pseudo15prt
New Member
I picked up a 1973 Sunfish on Craigslist last weekend and thought I'd document the restoration on this forum. Partly I want to keep myself committed to taking lots of pictures, partly because I think we all enjoy seeing a half-dead boat come back to life.
The boat is actually in pretty good shape I think. It looks like a previous owner had re-bedded the hardware in some very tough orange/brown epoxy stuff, so I'll leave that alone. The gelcoat is heavily oxidized and I will wet-sand with 800 grit I think, then buff with some marine polishing compound. The keel has a repair just aft of the cockpit that at some point opened back up slightly. When I got home, the trailer was wet under that location. Not sure what the weight is (the Wife won't lend me her scale), but I think it's pretty heavy. I cut an inspection port behind the splashguard and indeed, the inside is damp (but not soaking wet). I plan to restore the top first, then flip and sand away the old repair and re-do it with fresh fiberglass. The daggerboard is horribly warped from sitting in the sun for years - it's cupped to the side that was exposed. One last repair: the port foam block has broken free, so I'll anchor that back in place with some expanding foam through the inspection port.
This is a work in progress and I'll update this thread with changes as they happen.
The boat is actually in pretty good shape I think. It looks like a previous owner had re-bedded the hardware in some very tough orange/brown epoxy stuff, so I'll leave that alone. The gelcoat is heavily oxidized and I will wet-sand with 800 grit I think, then buff with some marine polishing compound. The keel has a repair just aft of the cockpit that at some point opened back up slightly. When I got home, the trailer was wet under that location. Not sure what the weight is (the Wife won't lend me her scale), but I think it's pretty heavy. I cut an inspection port behind the splashguard and indeed, the inside is damp (but not soaking wet). I plan to restore the top first, then flip and sand away the old repair and re-do it with fresh fiberglass. The daggerboard is horribly warped from sitting in the sun for years - it's cupped to the side that was exposed. One last repair: the port foam block has broken free, so I'll anchor that back in place with some expanding foam through the inspection port.
This is a work in progress and I'll update this thread with changes as they happen.