Scorpion sailboat

[DOUG142]

Found a brand new 1975 Scorpion sailboat that had never been in the water till I launched it this past Fall. Wonderful, beautiful boat. See pics in my album posted here. Anyone have info on this boat??? I emailed Pargo and Ruddick who made it.
Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks, Happy Sailing

 

[mike4947]

My FIL had one back in the 70's. They were made by North Carolina Car Company until about the year of your boat.
A little history. Back when it came out they used a sail with more draft the the original Sunfish sail and started beating the pants off of the fish. The following year Alcort had a new sail designed with more draft and that put the Scorpions at the back of the fleet.

 

[Wayne]

Anyone have info on this boat??? I emailed Pargo and Ruddick who made it.

I'd be interested to hear what you get for a reply from Pargo and Ruddick. All I have found in my research is a Ruddick, holding company for a grocery store chain and a sewing thread manufacturer these days. Then again, EDO Western, today a producer of electro-ceramic search & navigation sonar devices, once made a Sunfish style boat so you never know.

There is a copy of the original, albeit brief, set up instruction and parts list posted at Yahoo! Groups, Sunfish_Sailor.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sunfish_sailor

 

[DOUG142]

mIKE AND wAYNE,
tHANKS for the info. I did go to the yahoo sunfish site and got the parts manual and more pics. Thanks.

Geo Smith the founder of Pargo Died at the ripe old age of 95+ Oct 2007. So No info there. His wife , who is also up in years remembers the name Scorpion but that is all.

Scorpion , was made by the Pargo Golf car company, owned later by Ruddick who in turn was bought out , at least this part by Textron moved stuff from Charlotte, NC to Dallas and later to Augusta, GA


People are correct in stating that the Columbia Car co. made the Scorpion. The
Pargo was originally made by CCC. Named after Columbia County, GA

All rights to Pargo Golf car now belong to E-Z-GO Golf car Co.

This is all I have been able to find out.
If anyone wants new pics of a Scorpion I have mine. Errrrr its 33 years old, but brand new!!! Wow.
Thanks,
Doug

 

[dammitbob74]

Doug- I've been missing the hull drain plug on my scorpion for a while now. Can you send a pic of what the original hull drail plug looks like with some measurements?

 

[DOUG142]

I uncovered the Scorpion and took some pics of the HULL drain plug not the cockpit plug...right? It measures at 7/8 inch at the end with the ball link chain and outer thread to outer thread is 1 inch. I can see how people loose these... the chain is fastnened into the plug somehow and there is a little thin wire keeper inside the hull on the other end of the chain. Hope my pics come thru...

The drain is located on Starboard side right under the deck lip about mid ways down the side length.

 

[dammitbob74]

Thanks much. I think with that info I can get a replacement made. I had never seen the right one, just the bolt that my dad had put in it so many years ago that never fit right.

 

[Fastnet79]

Found a brand new 1975 Scorpion sailboat that had never been in the water till I launched it this past Fall. Wonderful, beautiful boat. See pics in my album posted here. Anyone have info on this boat??? I emailed Pargo and Ruddick who made it.
Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks, Happy Sailing

Doug,

Love your boat, I grew up sailing a Green and White Scorpion since I was 4 years old on Lake Michigan, South Bend Idianna. My neighbor had the exact same color boat you have now. I'm now 43 If you can e-mail me direct about your boat at [email protected] that would be wonderful -

Cheers,

Chip

 

[tag]

...See pics in my album posted here....

Where can I find your album with the pics?

I love the black and orange colors - I looked at a used scorpion probably 5 or 6 years ago that color, but didn't buy it.

tag

 

[Lake Wylie]

Have older Scorpion sailboat...where can we purchase replacement parts...in particular, need rudder hardwear especially clip that mounts to stern that holds rudder.

 

[Wayne]

Have older Scorpion sailboat...where can we purchase replacement parts...in particular, need rudder hardwear especially clip that mounts to stern that holds rudder.

I hate to say this, but Scorpion's builder left the boat building business long long ago.

Many small parts are simply hardware store or boat shop items not specific to any boat.

Those parts that are unique would need to come as used parts from somewhere ?? or you would have to fabricate a replacement.

Doug (this thread's post #1) has started a Scorpion owner's group. You should sign up and browse around the web site. There are pictures there of all the parts.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scorpionsailboats

Worse comes to worse, ask another owner to sketch and dimension the part you need so you can make one.

 

[scorpion4ever]

Most parts can be picked up from (swallow hard) Sunfish suppliers. We found that Sunfish Direct is great and reasonably priced. Bought a 1970 when I was 15 and used it my whole life until I had to store it ten years on a farm while we lived in DC which led to holes, decay in wood, etc. When my son was 15, we moved it 400 miles to where we now live and separated the deck from the hull, re-foamed the interior and did some fiberglass work. Got all parts and foam from Sunfish Direct. Now we have a nearly new looking boat (had to paint as the gel would have taken years to redo). Just met someone at a reception last week in the Southwest and they had a Scorpion as well. Pargo is gone but Scorpions live on! Hull is black; deck white; sail orange and black.

 

[Selenaserval]

Wow, nice Scorpion Doug!

 

[Scorpion1969]

I have a scorpion sailboat I bought new as a kid. Doing newspapers, making $5-$7 a week. It took me 2 years to save the $478. to buy it. I left it on a mooring on a lake. Someone helped themselves to my boat and when they were fininshed, they left it on the beach. The waves helped punch a hole in the bow. I took it to a corvette repair shop, and told them to make sure they used fiberglass cloth. When I got the boat back, it looked new except for the Pin stripe along the hull was missing. The following year, it was back on the mooring, minus the daggerboard and rudder. During the summer, the boat seemed to be getting sluggish. At the end of the year, I needed help from 5 friends to car top my boat. I used to do it by myself. It even bent my roof rack. I noticed a crack where the hole had been fixed. When I got home I sanded around the crack. Powder fell out. They had used plastic!. The foam inside is waterlogged. I couldn't figure out how to seperate the hull from the deck. Please tell me how?. I couldn't get rid of the boat since it took me so long to work for it. Scorpion1969

 

[baseman]

Scorpion1969. I think your best approach is to cut a couple of inspection ports in the deck, one fore and one aft, and see if you can dry it out. Seperating the deck from the hull is not an easy task.

 

[mike4947]

I have to agree with Baseman. Like with a Sunfish attempting to remove the deck from the hull usually ends up destroying the boat. There are way too many internal connections between them. Foam to both deck and hull and the cockpit base to the hull. First step is to set the boat on edge with the deck drain plug down and drain any loose water. Then go for the two inspection ports one between the raised splash shield and the center board opening and the other centered on the rear deck near the stern.
Myself I prefer 6" ports for ease of entry into the hull. leave the actual ports off until you finish drying as the extra room helps reach around inside the hull for any other repairs you might find/need.
I've used a vacuum cleaner/shop vac on exhaust in one port to force air through the hull to speed up the drying process.
I've found some boats heavily water logged can take several months for the water to migrate out of the foam blocks. A good winter project as long as you have space where it can be kept above freezing.

 

[ChrisC551265]

Hey I just bought a scorpion, it did come with a mast and I don't know how tall the mass needs to be or where to buy one? Also, my other question is if I want to get a new sail will a sunfish sail work, or will I lose a lot of speed. What should I do?

 

[Selenaserval]

Hey I just bought a scorpion, it did come with a mast and I don't know how tall the mass needs to be or where to buy one? Also, my other question is if I want to get a new sail will a sunfish sail work, or will I lose a lot of speed. What should I do?

The sails are interchangeable between the Sunfish and Scorpion. Be sure to check E-Bay for sails, I see them all the time. You can do a search in your area, and might find one sometime. Although shipping may not be reasonable when the mast and spars are not included. Good luck with your search~

 

[Selenaserval]

Hey I just bought a scorpion, it did come with a mast and I don't know how tall the mass needs to be or where to buy one? Also, my other question is if I want to get a new sail will a sunfish sail work, or will I lose a lot of speed. What should I do?

Is your mast 122 inches long?

 

[Selenaserval]

I meant to say that the shipping would be more reasonable if it is only for the sail. Sorry for the typo!

 

[jon sutton]

mIKE AND wAYNE,
tHANKS for the info. I did go to the yahoo sunfish site and got the parts manual and more pics. Thanks.

Geo Smith the founder of Pargo Died at the ripe old age of 95+ Oct 2007. So No info there. His wife , who is also up in years remembers the name Scorpion but that is all.

Scorpion , was made by the Pargo Golf car company, owned later by Ruddick who in turn was bought out , at least this part by Textron moved stuff from Charlotte, NC to Dallas and later to Augusta, GA


People are correct in stating that the Columbia Car co. made the Scorpion. The
Pargo was originally made by CCC. Named after Columbia County, GA

All rights to Pargo Golf car now belong to E-Z-GO Golf car Co.

This is all I have been able to find out.
If anyone wants new pics of a Scorpion I have mine. Errrrr its 33 years old, but brand new!!! Wow.
Thanks,
Doug

I have a Scorpion made in Perry, Florida. Any info on that?

Thanks,

 

[baseman]

Are there any other markings on the boat, such as an HIN on the transom? Could you post a picture?
My Scorpion was made by the Colombia Car Corp. I have no idea what year it is, my father bought it used in the mid 60's.

 

[Rcoxiii]

I was just given a Scorpion sailboat from my father-in-law. Looks very similar to a Sunfish I had years ago. The stainless steel plate that attaches to the transom that the rudder hooks into has been pulled out. It’s only held in by three screws. Has anyone else had this problem? My plan is to cut a 6” inspection port between the wheel well and the transom so I can get access to the inside of the transom then install bolts, washers, nuts and maybe some backing to really shore up the bolts so they don’t pull out again. I’m looking for feedback from other people who have seen the inside of these boats. Will this work or is there foam that is going to be in the way? Looks like the boat is going to need to be dried out as well. When we picked it up and stood it on end, at least a gallon of water came out the screw holes where the transom bracket attaches. The first picture is the bottom of the boat being power washed. It’s amazing how the washer removes the dirt, grime and mold. Hopefully it didn’t take to much of the gel coat off. Second picture is the top of the boat after cleaning. The third picture is the transom with the bracket broken off. Thanks.

 

[L&VW]

I was just given a Scorpion sailboat from my father-in-law. Looks very similar to a Sunfish I had years ago. The stainless steel plate that attaches to the transom that the rudder hooks into has been pulled out. It’s only held in by three screws. Has anyone else had this problem? My plan is to cut a 6” inspection port between the wheel well and the transom so I can get access to the inside of the transom then install bolts, washers, nuts and maybe some backing to really shore up the bolts so they don’t pull out again. I’m looking for feedback from other people who have seen the inside of these boats. Will this work or is there foam that is going to be in the way? Looks like the boat is going to need to be dried out as well. When we picked it up and stood it on end, at least a gallon of water came out the screw holes where the transom bracket attaches. The first picture is the bottom of the boat being power washed. It’s amazing how the washer removes the dirt, grime and mold. Hopefully it didn’t take to much of the gel coat off. Second picture is the top of the boat after cleaning. The third picture is the transom with the bracket broken off. Thanks.

There are different steps for this repair. Do you still have the rudder and rudder "bracket"? (The gudgeon).

If fitting for a replacement Sunfish rudder, the Sunfish has a different transom, but the Sunfish mounting back-up plate (metal—$12) should still work.

I'd expect to find the usual deck-support Styrofoam block in place. Press hard in the center, and there should be some resistance—maybe a small gap of less than ¼-inch.

.

 

[Rcoxiii]

There are different steps for this repair. Do you still have the rudder and rudder "bracket"? (The gudgeon).

If fitting for a replacement Sunfish rudder, the Sunfish has a different transom, but the Sunfish mounting back-up plate (metal—$12) should still work.

I'd expect to find the usual deck-support Styrofoam block in place. Press hard in the center, and there should be some resistance—maybe a small gap of less than ¼-inch.

.

Thank you for your reply. I still have the gudgeon. I was going to use a piece of wood or one of the metal plates that Home Depot sells that has all those holes in it plus large washers, but now that I know sunfish sells a backing plate, I’ll check it out. I was also planning on using “Hard as Nails” adhesive between the gudgeon and the transom with the bolts. Thoughts?

On another note there is a change of texture near the rear of the boat. The yellow area has a pin stripe type top texture that the white area doesn’t have. If you blow up the top picture you can see the indented stripes. Do you think that will affect the installation of the port? I’m planning on installing the port about 2” forward of the white area. I don’t think there is any foam there. The back half of the boat is very stiff so I don’t think I have any foam issues.

Also, when I was cleaning out the boat, this hard ball fell out of the footwell. I don’t know what it’s for? Does it go in the mast hole so the mast rotates on it?

Any suggestions on how to get the mold stains out? Clorox?

Serial number is 54829. Anybody know what year it was built?

I’m thinking about adding another inspection port forward of the mast hole halfway between the hole and the bow. Just to help with drying out the boat. I’ll wait to see how the aft port installation goes first.

Thanks.

 

[Wavedancer]

Looks like the little ball used in current (plastic) Sunfish bailers. It limits water coming into the cockpit by floating upward against an O-ring. What does the bailer on your boat look like?

Stains can be removed with diluted Clorox, but I like SoftScrub or Comet better. Others have recommended Bar Keepers Friend.

 

[mixmkr]

If the Clorox doesn't work, toilet bowl cleaner with bleach usually does...after that you're sanding and buffing.

 

[L&VW]

Looks like the little ball used in current (plastic) Sunfish bailers. It limits water coming into the cockpit by floating upward against an O-ring. What does the bailer on your boat look like?

Stains can be removed with diluted Clorox, but I like SoftScrub or Comet better. Others have recommended Bar Keepers Friend.

IF it's the bailer-ball, it'll float.

Iol

 

[Breeze Bender]

You say you still have the gudgeon. Do you still have the rudder? If so, don’t buy the Sunfish backer plate- the holes won’t line up with the Scorpion gudgeon and the hump in the plate is designed to fit the Sunfish hull. No worries, two metal strips, cut to fit will do the trick.
I would do a leak test before cutting the ports. Then cut the rear port in the ‘pinstripe’ area- not both white and stripe- but up to the white section. Any foam you encounter can safely be cut away. My port was more forward, but I didn’t need to replace the gudgeon so it wasn’t an issue. I did have leaks along the seam- common area- so don’t dry it out until you know where the water is coming in! I had to remove all the aluminum trim and reseal the hull to deck seam (see photo with bubbles)
Also, there should be a drain along the starboard side. Unscrew that and you won’t have to stand the boat on end to get loose water out. Keep that drain open when you begin the drying process to encourage air flow.

 

[Bill Saunders]

I just bought a Scorpion and trailer yesterday (!) and am looking forward to doing some work on it this spring, and hoping to get it in the water by summer. I came upon this thread while doing my (google) research on repairs.

It looks like it's in pretty good shape, but the tiller that came with it was not made for the Scorpion and doesn't fit the gudgeon brackets, and the drains are missing their caps.

Now that Yahoo groups is defunct, I was wondering if there's still a copy of the info that Doug142 originally posted? (Yahoo)

I'm a newcomer to repair on these - I grew up sailing a Sunfish at Camp Seagull in Arapahoe, NC and this is (apparently) my mid-life crisis boat.

 

[Breeze Bender]

Hi Bill, I sold my Scorpion (pics above) but it was a great boat. As long as you have the Scorpion gudgeon and the rudder head making a new tiller and extension should be easy. It is wider than a Sunfish tiller, but length should be the same. I think the cockpit drain was the same as the old Sunfish- De Persia. Third pic below shows the original, now rare and very expensive if you can find it. You can probably replace with the newer (plastic) Sunfish bailer, or the right sized freeze plug or rubber stopper.
There was another small brass threaded drain along the starboard side. That will also be hard to find. There were 2 different sizes. I have a small one somewhere around here. I needed the larger one and found the smallest drain plug like this worked:

 

[L&VW]

At hardware stores, those small drain plugs can be asked-for as "baitwell plugs".

 

[Breeze Bender]

At hardware stores, those small drain plugs can be asked-for as "baitwell plugs".

I posted the pic because I couldn’t remember what they’re called!

 

[mixmkr]

I use a version of those replacing my Despersia cap.

 

[po-man sailor]

Doug I just picked up a scorpion same color as yours. Can you take a picture of the bailer from the bottom and the cockpit? I'm not sure if mine is aftermarket or original and if so how the ball is situated and kept inside.
Much appreciate your time and effort in advance.

 

[Bill Saunders]

I'd be interested to hear what you get for a reply from Pargo and Ruddick. All I have found in my research is a Ruddick, holding company for a grocery store chain and a sewing thread manufacturer these days. Then again, EDO Western, today a producer of electro-ceramic search & navigation sonar devices, once made a Sunfish style boat so you never know.

There is a copy of the original, albeit brief, set up instruction and parts list posted at Yahoo! Groups, Sunfish_Sailor.

Yahoo

That link is no longer valid. Anyone have a copy of the instruction/parts list anymore?
Thanks!

Bill