Viking - Sunfish clone

danpal

danpal

Well-Known Member
I just got around to cutting up my Viking since I'd stripped it of all its hardware and it was in horrible shape.

What was amazing was that despite using the same molds as the Sunfish, the construction on the inside was completely different. The floatation foam blocks were much smaller. About a third of the size of the Sunfish and there was no expanding foam used to hold the foam blocks in place. Either it disintegrated to nothing or it was never applied in the first place. The thickness of the fiberglass was also much thinner than a Sunfish. No wonder they could sell it for less, they used a third less materials!
 
I did a how to loose foam block repair posting on a 1980 Sunfish in 2012 and in that hull the foam blocks looked like they were glued rather than set in place with expanding structural foam. As far a interior structural design I would have prefer additional fiberglass support between the hull and the deck for the reason that once the foam is crush down it does not spring back to its original state.
Loose foam blocks are the Achilles heel of the Sunfish and its clones.
The result is soft bottoms and decks, and loose foam blocks.
Hulls that get lots of water in them and then are lifted up out of the water causes foam block separation also.
The redesign of the cockpit solved the aft deck support and storage issues so I would propose that another redesign of the cockpit. extending it forward on each side of the center board trunk would have the same benefits, increased storage and a more rigid forward hull and deck.
Being able to easily stow all your gear in the cockpit when travailing is another bonus.
Danpal your post got my creative juices flowing for a new design tub.

Minas man
 
Interesting comment about the Viking. I have a '73 Viking and the hull is a lot sturdier than the '81 Phantom I had. The deck was solid,but the hull was so flimsy that it would echo if I hit a powerboat wake. One time in a 20+ wind I actually had the hull separate from the deck in three places.
 
They really reduced the amount of fiberglass and the backer blocks were a joke. Here's a couple of pictures of the interior. You can see the backer block for the cleat in the first photo and the size of the foam floatation. Completely different from a Sunfish.
photo(1).JPG

photo(2).JPG
 
I'll have to see if I can get some pictures of my hull. I cut an inspection port to try to fix the mast step (long story). I couldn't get to it from the inside without cutting out the foam. What year was your Viking?
 
I'm not sure what year it was and since the stern is at the landfill it will remain a mystery...:rolleyes:
 
This question doesn't rate a new thread, but what boat is this? A close-up has a name towards the transom: Si-Sud?

It appeared to have most of its parts, but I can't say I've seen one like this before. :oops: Did I miss a good buy? :confused:
GEDC0014-001.JPG
GEDC0016.JPG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top