1963 Wooden Alcort Sunfish CHIP 03 Mar 19 New Hull Panels

03 Mar 19:

Metal De Persia bailer screw cap. They seize up enough on their own, without help from a coat of paint. First Gen Sunfish did not have a bailer, that might have been the best tack.

Cross section of a DePersia bailer, bow od boat to right. The knurled cap is supposed to be unscrewed while the boat is underway and let water be pulled out of the cockpit by venturi.

Old hull panels used as patterns. There was extensive checking (flaking) in the plywood. These are the aft sections.

Lined up 2 layers of 1/4 inch marine grade Douglas Fir plywood and used hull panels as a pattern. These are the forward panels.

Cut the ply with a DeWalt jigsaw. Stayed just about 1/8th inch outside the line on the outside edge and we'll plane that down once the panels are fit on the boat. The inner edge we cut to the line.

We beat the rain! For our Northern friends, that green stuff is called grass. 74F today.

Keel strip is rabbeted to cover and protect the edge of the hull panels. We'll make a new one.

The Supervisor flew by to check on things.



2 pieces of 4x8 plywood required to make the 4 bottom panels. Next we need to cut the scarfs to join the panels together. They will be attached with thickened epoxy and silicone bronze ring shank nails.

Put a barrier coat of TotalBoat WetEdge on the interior of the Douglas Fir plywood. That interior face is where any wayward moisture would end up and the open grain needed to be finished to protect against moisture. Used a Mighty Mini roller kit and Redtree Fooler double chip brush to carefully smear the paint around, a flood coat. All supplies available from Jamestown Distributors.

1963 wooden Sunfish had a V shaped coaming, aka the Mustache, cut from mahogany. Attached through the deck with screws at the end. Held together in the middle by a cool bronze bracket made by Wilcox and Crittenden Co, Inc.

1963 wooden Sunfish had a V shaped coaming, aka the Mustache, cut from mahogany. Attached through the deck with screws at the end. Held together in the middle by a cool bronze bracket made by Wilcox and Crittenden Co, Inc.

Log of CHIP.

1963 Alcort Wooden Sunfish CHIP 09 May 18 Restoration Parts

09 May 18:

CHIP will have a V shaped coaming, this one will be used as a pattern and we'll cut a new one from mahogany or cypress.

We also have a really nice rudder, it needs the shorter vertical plate because the wooden Sunfish have the short transom like the Sailfish.

Log of CHIP.

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.

Splashguard (coaming) for Merci and Gaff Tape

Got a box in the mail a few days back, what could it be?

From Small Boat Restoration

It's a coaming for Merci, purchase from ebay for about half the cost of new, shipping included. There are a few holes that need repair but Marine Tex will take care of that.

From Small Boat Restoration

Merci will be blue and yellow, so I put a base coat of yellow spray Rustoleum on. This will help identify areas that need epoxy putty to seal cracks or low spots in fiberglass.

From Small Boat Restoration

Gaff Tape, some of the coolest tape ever. It is made of fabric so that can be shaped, and the adhesive does not leave a residue like other tapes. It is used by the entertainment industry to temporarily tape down cables on stages. I like to use it to protect spars, a cushion for wood to wood contact, ex keeping the tiller or interlocking hardware on Zip from scraping deck or between yoke and spar. It probably developed from use of similar materials aboard sailing vessels, it would be good when whipping rigging. Speaking of sailing, i found it interesting sailors used to work at theaters when in port because they knew how to work all of the rigging for the stage. The back stage of a theatre looks a lot like a sailing ship, and I've been told the language is much similar :)

From Small Boat Restoration

Heron fishing from top of dock.

From Small Boat Restoration