Here's a look at the repairs inside the 1978 AMF Sunfish SUGAR 2. We put in a new cypress backer block for the halyard cleat, repaired resin chips in the mast tube with TotalBoat THIXO and put in a new bow handle backer block.
Here's a look at the daggerboard trunk, common damage there is to the bottom edge where the daggerboard smashes into the trunk when an obstacle is hit, the seam opens up or worse the fiberglass is crushed. There are also vertical fissures that open up in the fore and aft sections of the trunk. Those can be repaired from the outer surface sometimes, other times it is best to access the trunk from inside the hull.
For more information on common repairs and other Sunfish tidbits, please buy our Manual!
Sealed up the old transom plug with TotalBoat THIXO thickened epoxy on a cardboard backer plate. We find that as well as being drain holes they also make good leak holes.
Cut new cypress backer blocks for the bow handle and halyard cleat and fixed them in place with THIXO. Clamped the bow handle block and screwed in the cleat block.
To pour the 2 part expanding foam on top of the flotation blocks we use blue tape to make a trough, that keeps it mostly on top of the block while it expands and adheres.
We used TotalBoat 2 part foam and we also use FibreGlast 2 part 2 pound foam. Then we have to clamp fast so the deck seam does not get pushed open.
We poured the bow foam also and clamped the hood shut.
Ready to do some work on SUGAR 2 but thought we'd check to see if she took on water at the car wash.
Grabbed a couple of carpenter trestles for SUGAR 2, she'll get worked on out at the Carriage House.
The halyard cleat backer block needs replacement, plus it is a good idea to have an inspection port to sponge out water, so we are adding a 6 inch port just ahead of the daggerboard trunk. The port cap makes a nice template to mark the hole size.
We use a jigsaw to cut the hole, and make a starter hole for the jigsaw blade with a 3/8th inch drill bit. If the gelcoat is nice, we tape over the deck with blue tape and draw the circle on the tape, to protect the gelcoat from vibration marks from shoe of the jigsaw. Another tip from one of the team was to tape the shoe.
A look inside at the guts.
The EPS foam structural and flotation blocks are in great condition as well as the expanding foam that holds them in place. There are some light spots on the mast step tube and daggerboard trunk that indicate chipped resin. The halyard cleat backer block is gone and someone siliconed in molly bolts :( But the halyard fairlead backer is still in good shape.
Wrong cleat and wrong fasteners, we cut off the cheapo molly bolts with a DeWALT multi oscillating tool. We will repair the huge holes left from the molly bolts.
SUGAR 2 hasn't even made it all the way off of the trailer and the inspection port hole is already cut and crummy cleat removed. We left her tilted so the little bit of water could drain out.
Interior is drying out, turned our attention to the bow handle. No molly bolts, yay!
We removed the weird handle and probed the holes to see if there was any remnants of the wooden backer block. What we did is poke inside the hole with an awl or paper clip to feel for solid wood. If there was still wood there, then we could have repaired the hole with thickened epoxy and a dowel or toothpicks, let it dry and redrill new holes. Or move the bow handle aft a 1/2 inch or so to drill into new wood. We also drilled a small hole and watched to see if wood shavings came out, no luck, that would have indicated that there was still a block there. S we'll split the bow to put in a new backer block.
Flipped the boat to sand off old fiberglass repairs. We used 40 grit on a DeWALT random orbital sander to take down the big blobs of resin and fiberglass and 120 grit pads to remove the old paint. Our thought was to paint the entire boat but we may be able to salvage the center section and just paint the bow and stern. Also removed the bailer and checked the cockpit/hull bailer seam for splits.
Skipper dug out the old sealant from the daggerboard trunk.
