Sunfish Bits

14 Jun 18:

We picked up a few Sunfish bits, one bit was a vintage mainsheet with the bronze clip on the end. The line and the clip is really nice, but the lines measure around 22 feet, with 25 feet being an optimum length. For our low speed recreational sailing 22 feet is plenty.

The other bit was a bow handle designed for the wooden Alcort boats. The bow handle was made by Wilcox and Crittenden, Alcort's hometown hardware makers. The handle is chrome plated bronze and has the WC mark on the side. The tab on the front was for the wooden Sailfish and Sunfish, it covered the stem and another piece of aluminum quarter round flows down along the stem and keel for 18 inches.

1979 Drascombe Dabber VICTORY 31 Jan 18 Rudder Blank

31 Jan 18:

We decided on cumaru (Peruvian teak) for the rudder to match the new floorboards, transom cap and forward rowing seat. We cut the radiused edges off of the deck boards on the table saw, then laid them out to see how many boards we need for the pattern. We'll need 4 planks, if I'd cut them more carefully I might have been able to get the rudder out of 3 planks.

While we were playing with patterns I checked Steve's bowsprit pattern against our bowsprit, I'd say that we were within 1/8th inch for most of the piece.

We edge glued the planks with Pettit Flexpoxy and clamped them lightly with bar clamps. Placed plastic underneath so they didn't glue themselves to the bench. The planks tried to cup so I clamped them down to the workbench as well.

Bought some Tufnol bling for the mainsheet, hopefully I got the correct configuration and size.

Restoration Log of VICTORY.

Sunfish Rigging

West Marine is having a 25 percent discount sale on rope this month, so we went by their store in Ft Walton Beach and picked up 25 feet of 3/16 inch sta-set line for a halyard, red and blue fleck. Also 25 feet of 5/16 inch sta-set line for the mainsheet, we like ours just a little smaller for hand grip and also goes through boom blocks and cleat better when new. And 8 feet of 3/16 inch shock cord with 2 shock cord hooks for the daggerboard retainer. I already had a 50 foot piece of New England 1/8 inch rope at home that I have been cutting up for for outhauls. It would also make good daggerboard retainer line if the daggerboard still has the old style brass spring.
I normally can get a complete line kit from Yankee Boating Center for $49.99 plus shipping. The West Marine sale price was 75 cents a foot for the sheet and 43 cents a foot for the halyard, so my total Sunfish rigging purchase out the door, with tax, was $45.63. Add in some money for gas and both line kits are about the same, so I am guessing YBC must be able to get a dealer discount on rope.

From Sunfish Sailboat