Restoration of our 60s Sunfish - Spring 2020

Our "mule" used for testing new ideas is an aging Sunfish with the old-style rudder and hollow spruce spar. It leaked water and weighed significantly more than the 130 pounds suggested in Kent Lewis' great book, "The Sunfish Owner's Manual".  It was missing a bow handle, the coaming was damaged, the bridle was home-made and in questionable condition, and the deck and hull was badly scratched in ma

The coaming and aluminum side trim has been removed. The rear deck is carefully split from the hull with a sharp putty knife and a plastic dead fall hammer.

The same process is used in removing the front deck from the hull. The center foam block broke during removal, but will be easily repaired later.

The rear foam blocks were in good condition, but surrounding foam securing them in place was partially waterlogged.  All backing blocks suffered from dry rot, were removed and replaced with new blocks made from white oak and protected with epoxy.

All foam and backing blocks have been removed from the bow section. The mast step was separated from the deck using a saws-all with a fine-toothed blade.  It will be bonded back together later.

The rear foam has been removed.  All internal surfaces will be scraped and sanded to remove old foam and backing blocks. Several areas with damaged glass were repaired and reinforced with cloth on the inside and outside of the hull. The junctions of the mast step and daggerboard trunk received a thick coat of epoxy to prevent water penetration. The entire internal surface received a good scrubbing