Wooden Super Sailfish Restoration

We picked up wooden Super Sailfish in Greenville, SC this Summer. The boat was found in a warehouse in Auburn, NY and then spent some time in a barn. Her name is Zsa Zsa, and she had all of her parts except the rudder pin and a sail...well, she had remnants of a sail.

We sailed her and she filled up with water, so we put her in storage until we had time to inspect her more thoroughly.

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

L-R: Super Sailfish MK II (fiberglass), Super Sailfish (wooden), Sunfish (wooden).

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

From SBR 2: Jun 2013-Dec 2013

The squirrels got us started on the restoration by chewing off part of the decaying keel, so I opened her up to see what else was rotting.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Stem is rotten, hull is severely checked and keel is split. I can save some nails, the chine, the deck and the frames.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

I didnt' think Zsa Zsa was factory built, wasn't sure if she was kit built. Looks like this boat was built from the Alcort plans vs a kit. The 1/4 inch plywood and foam are not marine grade, in fact I don't believe the plans even called for foam. Also heavy doublers were added to the frames. The boat should weigh just over 100 pounds, so she needs a makeover.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

to be continued...

For the full Pickin Story: Wooden Sunfish, Wooden Super Sailfish and Super Sailfish MKII

Funfish Sailboat

In 1964 Mechanix Illustrated offered plans for a wooden sailboat called the Funfish. Rhymes with Sunfish. Partial plans for the Funfish can be located in the Yahoo Group Sunfish_Sailor under Files, the group is free but you do need to join to view the files. Or click here for Funfish plans hosted on our Signal Charlie wikispace.

Here is a recent build, a beautiful boat. Normans 2011 Funfish:

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Thanks go to Brian and Norman for sharing the file and pics!

Grommets

Put in some grommets and washers today, first time, Skipper Audrey showed me how. As a costumer she has pounded many a grommet. The grommet has the flared edge and the washer is flat.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Cut a very small hole in the fabric.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Push the grommet through the fabric.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Install washer.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Place grommet and washer on the anvil.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Hit setter with hammer to flatten grommet around the washer.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Voila!

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Next time we try our new mallet.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Wooden Sunfish New Build

Thinking about reverse engineering a wooden Sunfish. I took a few rough station and frame measurements, and started thinking about what color to paint it.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Chip, our 1965 wooden Sunfish, needs new hull plywood, the scarf joint has delaminated, so when the old plywood comes off we can get some great measurements.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Zsa Zsa, our Super Sailfish, got attacked by squirrels, she needed a new hull and keel anyway as she is a leaker. She's 3rd in the restoration queue.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Sunfish Daggerboard, Barrington and Old Style

Bought 2 daggerboards on ebay, an old style daggerboard for the 1960 and later fiberglass boats, and a Barrington board. The Barrington on the left has a little less surface area than the earlier boar, but is better than the Shadow board that it succedded.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Sunfish New Style Wooden TIller Measurements (Post 1972)

Some folks like to make their own tillers out of local or exotic wood. Here are the basic measurements for the "new style" 1972-? wooden tiller.

Tip: One thing I do is wait until all the rudder hardware is put together and the rudder is hanging on your boat to drill the forward tiller strap bolt hole . That way you can pick the spot that gives you the right deck clearance on the forward end of the tiller. Don't want it scraping your new paint :)

Tiller height forward and tiller extension height.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Tiller height aft.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Tiller width.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Tiller length.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-

Tiller extension length.

From SBR 3: Jan 2014-