StarCraft Sea Flite Sail Rings

[prmichael]

I would appreciate any info to help me find some sail rings for my old boat. It's a 12' Starcraft Sea Flite, fiberglass hull, single aluminum mast, probably a 1967 model.

I need some more plastic snap rings that attach the sail to the mast. 3" diameter, 1/2" wide, similar to the modern Sunfish rings but larger. These have been impossible to locate, and would probably only be in some old marina's back storeroom somewhere.

Thanks in advance,
Patrick

[stickrules211]

I'm in the process of fabricating some mast hoops for that very boat out of pvc. I think their going to work very well and be alot stronger then the originals. I'll post a pic of one when I'm finished with specs. One modification to the sail is to increase the mast grommets to 3/8" from 1/4". The sail maker by my house did it for $25 for all 10 of them.

[prmichael]

Another sailing friend went the same route as you, and he sent me his excess original hoops. I was able to provide him with the dimensions for making a new dagger board for his boat. These are a little more brittle than my originals, but I may be able to revive them or use as is. I tried them briefly awhile back but the wind and waves were just too much to stay out long. I'll be interested to see your hoops.

[jayc]

Did we ever see a picture of these pvc mast hoops? I have a 68 SeaFlite missing one hoop and it galls me every time I look up and see the rope substitute.Im afraid searching for new hoops has become a bit of an obsession...but it got me to join up here.
Also dont have a hatch cover for my SeaFlite...I keep promising to make one but wouldnt mind having a look at what the original looked like esp the latching sysytem. Jay

[prmichael]

jayc, if you want to email me your address, I can send you an original ring or two. I'll have to dig them out and see how many I have. I meant to use some vinyl restorer on the rings I received to see if that would soften them up a bit. My originals are still pretty supple. The PVC rings are just cut from a length of pipe. The sail is tied to the rings, and the rings are slid on to the mast before inserting it in the mast hole.

My hatch is also long gone, but I remember it quite well. Primarily, it was just a wooden square with the corners rounded to the shape of the hatch hole. The inner side of the cover protruded into the hole, so it was either a smaller piece laminated to the outer piece or the whole thing was one piece routed down to fit. Pretty sure the hinges were rather plain, and hidden by the outer part of the hatch cover. The latch was one of those spring loaded rollers like you find on some cabinet doors, though it may have been a bit larger.