Super Sunfish or regular?

MermaidMyra

New Member
I have found a local used super sunfish for sale that from the pics looks to be in pretty good shape and at a decent price. I have looked off and on for a couple years for a sunfish so I can take my dogs sailing. They tend to jump out of a kayak or can't ride on my nice 16' sea yak even one at at ime. Anyway, I was unaware of super sunfish until this one came up. Sooo my question is how easy is it to sail compared to a regular sunfish. I haven't sailed since I was a kid. Its for river use off the chesapeake bay.

Thanks for any info.

Myra
 
Certainly the standard Sunfish is easier to rig and sail as you only need to control the mainsheet once the sail is raised. You can always buy the Super Sunfish and put a standard rig on it if you end up not liking the SSF.
 
I saw the ad. It is a good price for the boat. If I remember the traveler is press fit in so if you re-rig the boat to be a regular Sunfish, the traveler can come out easily. You will just be left with the cleats on the deck. Weigh the hull though in case it is heavy. Should be 130 pounds.
 
Actually, you don't need to remover the traveler bar for sailing the boat as a 'regular' fish
 
So if I decide to sail as a regular fish would the only hardware difference be the sail and how its rigged? Anyone know what a sail goes for? I saw a couple of other fish but all the ones on the eastern shore sold before they would return my emails, which I've sent several. Sigh. Anyway, there are two others, regular sunfish close enough to the area but both come with trailers and that puts the price too high and I don't need a trailer. I just need a dolly to take it down to the beach and drag it back to my backyard. I guess if its going to be a bit more to handle the dogs can wait until I'm a better sailor to accompany me? As for me, well if I take a few dunks thats ok, I float and I'm a diver! ;-) I may need to find a sailing lesson though! It's been a while!

Oh and thanks all for the input. I really do appreciate it.
 
Y'all are awesome! Thanks! And yes, I looked at that boom clearance and I think that was when I decided... the voice in my head was saying, 'Well, some have likened you to Calamity Jane and you do like a challenge!' Same thing happened when I got my nice sea yak. Bought way past my ability and grew into it. Only flipped it once... in front of a waterfront restaurant.... with my bilge pump stowed away in a sealed hatch.... yeah, swam it to shore and rolled it to get the water out and then got the pump out of the sealed compartment. Oh heck yeah learning curve completed on that task! Its always bungeed down on my deck now.

Anyway I texted the owner to see if I can see the boat thursday or friday. As long as weight checks in and I don't see something that scares me I might finally join the sunfish family after looking on and off for about 5 years! :)
 
I went to see the boat and took a companion and ended up passing on the boat. The hull is wonderful! Both the dagger board and rudder are split and need replaced. The sail they said was original and had a small holey area it looked like a rub holing area about 2 inches long, if that, by a half inch wide area near the top third of the mast. But still looked serviceable for my light use. I mean really this boat was loved and used nicely it seems. But when I asked the weight... both guys said it weighs a ton. It was on a dolly and I did pick up the bow and move it a bit. We worried over even trying to put it on top my jeep. The biggest concern we ended up having was whether I could muscle this boat around and take it down to the beach across the park behind my house on just a dolly and bring it back up the hill or not. I'm used to picking up my kayak and taking it down the 4 stairs to my carport and then dollying it to the beach and thought this would be like that. Like I said before I haven't sailed one since I was a kid. Soooo.... until I figure out better logistics my sunfish dream is on hold. I don't know the final hull weight on this boat. We didn't weigh it because as I left the house I grabbed my shipping scale and unplugged it only to find the battery compartment empty and needing a 9v which I didn't have a spare of. Silly me for only stocking aaa and aa all the time. I'm just sad as I now have to rethink my whole logistics on my dreams of a sunfish unless my living arrangements change. For now I have to backyard my boats and dolly them to the water and that involves a little bit of a hill. Wahhhh, I'm so sad. I'm not sure where this leaves me but disappointed for now. Thanks for all the help. You have been great help and very informative.
 
Hull should weigh approx. 135 lbs if dry. Almost any used Sunfish from 1960's, 1970's is going to need
drying out if someone has not already done it. See threads about drying out and installing inspection
ports. If the hull is in really good shape I would certainly not write it off as many used Sunfish have
some sort of dings, cracks or sloppy repair jobs. If dried out a Sunfish is easy to move on a dolly but
is a two person job to carry. Dagger board and Rudder are cheap to repair or remake. You're looking at
the cost a couple inspection ports, 4 months of drying time, probably $32 in wood to make a rudder and
dagger board if they can't be epoxied and some sail tape. Pretty much all systems normal when buying a
used boat of any type. Wish you were in my neck of the woods as I'd trade you a ready to go Sunfish
for a Super Sunfish any day.
 
All the above from Webfoot1...plus...for replacement of rudder and daggerboard, eBay is your friend. :)

Splits in wood daggerboards and rudders aren't all that uncommon. (I'll be sailing soon with a rudder "split" about one foot long). If the splits are only partial—and if they fit—you can probably "make-do" with those boards.

The sail sounds like an easy fix with sail tape. :cool:
Sail Tape | eBay

For truly light weight sailing, with a minimum of "wrestle", there's always a Snark sailboat—but I expect you'd come back to the Sunfish family eventually...

This Ohio Snark (constructed with a hard-coated Styrofoam hull) went unsold at eBay at $400.

Fullscreen capture 6232017 45844 AM.bmp.jpg


Leave it on your beachfront—I don't think anyone would steal it! ;)

.
 
Dragging a Sunfish up a hill is hard for one person, even when the hull is dry. Easier on a smooth surface, especially hard on sand.

I have been to many a regatta and at the end of the day, it's so nice to get help from a good Samaritan pulling the boat to a safe place.
 

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