sunfish bible question/help

S

sosopix

Member
I need to install some inspection ports on my sunfish and am trying to gather as much information as possible.
I have a copy of the sunfish bible, and on page 332, in an article titled The Workbench, it begins to explain how to do this.
However, in my book, page 332 has three columns. Column one begins to descirbe how to install an inspection port, column three seems to be the end of the directions.
However, the center colum talks about wind indicators.
Is there somewhere in this book where the middle section of these directions appears?
And while I'm at it, is there somewhere where the rest of the wind indicator section appears?
my book is marked new edition, revised 1996.
thanks.
 
sosopix said:
I need to install some inspection ports on my sunfish and am trying to gather as much information as possible.
I have a copy of the sunfish bible, and on page 332 . . .
Click to expand...


Since that page is a reprint of a Spring 1991 Windward Leg article I looked to see if I saved that issue…, sorry, no luck.

Contact the Class Office and ask if the original copy contains the mis-edit. If not, mystery solved..., order up a back-issue of the newsletter.


In the mean time, Beckson posts instructions that may work for the port you have.


Windline Sails provides a port installation guide, here:

… and something on making a simple wind indicator:


The Knowledge Base at the top of this screen ( Sunfish KB & FAQ ) also has a guide courtesy of the members at Sunfish_Sailor owner’s support group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sunfish_sailor )

Follow this path from the top of this page…
  • Sunfish KB & FAQ >
    • Repairs and Upgrades >
      • Inspection Ports [PDF]
 
Wayne already pointed you in the right direction for where to look for additional information. I'd also try the "search" option here on this forum - there are probably other posts about the same topic.

I just recently cut 2 holes in my Sunfish for inspection ports - I blogged about it in detail here, including pictures of the whole process:
http://my2fish.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/i-cut-2-holes-in-my-sunfish/

I used a roto-zip tool (dremel tool), and it worked great - I just traced around the inspection port and used the dremel tool with a universal/utility type bit to follow the traced line and cut the hole. It was much easier than I had anticipated. I personally hate jig-saws, so I'd highly recommend the dremel tool route.

I didn't actually install the ports yet - I plan to leave them off until the spring, giving me just a skosh more access to the boats innards for any repairs necessary, plus I'm drying it out over the winter anyway.

good luck.

tag
 
I installed my inspection ports using a hole saw. It took about 30 seconds to drill the holes, and the ports fit perfectly. You just have to size the saw with the port. Mine were 4" ports, so I used a 4-1/4" hole saw.
 
One bit of advice on ports - the hole that you will be cutting on the deck will always be larger than the actual size of the physical port. That is, a 4" port will indeed be 4" in diameter, but the hole that you will need to cut on the deck will be larger at about 4.5".

If I remember correctly, in the Sunfish rudder conversion kid, that OEM part was a 5" port, but the hole needed to cut on the deck was about 5.5" - very large to some. A lot of manufacturers will list both the port size, and the cut out hole size, in their table measurements, as in the example below.

Link: http://www.apsltd.com/c-4514-VikingInspectionPortsandBags.aspx

Also, there is all sorts of information on the proper size of drill bits, etc. under the "search" button on this website. The more teeth on the bit, the smoother the cut. I think I ended up using 24 teeth per inch bit when I cut my port. This was with a jigsaw.

Also, I can why using a sawzall is frowned upon in this particular application. It's very easy to get so involved in the cutting that you don't realize that the blade is cutting through the underside of the hull! Mind you I didn't use sawzall, but I can see why it could easily start cutting through the undersize of the hull without the me, the operator, knowing it.
 
One more thing. Some ports can be easier to open than others. The benefits of this can go either way. For example, the Holt Allen port that came with the rudder conversion kit uses much fatter "teeth" if you would, teeth representing the rings in the actual screw part of the lid. This makes it really easy to open, as all it takes is about a 1/4 turn to unscrew the lid. And the handle is recessed, which made it easier as well.

Now Viking ports, on the other hand, can have much "finer" teeth. In my application, my Viking port took about a full 360 degree turn to unscrew the top. My usage is on a beach, so sand ended up getting in those fine teeth, and this made it much harder to unscrew the lid. I ended up using a screwdriver and a rock on the beach to unscrew the lid every time, as the teeth got continually stuck with stand. While it was hard to unscrew that particular port, as far as security goes, it also made it impossible for someone to screw around with the lid when the boat was left unattended in the beach grass during the week.

Also, while I can see the Holt Allen lid filling with water every time because it has such a lip in its handle, the Viking ports were smooth, and water just ran off. I didn't have to worry about water eventually seeping through into the hull, as could be a paranoia with the design of the Holt Allen port.

So these are a couple of pluses and minuses of each of these ports that you may want to add to your purchase decision.
 
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