[RQuest]

I manage a boat rental facility on a small and shallow lake. The Sunfish we rent are constantly run aground and hit submerged obstacles. This has caused damaged to multiple daggerboard trunks. Currently I use Marine Tex to repair the damage, however this lasts only until the next stump or sandbar is hit. I've found reinforcement inserts online, but none for a Sunfish. Does anyone know if such a thing is available for sunfish sailboats? Thanks

-Rick

Link to reinforcement set:

RS - RS Feva Daggerboard Case Reinforcement Set - LDC Sailing

 

[CalebD]

I've never seen a dagger board slot reinforcing kit for a Sunfish. I have repaired a fair number of Sunfish but never the dagger board slot.
I suspect you could fabricate something similar to your link. Maybe some PVC pipe cut in half length wise or other metal pipe.
I would not use Marine Tex for that repair though. It needs some glass cloth fabric to give it strength and overlap with epoxy. Not the easiest repair given the narrow access.

 

[RQuest]

Unfortunately I'm at the point where simply repairing the boats is no longer feasible. We rent out 13 sunfish currently, and every single one has cracks in the trunk. Once repaired, they simply crack again with the next bump. I'm hoping to take some measurements and see if a metal fabricator nearby can possibly build something custom to protect them.

-Rick

 

[CalebD]

I'm hoping to take some measurements and see if a metal fabricator nearby can possibly build something custom to protect them.

-Rick

I'd be quite curious as to how that works out for you.
I have 20 Sunfish that I look after for a community sailing program.

 

[RQuest]

I will definitely keep you posted. I've been trying all sorts of other methods such as attaching carpet inside the trunk and I've also found some kits with rubber bumpers online (I never bought them). I don't think either of those will give me the protection however. What would truly help, aside from a metal guard, would be a deeper lake...which has lead me to other wild ideas of possibly using bathymetric mapping and finding exactly where all the submerged obstacles/shallow areas are. I imagine a metal guard will be the cheapest and easiest way though.


-Rick

 

[CalebD]

I was going to say you must have a lot of really hard rocks where your Sunfish travel.
The teens that use our boats are not particularly careful with them but our boats are launched from a sandy beach. They often drag the dagger board when launching or returning but it is usually the Mahogany dagger boards that I end up repairing, not the dagger board trunk.
You have an interesting idea though.
Have you checked out the Sunfish sailor yahoo group?
Perhaps someone has already invented that "wheel", but if not, it is a possible new product for Sunfish sailboats.

 

[RQuest]

We also launch from a sandy beach but there are so many submerged stumps/rocks/sandbars that it's impossible to know where they all are. It is a man-made flood control lake and is very shallow within 100 yards of the shoreline or more. I did just post on Yahoo though, thanks for the advice.

-Rick

 

[Lake Superior Sailor]

They make them for fifteen boats , why not get the measurements and buy what's close then shim out the difference?......Dale

 

[RQuest]

What fifteen boats are they made for? I'm not sure if you are talking about the link I posted earlier or not, but I didn't see them for any other models.

-Rick