likened it to seeing something as unusual as seeing a dragon fly by, she was amazed and perplexed. Note 1: A US Marine Aviator and Ft Worth Firefighter CAN right a turtled Sunfish that has the upper boom stuck in the bottom, the upper boom will lose that battle 10 out of 10 times. Something happened to the sheet as well, so we headed back to shore in limp mode, holding on to the lower boom to control the scandalized sail. Note 2: We lost style points because we didn't return to the same spot on the shore that we had departed from.
 
The good thing about capsizing in shallow water is sometimes you can just run around and hold the board..I found myself standing in the channel last week righting.my fish..as a 2 seat kayak paddled by i mentioned the channel was fairly shallow..they laughed and paddled on. :)
 
Geez. I've been reading this thread with an air of superiority. I have a float on my Hobie, but didn't see the need for one on Sparky the Sunfish. Until yesterday.
I capsized on Lake Koshkonong, which has a max depth of about 5'. (I wish I had a video of the dump. I tacked and as I shifted my bum, the wind shifted and rolled me right off the boat. It had to look hilarious!) Anyhoo, the mast stuck in the mud. I pulled the boat around and the wind pulled it out, and I popped the boat back on its feet. BUT MY BEAUTIFUL GoldShark sail (painted by Chris Picknally) WAS ALL MUDDY! I don't have any problem righting from a turtle (the advantage of being zaftig) but MY POOR SAIL!
 
Choice of swim gear is better in natural materials/fibers.

Synthetics fibers will make a waxed deck slippery, complicating wind-shift reactions.
 

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