12 May 20:
Bailer: 1) A lightweight bucket used to move water from inside a boat back to its natural habitat. 2) A venturi drain system found in Sunfish sailboat cockpits. 3) A porous material used to absorb liquids. Usually found in the bucket, the cockpit of a Sunfish sailboat or the lazarette of an O'Day Day Sailer II. See also Sponge.
Tuseday Tool of the Week
Showing posts with label bailer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bailer. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Canvas Bailer Bucket
28 Mar 20:
We wanted a small bailer bucket, and wanted something that didn't take up a lot of space. Why not try a collapsible canvas bucket? We'll test it during Sea Trials, but not by swamping a boat.
We wanted a small bailer bucket, and wanted something that didn't take up a lot of space. Why not try a collapsible canvas bucket? We'll test it during Sea Trials, but not by swamping a boat.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Dinghy Bailers
04 Jun 18:
We were goofing around getting some water out of WAVE's cockpit and I tried out the vintage Wilcox and Crittenden bronze bailer, it worked great. No telling how old it is, at least 50 years, but it picked up the water in column and spit it out the top.
For some reason when I was grabbing the W&C bailer I spotted the Skipper's 16 oz red Handy paint cup. I thought it might work well with the flattened front section and sure enough it did. If you are bailing one handed while tending to a few other items then this would do the trick. The red color makes it easy to spot and the big bonus is that it costs about 3 dollars at Lowes, vs 10 for a "marine" dinghy bailer.
We were goofing around getting some water out of WAVE's cockpit and I tried out the vintage Wilcox and Crittenden bronze bailer, it worked great. No telling how old it is, at least 50 years, but it picked up the water in column and spit it out the top.
For some reason when I was grabbing the W&C bailer I spotted the Skipper's 16 oz red Handy paint cup. I thought it might work well with the flattened front section and sure enough it did. If you are bailing one handed while tending to a few other items then this would do the trick. The red color makes it easy to spot and the big bonus is that it costs about 3 dollars at Lowes, vs 10 for a "marine" dinghy bailer.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
1980 AMF Sunfish Viper 09 Nov 17 Final Fitting
09 Nov 17:
Finished up the final bits before sea trials for VIPER. Inspection ports, deck hardware, coaming, gudgeon, bailer.
Cut a larger hole for the aft inspection port with a DeWALT jigsaw, taped the deck first to reduce scratches. The hole is drawn using the port cap, flipping it over and tracing around the outside of it. Don't trace around the outside of the mounting ring, you'll have a really big hole :)
Sealed the port with a bead of TotalBoat Seal. One trick we have is to run a bead of sealant around the port outer ring, put the ring in place and give it a 1/2 turn to spread out the sealant. Drilled holes for the hardware. Secured the ports with #6 stainless steel machine screws, washers and stop nuts. I bought screws that were long enough so I can reach them to put on washers and stop nuts, plus I bought a deep socket that will hold the nut while the screw is tightened. One BIG tip is to buy a couple extra washers and nuts, because they are hard to find if they get dropped inside the hull.
Drilled pilot holes for the bow handle #8 x 1 inch stainless wood screws, oval phillips head.
Drilled piilot holes for the halyard cleat and halyard block, installed with #8 silicone bronze screws long enough to catch the 3/4 inch wooden backer blocks under the deck. It is a good thing to see dry wood shavings come out when the pilot hole is drilled.
Drilled the 3/16th inch pilot holes for the coaming rivets. It is important to buy the proper rivet, aluminum 3/16th inch closed end. They need to be closed end so water will not get into the hull. I also put a small bead of sealant in the rivet hole before installation.
Tapped the edge trim into place with a rubber hammer. Drilled 1/8th inch pilot holes for the edge trim rivets, which do not need to be closed end but they need a grip range of about 1/2 inch. Once again it is easiest to buy the rivets from a Sunfish Dealer. Be careful to only drill through the top of the trim and the deck edge, not all the way through, that is enough to hold on the trim. If the drill goes all the way through, take a file and remove any sharp burrs that are finger slicers. We also go back and file the top of the rivet to make them smooth.
Installed the gudgeon with #10 stainless machine screws. The metal backer plate inside is tapped for the screws, no need for washers and stop nuts. I add a small dab of sealant around each screw hole before installation.
Installed the swivel cam cleat and the sheet hook. The screws for the swivel cam cleat come through under the cockpit lip, they do not go inside the hull.
Added a retaining line to the daggerboard, so it doesn't float away during a capsize. Skipper prefers the simple line over a bungee, it makes it easy for her to pull the board out one handed when beaching. Otherwise she keeps it down most of the time, or if on a run the water pressure holds it where she wants it.
Complete Log for VIPER.
Finished up the final bits before sea trials for VIPER. Inspection ports, deck hardware, coaming, gudgeon, bailer.
Cut a larger hole for the aft inspection port with a DeWALT jigsaw, taped the deck first to reduce scratches. The hole is drawn using the port cap, flipping it over and tracing around the outside of it. Don't trace around the outside of the mounting ring, you'll have a really big hole :)
Sealed the port with a bead of TotalBoat Seal. One trick we have is to run a bead of sealant around the port outer ring, put the ring in place and give it a 1/2 turn to spread out the sealant. Drilled holes for the hardware. Secured the ports with #6 stainless steel machine screws, washers and stop nuts. I bought screws that were long enough so I can reach them to put on washers and stop nuts, plus I bought a deep socket that will hold the nut while the screw is tightened. One BIG tip is to buy a couple extra washers and nuts, because they are hard to find if they get dropped inside the hull.
Drilled pilot holes for the bow handle #8 x 1 inch stainless wood screws, oval phillips head.
Drilled piilot holes for the halyard cleat and halyard block, installed with #8 silicone bronze screws long enough to catch the 3/4 inch wooden backer blocks under the deck. It is a good thing to see dry wood shavings come out when the pilot hole is drilled.
Drilled the 3/16th inch pilot holes for the coaming rivets. It is important to buy the proper rivet, aluminum 3/16th inch closed end. They need to be closed end so water will not get into the hull. I also put a small bead of sealant in the rivet hole before installation.
Tapped the edge trim into place with a rubber hammer. Drilled 1/8th inch pilot holes for the edge trim rivets, which do not need to be closed end but they need a grip range of about 1/2 inch. Once again it is easiest to buy the rivets from a Sunfish Dealer. Be careful to only drill through the top of the trim and the deck edge, not all the way through, that is enough to hold on the trim. If the drill goes all the way through, take a file and remove any sharp burrs that are finger slicers. We also go back and file the top of the rivet to make them smooth.
Installed the gudgeon with #10 stainless machine screws. The metal backer plate inside is tapped for the screws, no need for washers and stop nuts. I add a small dab of sealant around each screw hole before installation.
Installed the swivel cam cleat and the sheet hook. The screws for the swivel cam cleat come through under the cockpit lip, they do not go inside the hull.
Added a retaining line to the daggerboard, so it doesn't float away during a capsize. Skipper prefers the simple line over a bungee, it makes it easy for her to pull the board out one handed when beaching. Otherwise she keeps it down most of the time, or if on a run the water pressure holds it where she wants it.
Complete Log for VIPER.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Sunfish Sailboat Common Repairs
Pretty much every old Sunfish that we come across needs at a minimum a bailer, a bow handle and a line kit. Other common repairs are trim rivet replacement and sealing up cracks in the daggerboard trunk or mast step. Here are a few of the items we had to do to get Scout ship shape.
The bailer was old and missing the float ball so we removed it. Take a set of large pliers and twist off the bailer nut. You will probably have to hold the bailer on the bottom as well so it does not spin, which can be done by one person if you are coordinated and have long enough arms :)
Clean up the bailer hole and check the seam between the cockpit and hull for voids, as water can leak into the inside of the hull from here. If you see an opening or thin gap in the seam, fill it with epoxy resin or putty. You can add a bead of marine silicone when you install the new bailer but it is not required.
Check the daggerboard trunk for obvious damage, caused by running aground and bashing the daggerboard into the trunk base. If there is an inspection port by the trunk you can spray water where the daggerboard goes and watch inside to see if you see any water seeping in. Repair those areas with epoxy or our favorite, Marine Tex epoxy putty. In the first picture you can see a trickle of water, that indicates an area where water was leaking inside. We repaired the inside with West System epoxy resin and hardener, and the external part of the trunk with Marine Tex.
If you have to remove any deck hardware, leave one screw loosely attached at all times so that the wooden backer blocks inside the hull don't fall off. They were originally secured with putty and fiberglass, but that dries up and the blocks can fall off.
The aluminum trim and coaming are held on by aluminum rivets. It is best to buy replacement rivets from a Sunfish dealer to get the proper size, but the 1/8 inch diameter trim rivets can also be found at local hardware stores. Get aluminum rivets that have a 1/2 inch grip range. If the rivet has pulled out of the seam, drill a new hole next to the old hole and put in a new rivet. Try to not drill all the way through the trim, just the top, otherwise you could have a sharp edge on the bottom. File it off if this happens.
Tools and materials used for restoration and repair.
The bailer was old and missing the float ball so we removed it. Take a set of large pliers and twist off the bailer nut. You will probably have to hold the bailer on the bottom as well so it does not spin, which can be done by one person if you are coordinated and have long enough arms :)
Clean up the bailer hole and check the seam between the cockpit and hull for voids, as water can leak into the inside of the hull from here. If you see an opening or thin gap in the seam, fill it with epoxy resin or putty. You can add a bead of marine silicone when you install the new bailer but it is not required.
Check the daggerboard trunk for obvious damage, caused by running aground and bashing the daggerboard into the trunk base. If there is an inspection port by the trunk you can spray water where the daggerboard goes and watch inside to see if you see any water seeping in. Repair those areas with epoxy or our favorite, Marine Tex epoxy putty. In the first picture you can see a trickle of water, that indicates an area where water was leaking inside. We repaired the inside with West System epoxy resin and hardener, and the external part of the trunk with Marine Tex.
If you have to remove any deck hardware, leave one screw loosely attached at all times so that the wooden backer blocks inside the hull don't fall off. They were originally secured with putty and fiberglass, but that dries up and the blocks can fall off.
The aluminum trim and coaming are held on by aluminum rivets. It is best to buy replacement rivets from a Sunfish dealer to get the proper size, but the 1/8 inch diameter trim rivets can also be found at local hardware stores. Get aluminum rivets that have a 1/2 inch grip range. If the rivet has pulled out of the seam, drill a new hole next to the old hole and put in a new rivet. Try to not drill all the way through the trim, just the top, otherwise you could have a sharp edge on the bottom. File it off if this happens.
Tools and materials used for restoration and repair.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Vintage Sunfish Parts
Made a parts haul a few months back, finally sorted them. There was some hardware dating back to the 1960s in there. It appears every part of the boat has changed since its inception.
1966 Data plate.
Old style rudder pin.
Mast caps.
Wilcox and Crittenden stainless steel boom blocks.
Wilcox and Crittenden bronze halyard block.
Drain plug.
 |
| From SBR 4: Jun 2014 - |
1966 Data plate.
 |
| From SBR 4: Jun 2014 - |
Old style rudder pin.
 |
| From SBR 4: Jun 2014 - |
Mast caps.
 |
| From SBR 4: Jun 2014 - |
Wilcox and Crittenden stainless steel boom blocks.
 |
| From SBR 4: Jun 2014 - |
Wilcox and Crittenden bronze halyard block.
 |
| From SBR 4: Jun 2014 - |
Drain plug.
 |
| From SBR 4: Jun 2014 - |
Monday, February 4, 2013
Bud hull sanding
Started work on Bud's hull, sanding in prep for paint. Pulled out the old bailer first, it is broken:
I noticed the boat had a little water inside the hull after a recent rain, and checked the seam between the cockpit and hull. There is a void there that can let water in so I'll squirt some epoxy in there before new bailer goes in:
The hull was very dirty, gelcoat is rough, this is after pressure washing and sanding the first half with 80 and 220 grit:
This is a pretty good patch, I'll sand it and it will be ready for paint:
This bare fiberglass needs to be revealed with gelcoat or epoxy. I'll use West Systems or Marine Tex:
 |
| From Sunfish Sailboat |
I noticed the boat had a little water inside the hull after a recent rain, and checked the seam between the cockpit and hull. There is a void there that can let water in so I'll squirt some epoxy in there before new bailer goes in:
 |
| From Sunfish Sailboat |
The hull was very dirty, gelcoat is rough, this is after pressure washing and sanding the first half with 80 and 220 grit:
 |
| From Sunfish Sailboat |
This is a pretty good patch, I'll sand it and it will be ready for paint:
 |
| From Sunfish Sailboat |
This bare fiberglass needs to be revealed with gelcoat or epoxy. I'll use West Systems or Marine Tex:
 |
| From Sunfish Sailboat |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)