30 Dec 20:
1982 Sunfish had viny; stickers on the side that said AMF and SUNFISH, PHOENIX's Sunfish stickers are getting pretty worn.
Once we get PHOENIX's hull cleaned up, we'll apply the new vinyl.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
1982 AMF Sunfish PHOENIX 30 Dec 20 Sunfish Sticker Vinyl
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
1982 AMF Sunfish WAVE 29 Dec 20 First Coat TotalBoat WetEdge
29 Dec 20:
Applied the first coat of TotalBoat WetEdge BlueGlow White, rolled with a Mighty Mini Roller Kit and tipped with an oil sash brush.
Good coverage, 2 coats should get us going on to the next step, flipping WAVE over for prime and paint on the deck. We'll work on PHOENIX for now let that hull paint harden for several days before the flip.
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
1982 AMF Sunfish PHOENIX 28 Dec 20 Jigsaw Puzzle Time
28 Dec 20:
WAVE is primed and awaiting hull paint, her TotalBoat Wet Edge BleGlo White is on a UPS truck headed down from Bristol, RI. Along with some Gray Topside Primer for the deck. So we spent the day fiddling with PHOENIX, hoisted her off of the Dynamic Dolly and swapped WAVE onto the Dynamic.
We forgot that PHOENIX needs a chine repair, we'll put in a blind patch and then build up the repair area.
Removed the bow trim by drilling out trim rivets with a 1/8th inch metal drill bit, carefull to not drill through the bottom edge of the trim.
We had already trimmed the broken bits off of the deck with a jigsaw, regular wood blade worked fine.
The "plank" was fractured up by the number 2, that comes in handy...keep reading...
Our friend Tom manages a fleet of Yacht Club Sunfish out by Lake Norman, several of them beyond economical repair. He sent us the nose and hardware off of one of the boats, let's call her NORMAN. We split the deck from the hull, took off PHOENIX's bow handle and aligned NORMAN's deck with PHOENIX's deck, clamped in place.
I was standing there thinking, if I could just reach inside and trace a cut line...wait, I can reach inside through the plank flap! Traced the cut line with a calibrated black Sharpie. Before I could do that, though, I trimmed off some of the old foam and the bow handle backer block hanger with the DeWalt oscillating multitool, oddly satisfying.
Another bit that we trimmed from NORMAN was the deck edge flange, to replace PHOENIX's missing flange.
Flange and deck clamped in place.
Trimmed off high spots of the seam with the multitool, that leaves a tiny gap for the thickened epoxy to fill.
Monday, December 28, 2020
Boat of the Year - SCOUT
28 Dec 20:
SCOUT is our Boat of the Year. She did all of the heavy lifting for Hurricane Cleanup, carried lumber for pier repair and was many times our floating tool box. Most important, she hauled all the gear and Skipper for the post storm Flag Rescue Mission.
She spent more time being towed around than being paddled.
The Gorilla Carts received Honorable Mention, they hauled tools and lumber to SCOUT.
Blind Patch
28 Dec 20:
We do a lot of blind Patches, in fact WAVE had a new one on her starboard chine. It survived intact while the rest of the chine around rest was bashed to slivereens.
Log of WAVE.
1982 AMF Sunfish PHOENIX 27 Dec 20 Hull Repair
27 Dec 20:
While WAVE took the brunt of Hurricane Sally's storm surge and breaking waves, our 1982 AMF Sunfish PHOENIX was just one stall inland. She sustained damage to the same starboard bow area but to a lesser degree. We sourced a replacement bow from our friend Tom and will begin jigsawing the boat and the bit together soon.
PHOENIX has arisen from the ashes once already, she was a barn find with all the dusty hanta bits (minus rudder) and a tattered sail. Capn Jack de-hanta'd her and gathered new bits. PHOENIX is also a member of our Yuma Yacht Club Fleet, along with ONKAHYE.
PHOENIX caught a fish one day, here's the story:
29 Jun 19:
Took our 1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE and 1982 AMF Alcort Sunfish PHOENIX out for a day sail Skipper raided the North coast of the bay and I searched for prizes on the South shore. 10-12 mph wind, light chop on the bay, 85F heat index, scattered clouds. Water temp 85. Wind usually dies around 1000 so we headed back. On the way back, PHOENIX and I caught a fish! Not on purpose! I was sailing close to a dock and didn't notice that someone had left some lines out. As I went by the two fishing lines slid across the the gaff, caught at the top of the mast and turned me into the dock. Thunk. I was able to sail backwards a bit, pulled up the daggerboard and used it as a paddle to get clear of the dock. As PHOENIX and I completed our donut, the fishing line slid down leech of the sail and caught on the boom end cap. As we sailed off the line ran over the end of the boom and up comes a fish on the hook, over the end of the boom and then it plopped back into the water. A yelled "Fish On!" to the neighbors and PHOENIX and I sailed home to tell the Skipper our fish tale. It was about an 8 inch bass, under a pound.
Took our 1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE and 1982 AMF Alcort Sunfish PHOENIX out for a day sail Skipper raided the North coast of the bay and I searched for prizes on the South shore. 10-12 mph wind, light chop on the bay, 85F heat index, scattered clouds. Water temp 85. Wind usually dies around 1000 so we headed back. On the way back, PHOENIX and I caught a fish! Not on purpose! I was sailing close to a dock and didn't notice that someone had left some lines out. As I went by the two fishing lines slid across the the gaff, caught at the top of the mast and turned me into the dock. Thunk. I was able to sail backwards a bit, pulled up the daggerboard and used it as a paddle to get clear of the dock. As PHOENIX and I completed our donut, the fishing line slid down leech of the sail and caught on the boom end cap. As we sailed off the line ran over the end of the boom and up comes a fish on the hook, over the end of the boom and then it plopped back into the water. A yelled "Fish On!" to the neighbors and PHOENIX and I sailed home to tell the Skipper our fish tale. It was about an 8 inch bass, under a pound.
Small Boats Magazine
28 Dec 20:
We've written a few more articles for Small Boats Magazine, a digital publication of WoodenBoat focused on boats that can be launched and retrieved easily, maintained and stored at the house. Each month there is an Adventure Narrative, 2 Boat Profiles, a Reader Built Boat, Product Reviews and Techniques. Annual subscription $29.99 USD.
Jun 2020
July 2020
August 2020
September 2020
October 2020
November 2020
December 2020
There is a link to our Small Boats Magazine article index on the top right side of our blog, under Emerald Squadron. Or you can search for Lewis on the Small Boats Magazine website.
January 2021 - Coming 04 Jan 21
Cheers!
Clark and Skipper
Sunday, December 27, 2020
1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE 27 Dec 20 First Coat Primer
27 Dec 20:
Sanded deck this morning, applied final coat of TotalFair, let it dry 8 hours in 70F.
Sailrite Edge Hotknife
27 Dec 20:
Cleaned up the ends of some bow line that was damaged during Hurricane Sally, we used the Sailrite Edge Hotknife. Line will be repurposed as a sail tie.
FMI see our article in Small Boats Magazine: https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/edge-hot-knife/
1965 Alcort Sunfish WAVE 26 Dec 20 Foam and Hull Repair
26 Dec 20:
Time to reattach the forward port side internal structural foam block, which also serves as flotation. We turned WAVE on her side today so we could pour the adhesive foam in and let gravity do the work of moving it between the structural block and the fiberglass hull.
Found some artifacts rattling around inside the hull, on of them Capn Jack's bow handle backer plate. Video: Flotation Block and Hull Repair https://youtu.be/dNZZ6dT6jpc
The Sunfish made from 1960-2020 have 6 internal extruded polystyrene (XPS) structural foam blocks inside, 3 forward of the cockpit and 3 aft. These blocks are made from closed cell foam to resist water intrusion, and are held in place by 2 part marine grade flotation foam. The 2 part foam was at first poured, in the 1960s and early 70s, then a foam gun was brought in and as our friend, who worked at Alcort, Howie relates, "foam went everywhere."
Today we used TotalBoat 2 Part Polyurethane Flotation Foam. It is 94% closed cell, so it can get wet but should not be immersed for extended periods...neither should the innards of a Sunfish :)
A couple of notes about pouring foam, small amounts are best for us with multiple pours as needed:
-A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY (ALGALW), the foam will expand easily to 10 times the amount poured.
-CAUTION: Wear protective gear, long sleeve shirt, gloves, long pants, the foam is a tenacious adhesive. The only time I thought I might need to go to the emergency room for building projects was when I got a lot of foam on one hand, I couldn't get the foam off for several hours, it dries hard, and I knew how the ER folks would want to deal with it. The product that took off the last of the adhesive was Harco's Miracle Wipes for Paint, lots of unpronounceable chemicals, so proper protective equipment would have been a better way to go.
There is strategy involved with a foam pour:
-The foam expands quickly, so how will you get the foam to the area you want in an expeditious manner? Some folks tape a small cup to a paint stick to reach remote areas, but place that cup outside on the concrete with done, and not the good concrete, the cup will probably melt.
-How much time do you have with the foam? Once it starts to expand, even a little, there is only a few minutes to get it poured, as it skins over quick. We also can feel the mixing cup start to get warm, time to pour.
-Work from the farthest area back to the closest.
-Orient the work piece so that the foam will run into the desired areas, strategic pieces of blue tape can help channel the foam until it skins over. One of Howie's tricks was to make little blue tape walls around the top of a flotation block to hold the foam so it doesn't run down the side of the block, then clamp down the deck while the foam expands.
-Speaking of blocks, they need to be held in place while the foam expands, or they can get moved out of position. We hold them for a few minutes when we can, or have used tape and paint sticks to hold them. At the factory they would pour the bottom of the block first and place bars over the top of the blocks, so they didn't rise above the deck crown. When they poured the top of the block, it seem like they may have inverted the boat, as there is not much foam running down the side of factory boats. But once the top of the block is poured, the deck/hull seam needs to be clamped shut while the foam expands, or else you might not be able to close the seam later.
Before we mixed foam I tacked the flotation block in place with Great Stuff insulation foam. We don't use Great Stuff for the entire block because it is not closed cell and can absorb water quickly. Next I poured TB Flotation Foam Part A Resin and Part B Activator equal amounts in 2 separate cups, then mixed in one cup. You could also pour in one mixing cup using the mixing ratio index marks on the side of the TotalBoat cups, which come with the Foam Kit. I poured to the lowest 2 mark on the 1:1 index, not much product, but as mentioned, ALGALW.
First pour, runny enough to get into the void but starting to expand.
Leftover foam. There is a photo below that shows how much it expands in just a few minutes.
We used this stick wedged against the daggerboard trunk to hold the aft end of the flotation block in place while the foam expanded, then removed it before the foam fully hardened. There are some boats out there that still have little stick remnants in them :)
First small pour, foam still expanding.
After about 5 minutes the cup is full, started off with just a little skim of foam on the bottom.
We let the foam tack up for a few minutes then finished rolling WAVE over, time for some finish sanding on the hull. We used 60 grit pads on a DeWALT random orbital sander to remove excess thickened epoxy and whatever bottom coating that had been applied to SALLY's hull. Dust collection system is a Dust Deputy cyclonic separator attached to a ShopVac.
Faired the seam with the sander, the new section was a bit proud along the seam.
Filled in the bigger nooks and crannies with TotalBoat THIXO Wood thickened epoxy. Why Wood? Because that's what we had. Even though the seam is water tight and there is a fiberglass seam plate inside the hull, we wanted the structural component of THIXO for the larger gaps. Faired over small nooks and crannies with TotalFair
We'll let this dry, smooth it down and go over the whole area with another coat of TotalFair.
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