Sunfish Daggerboard Retaining Line

 30 May 23:

The Sunfish daggerboard should have a retaining line, so in the event of a capsize the board does not float away. Very important, as the board is used as a lever to right the boat. 

The old wooden boards had a 1/4 inch diameter hole drilled in the cleat to attach a thin line, and many of the holes are nowadays filled with dirt.

We cleaned out the hole before shipping the boards off to North Carolina. 

Sunfish Daggerboard Retaining Line

14 Jul 20:

The daggerboard on the Sunfish and Sailfish is an important element of capsize recovery, after a capsize the first thing to do is make sure the sheet is clear and then check that the daggerboard is fully inserted. A retaining line was added to the Alcort Fish in the mid 1960s so that folks don't have to go swimming after the daggerboard, it was a small diameter line that tied through a 1/4 inch hole on one of the daggerboard cleats and secured at the other end to an eyestrap on the deck just forward of the daggerboard trunk.

We added a line to PHOENIX, used 1/8th inch diameter Dacron cord from New England Ropes, sold by West Marine in 50 foot packs back near their line wall. Tied with a bowline on each end.