Tips to avoid Spidercracking on old but mint condition Sunfish

Iowa Landlocked Sailor

Iowa Landlocked Sailor

New Member
Hello everyone!

A few years ago I bought a 1972 Sunfish in decent shape and absolutely love sailing it. It has spider cracks, dings, scratches, etc.. but still overall looks ok and I sail it every summer as much as possible.

I recently ran across a 1977 Sunfish that was stored in a garage for the last 20+ years. It literally looks brand new! (not even one spidercrack, no dings, bright shine on the gelcoat, etc..). I want to use it just as much but would like to prevent spidercraking as much as possible to keep the new look. Any advice?

Also, for an almost mint condition 1977 Sunfish, I was curious if anyone had thoughts on the approx value? Not selling it, but just curious.

Thanks everyone!
 
Spider cracks are stress cracks usually created when putting a lot of pressure on the softer parts of the deck. The deck over the back corners of the cockpit compartment is where my 76 boat got stress cracks. Often those compartment did touch the underside of the deck completely.
 
I would have said the same thing is put it into storage for another 20 years. There is not much you can do about the stress cracks appearing other than to repair them once they show up. It usually is just the gelcoat and happens in high stress areas like where the cockpit tub meets the deck and you sit in that spot flexing the over hanging deck..

As for value of a pristine 1977 boat is what someone might be willing to pay for it. A good condition 77 Sunfish with some stress cracks, a decent sail and all parts might go for $600-$800 here in the NE. But someone might want to sell their "pristine" 77 that was in storage for 20 years for say $2500. Still less than a new boat costs, but remember the first stress crack or dock bump and your $2500 pristine boat is now worth half that amount. For $2500 your better off buying the newer version, say a 2000 or newer boat. If a decent 77 is 600-800, than the pristine one in my opinion might be worth $1200 at most. It is still a 38 year old boat that sold for under $1000 back in 1977.
 
Agree with Sailcraft. And a '77 comes with the tiny little "shadow" centerboard that makes the boat hard to point, where a new boat has a larger, foil-shaped board (some made of fiberglass, some of wood - don't know why that is), the new one will have a hiking strap and a mainsheet block installed, and have the much more comfortable to sail rolled deck edge. You can usually pick up a used "modern" boat for $2,500, meaning that a '77 should be worth significantly less than that.
 
sailcraftri said:
I would have said the same thing is put it into storage for another 20 years. There is not much you can do about the stress cracks appearing other than to repair them once they show up. It usually is just the gelcoat and happens in high stress areas like where the cockpit tub meets the deck and you sit in that spot flexing the over hanging deck..

As for value of a pristine 1977 boat is what someone might be willing to pay for it. A good condition 77 Sunfish with some stress cracks, a decent sail and all parts might go for $600-$800 here in the NE. But someone might want to sell their "pristine" 77 that was in storage for 20 years for say $2500. Still less than a new boat costs, but remember the first stress crack or dock bump and your $2500 pristine boat is now worth half that amount. For $2500 your better off buying the newer version, say a 2000 or newer boat. If a decent 77 is 600-800, than the pristine one in my opinion might be worth $1200 at most. It is still a 38 year old boat that sold for under $1000 back in 1977.
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Thank you Sailcraftri and Beldar Boathead for the detailed comments! I have never been around newer sunfish so I was not even aware the centerboards were larger. The mainsheet block also makes a lot of sense as an upgrade in the newer models! However, I did purchase the 77 and am excited to use it. Just have to get the old trailer's bearings and lights up to par! Unfortunatly, the trailer was not as in prestine shape as the boat! :D Thanks again!
 
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