1971 Alcort AMF Sunfish

 18 Dec 20:

We collect advertising materials on the Sunfish, they provide great information on the evolution of the boat, features and specifications throughout the years. First developed by Alex Bryan and Cortlandt Heyniger (Alcort) in 1953 as a sister ship to the popular 1947 Sailfish, the first Sunfish were built in wood. In 1960 the fiberglass hull was introduced and production took off, fiberglass Sunfish are still manufactured today by Laser Performance. The brochure we recently acquired dates to 1971, the first year that the "new style" rudder appeared, and the cockpit storage cuddy. Triple stripes also appeared on the foredeck, and these features help date boats made in the days prior to U. S. Coast Guard required Hull Identification Numbers (HIN) being stamped on the upper right transom.

We love the vintage 5 panel sails shown above, made by Ratsey and Lapthorn, soft and quiet, they last forever when properly cared for. AMF acquired Alcort in 1969 along with a lot of other sport and recreation businesses, for years we only knew them for their bowling balls. Had no idea they owned Harley Davidson as well. Hull weight stayed at 139 pounds, it would drop 10 pounds in 1988, not sure what was taken out, but we do know that the hulls made from 1960-1987 are well built and easy to repair.

Which way should the daggerboard tip point? Fore or aft? Decide for yourself. We like it this way, if we hit an obstruction or beach the boat, the daggerboard tends to ride up vs dig in. Other advertising materials show the tip forward.

You may have spotted the spars on the wrong side of the mast on the brochure cover photo, that is because the image is reversed. At first we thought it was a mistake by the advertising folks, now we believe that it is done on purpose, we always expect to find one photo reversed and spend extra time looking for it. Sometimes the gooseneck is installed pointing the wrong way, like the image below, it should point to starboard. If not, the halyard traps the sail against the mast. But you spent time looking for it, didn't you?

(Image: Laser Perfomance 2020)

Foam blocks of closed cell extruded polystyrene (XPS) were used for flotation and to stiffen the deck and hull. Fastened in place with 2 part marine grade flotation foam. In the early boats the foam was poured and there was better control. Our friend Howie worked at Alcort-AMF for 1960-1978 and he relates that around 1972 they switched over to a foam gun and after that some boats had expanding foam everywhere, excessive to the point that it could trap and absorb water. Wet foam weighs a lot, but skilled restoration folks can remove it and replace it with new 2 part foam. Save the blocks though, they are impossible to find.

The center block below will have a forward chunk removed to make space for the new aft storage cubby.

Storage area is still the same, 50 years later.

Looks like an old Stearns brand jacket, actually not a bad jacket with its slim design for the time. My Uncle had some that we used on our camping and fishing trips, comfortable to wear and they had a breezy mesh liner on the inside. We also like how AMF gave Alcort top billing on the stickers for a long time. 

The big change in 1971 was the "new style" rudder system, it popped down and up more easily when launching and beaching and stayed down better while out sailing. 

Do you think there is any chance that AMF copied George Patterson's patented pop up rudder design? It was used on Alcort's first catamaran, the Catfish, introduced in 1965. 

We own a Catfish and they are pretty cool. Heavy, but cool :) Her name is SMEDLEY.

All of the claims below still hold true, whether your boat is made by Alcort, AMF, Pearson, Sunfish Laser Inc, Loveless and DeGarmo, Vanguard or Laser Performance. Still the most popular One Design Class and by far the most popular recreational sailboat ever made, with over 400,000 boats sailing around the world.

Sunfish. 68 years old and still going strong!

FMI: 

Sunfish Wikipedia

The Sunfish Owners Manual - We wrote the book!

PFD Gear + New Signal Mirrors

26 Mar 20:

Time to change out those electronics batteries in our PFD electronics. I am also adding signal mirrors to all of our PFDs. When I flew in the Marines we always carried signal mirrors in our survival vests, along with many other items. The mirror floats, requires no batteries, is lightweight, small and can be seen from miles away. Some folks don't realize how hard it is to spot a floating object from the air, and while a Search and Rescue aircraft may have Lat/Long information to navigate to a general rescue area, the signal mirror is one of several devices that can be used to provide terminal guidance to the survivor. Plus it is just fun to use. In the photo below one of the signal mirrors is already tucked into the upper left pocket, secured with a lanyard to the upper D ring, aka Dummy Cord.

The mirror I chose is the UST Starflash, it has an aiming port. As with any PPE, PRTFD. Please Read The Friggin Directions. DO NOT look at the sun through the port, lest ye be abducted by aliens.

Where's Waldo? Find the mirror.

The survival vest we used in the Marines was called the SV-2B, there were land and water versions. Over water a life preserver unit was attached, manual inflate for helicopter crews and auto inflate for jet crew.

Clark (me) on the left and Mooch on the right, in the Philippines 1989. We flew the UH-1N helicopter, part of HMLA-369 Gunfighter's detachment to HMM-161(C) Greyhawks. The Greyhawks were the Aviation Combat Element assigned to the 13th MEU(SOC) Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) embarked aboard the USS Belleau Wood. We toured the Western Pacific from January through June of 1989, with port calls in Okinawa, Cubi Point, Pusan, Sydney, Cairns and Pearl Harbor.

Large waves in the Pacific, 50+ feet, some sent green water over the bow of our LHA.

My ultimate goal is to get a Lite version of the SV-2 for small boat use for local day boating. Some items may go into a Ditch Bag for a longer cruise, a small bag that can be quickly retrieved in a capsize, swamp and swim scenario.

Also I'm looking for a good knife for my PFD, the one I have now might be hard to open one-handed. One option is something like the NRS Copilot with blunt tip, maybe a bit small. The one I flew with in the Marines was Vietnam Era, probably a bit big. Who has the Goldilocks knife that is jusssst right? And we also present the Hat of the Day, Eddie English Boat Trailer.

Survival Vest (SV-2B Series) Contents
General Kit

-Pistol - Through the years a 38 revolver, 45 automatic, 9mm
-Bailer sponge - The bailing sponge may be used to catch rainwater, to bail a raft, for personal hygiene
-Chemlights
-Compass
-Cord - secure items or fishing line
-Dye markers
-Flare pencil - 4.5 sec, 250 feet, 12,000 candlepower MK 79
-Hand Pump
-Knife - Camillus survival
-Knife - pocket or multi tool
-HEEDS - Compact SCUBA
-Pistol
-Radio with PLB
-Razor knife
-Reflective tape
-Signal mirror
-Signal MK 13 - Day smoke/Night candle
-Space blanket - Warmth and protection against the elements, signaling, and some radar reflectivity.
-Strobe with red and blue (NVG) flashguards
-Strop
-Tinder
-Water
-Whistle

Medical Kit

-Aspirin
-Anti-diarrhea
-Bacitracin
-Bandaids
-Charms
-Chiclets
_Enerjets
-Eye ointment
-First Aid Kit
-Insect repellent
-Metal match
-Mosquito headset and mittens
-Soap
-Sunburn ointment
-Tape
-Tweezer and pins
-Water purification tablets
-Water bag (1 quart)
-Water receptacle

This list might be useful to fellow aviators, like Key and barbara, more gadgets to play with.

Boat Smart and Fly Smart!

Wear It

11 Mar 20:

Wrote a review for the April 2020 issue Small Boats Magazine on our new Odyssey PFDs from NRS. Very comfortable. Look for it 01 April, no foolin.

FMI: Small Boats Magazine

Wear It - American Canoe Association

22 Dec 19:

Some holiday gift ideas in this checklist, including a membership to the American Canoe Association. ACA since 1880.

FMI: American Canoe Association

Rethinking Inflatable PFDs

01 Jul 19:

Ralph Naranjo wrote an article for Practical Sailor that takes a look at inflatable PFDs now that they are maturing in the boating world, and his observations mirror some of the things that we have been thinking. First and foremost, folks should know their PFD well, how to use it in different scenarios and how to maintain it. Some PFDs don't inflate until well submersed or for up to 10 seconds, so it may not be the best choice to help prevent drowning. The Coast Guard views the auto inflating PFD as a "manually operated" PFD with an automatic backup. Don't count on auto inflators to actuate, and be prepared if they activate in an inopportune time. Some manual pull tabs are hard to get to, under velcrod covers. Is the swimmer prepared to find that tab in the dark, inverted and in a rough sea state? Are they wearing gloves too?

The CO2 cylinders and squibs need to be inspected and replaced per manufacturer instructions. One customer finally had his 10 year old PFD inspected and found there was not even a CO2 cartridge in it. Some PFDs can be maintained by the owner, other have to be sent to the manufacturer. This includes inflating the device and seeing that it maintains inflation for a specified period of time, up to 24 hours.

A few folks have switched back to foam jackets, they have 100 percent buoyancy reliability. Say you fall a few feet off the Jacobs Ladder into the icy bay, between two boats, into large swells. Which jacket do you want to roll the dice on? They also provide a small bit of warmth for those boating in cold environments.

Any type PFD is better than none, the best one is one that the future swimmer will wear. One last benefit of a regular foam filled PFD is there might be more pockets to store signaling devices, which you can use while floating around waiting for rescue.

Here we are testing out foam from the flotation tanks in our Grumman canoe. We wondered if the foam lost its floatyness after a while and found out that the foam was just fine, and we reinstalled it!



Stay Smart!
Clark and Skipper

PFD Selection Tips

Personal Flotation Device Tips

19 Apr 18:

We have used several types of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) over the past, I started using them as a teenager riding around and driving my Uncle's 1969 Sterncraft Tri Hull powered by a 160 Mercruiser and piloting his stick steer bass boat. Back then they were the big orange foam block vests with a black strap, and a few years into our trips he switched over to some nice low profile Stearns fishing vests, which were more flotation "aids" than they were life jackets.

In 2011 the Skipper and I moved closer to the water and we began using our small boats more often, so we tracked down some PFDs that were comfortable to wear and compatible with dinghy sailing, rowing, kayaking and canoeing. The features we like are low profile PFDs that allow us to bend at the waist, paddle and row. The Skipper's PFD also has foam bumps and mesh air vents that improve air circulation. Both PFDs have adjustments for the shoulders and waist, storage pockets and bits of reflective tape. We also chose red PFDs that are easier to spot in the water than some darker colored vests.

Our current vests are the Astral Camino and the Extrasport Eagle. The light gray bumps inside the Camino vest on the left are cushioned foam, they hold the vest away from the body to improve air circulation.

We keep enough comfortable vests for passengers to wear. In the pockets we keep a whistle, a knife and a small LED flashlight. Eventually I'd like to add a signal mirror and maybe a small VHF transceiver with GPS locator. I flew Search and Rescue in a former life, and a small light or signal mirror flash can be seen from far far away. We like red and yellow vests, they are easier to spot in the water.

Here are some tips from the "Think Safe" booklet that comes with most PFDs, published to help boaters choose the right device. I believe that beyond being safe we can be smart, this information increases our knowledge and coupled with a positive attitude, we can "Boat Smart."

1. How many PFDs do you need? Depends on the number of people on board, the size and type of boat, and the kind of boating you do. You must have any one of these wearable PFDs for each person on board:

-Off-Shore Life Jacket (Type I) - Best for rough, open water. Turns unconscious wearer face up, highly visible, but bulky.

-Near-Shore Buoyant Vest (Type II) - Turns some unconscious wearers face up, less bulky, not for long hours in rough water.

-Flotation Aid (Type III) - Good for calm, inland water or where there is a chance of fast rescue. Comfortable and available for many different types of activities. Will NOT turn unconscious wearer face up and not for extended rough water survival.

-Special Use Device (Type V) - Special uses or conditions like work vests, hybrid PFDs or boardsailing vests. A Type V Inflatable must be worn to be counted as a PFD. They are less bulky and good for continuous wear, but they may not inflate fully and require maintenance. My thoughts on the inflatables is that the wearer needs to be very familiar with use in extreme conditions, that usually requires dunk tank training and periodic re-qualification, which I have been through. Imagine ending up in the water, surprised, disoriented and maybe injured. Are you going to remember how to inflate the vest?

-Throwable Device (Type IV) - If your boat is 16 feet or longer, and is not a canoe or kayak, you must also have at least one Throwable Device (Type IV). It can be thrown up to 40 feet, makes good supplemental flotation and also serves a nice cushion.

2. Be sure to choose a PFD that is right for your planned activities and the water conditions that you expect to encounter. A good vest should have a list of recommended uses, like paddling, sailing, kayaking or water skiing. Many PFDs are not tested for personal protection from impact and therefore not approved for use on personal watercraft, for water skiing or similar towed activities.

3. The best place for a PFD to be stored is on your body. I like the cushioning that my PFD provides and it also provides a little back support. The storage pockets are convenient for my phone and tow vehicle keys. If the conditions are such that the PFD is not worn, keep it close and do not attach it to the boat, and brief your crew on their PFD's location.

From the Coast Guard: "9 out of 10 drownings occur in inland waters, most within a few feet of safety. Most of the victims owned PFDs, but they died without them. A wearable PFD can save a life, if it is worn."

4. Read the label to make sure the PFD is made for the wearer's weight and size.

5. Try out your PFD in calm conditions to make sure your mouth floats well above the water and you can breathe easily.

6. Check PFD for wear. When it gets damaged or worn, replace it. Regulations require that the PFD be in good shape for use on the boat.

If you need more information on boating safety, contact your state boating authority, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Red Cross, US Power Squadron or the Coast Guard.

PFDs reduce the risk of drowning when we follow their use and care instructions. Safe Boating is no accident. Enjoy the water and Boat Smart!

How To Choose the Right Life Jacket

27 Feb 19:

How To Choose the Right Life Jacket and Wear It. There are a lot of them out there now, they need to be the proper size for the boater and the proper type for the intended activity. Boat Smart!

Where data was known, the vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (47%), kayaks (15%), and personal watercraft (7%).

658 fatalities in 2017. Where cause of death was known, 76% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 84.5% were not wearing a life jacket. 370 victims drowned without a PFD. Where length of boat was known, eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length.

Reference: http://uscgboating.org/…/life-jacket-wear-wearing-your-life…