DerScuple
New Member
Hi guys, so a few days ago I posted a few questions about my recent sunfish purchase and a rather "sketchy" tiller it came with.
You guys were super helpful and pointed me in the right direction to learn more about what parts I need, and where to get them.
What I ended up doing was removing that sketchy tiller and making my own makeshift tiller and extension with a broom handle (lol) It worked for the week, and I had a great time sailing this old boat.
It was fairly leak free, the bottom had some damage, which I fixed up quickly with Marine goop and fiberglass patches, and it was bone dry after a day of sailing.
However, the second day I was doing some capsize practice and that's when I noticed the leaks. The entire hull was full of an inch of water (or more!) and it weighed a ton. The performance was also sluggish and I couldn't figure out where all this water was coming from until I did an air test and put my hand in the cockpit. Thats when I noticed huge gaps around the entire edge of the cockpit.
What I imagined happened was water just pooled into the gap while the boat was laying on its side in the water and it took in water until it matched the water level outside. You can even see this in the port photo because of all the rocks and sand in the gap (that was the side I capsized on)
Based on the Sunfish timeline PDF, I have a very old Sunfish. Probably 60s or 70s. The bailer is still metal, and there is no ID plate at all except for a very worn little stamp in the cockpit itself (see front picture)
The TLDR: What can I do about these gaps? Someone in another thread recommended biaxial tape, and another recommended sealing it with caulking.
As for the rest of the ship, there is very little dmg or leaks on the top deck, and the bottom seems leak free after I did the fiberglass patching and marine goop sealing
I don't want to go all out with expensive fixes or fancy professional fixes - this boat is old and not pretty - but it still sails amazingly well and takes in no water. (Unless it capsizes)
You guys were super helpful and pointed me in the right direction to learn more about what parts I need, and where to get them.
What I ended up doing was removing that sketchy tiller and making my own makeshift tiller and extension with a broom handle (lol) It worked for the week, and I had a great time sailing this old boat.
It was fairly leak free, the bottom had some damage, which I fixed up quickly with Marine goop and fiberglass patches, and it was bone dry after a day of sailing.
However, the second day I was doing some capsize practice and that's when I noticed the leaks. The entire hull was full of an inch of water (or more!) and it weighed a ton. The performance was also sluggish and I couldn't figure out where all this water was coming from until I did an air test and put my hand in the cockpit. Thats when I noticed huge gaps around the entire edge of the cockpit.
What I imagined happened was water just pooled into the gap while the boat was laying on its side in the water and it took in water until it matched the water level outside. You can even see this in the port photo because of all the rocks and sand in the gap (that was the side I capsized on)
Based on the Sunfish timeline PDF, I have a very old Sunfish. Probably 60s or 70s. The bailer is still metal, and there is no ID plate at all except for a very worn little stamp in the cockpit itself (see front picture)
The TLDR: What can I do about these gaps? Someone in another thread recommended biaxial tape, and another recommended sealing it with caulking.
As for the rest of the ship, there is very little dmg or leaks on the top deck, and the bottom seems leak free after I did the fiberglass patching and marine goop sealing
I don't want to go all out with expensive fixes or fancy professional fixes - this boat is old and not pretty - but it still sails amazingly well and takes in no water. (Unless it capsizes)