A Frank Odell Web Page

 

Sailing The Sunfish

Page Content

This page introduces the viewer to the Sunfish sailboat. The page also provides some interesting links to other sailing web sites.
[Sunfish Logo]
 

A Personal Unofficial Web Page

This page was created using Microsoft Front Page. Some features, i.e. titles, are not compatible with some web browsers. Firefox is one example of lack of compatibility.

Page History

Original Page: 02/08/97

Last Improvement: 10/30/02 08/29/03 11/11/04 02/18/05 05/11/05 05/25/05 03/09/08


[Sunfish pic]
It was the spring of 1982 and time to buy a small sailboat. We were living in New Hampshire at the time, and most sailing would be on lakes, ponds and rivers. It must be possible to launch and recover the boat single handed. The boat must be a beach boat for light ocean usage. It must be fun to sail, but not necessarily a stable sailing platform. The boat had to be acceptable in a racing fleet. The Sunfish was a one-design that had a large world wide racing fleet. For all the these reasons, and more, the Sunfish by Alcort was chosen.

The Sunfish has a dagger board and is lanteen rigged. The little boat is almost maintenance free with a washdown and some waxing being the major care required. It is a solo sailor and is quite easy to handle single handed. It can carry 2 adults easily, but not in comfort.

My advice to anyone desiring to learning to sail a Sunfish is to learn how to swim first. Always wear a life-vest and learn to enjoy real sailing.

If you can sail this little guy, you can sail anything.
 


Before you begin viewing the clips' below,

you should use this control to stop the background music.
 


Sailing on the sunfish


 

Sunfish Worlds Masters 2005 - Part 1


[Vanguard Sailboats]
Link tested: 01/14/05

SUNFISH SPECIFICATIONS

Length: 13 ft. 10 in.
Racing crew: 1
Beam: 4 ft. 1 in.
Rating: D-PN 105.5
Draft: 2 ft. 8 in. (scaled)
First built: 1955
Weight: 129 lbs. (hull only)
No. built: Over 200,000
Sail area: 75 sq. ft.
Designers: Alex Bryan and Cortlandt Heyniger
Hull: FRP
Spars: Aluminum

The International Sunfish Association Race

 

Here Are Some Interesting And Useful Links
 
Sunfish Class

......A short history of the Sunfish  Link Tested: 10/29/03 04/13/04 01/14/05 10/12/07

Sunfish Class ......Sunfish Class Home Page  Link Tested: 05/30/02 04/13/04 01/14/0510/12/07
Sunfish Class ......Vanguard Sailboats, Sunfish Page  Link Tested: 10/30/03  04/13/04 01/14/0510/12/07
Nav

......An excellent moving map navigation program for the PC and GPS on your boat.  There is a beta version on their web site you can try, the download is free.  I no longer go to sea, so I have not tested the software in at-sea conditions. Too much for a Sunfish, but if you have a larger boat this may be of interest  Link tested: 10/30/03,  04/13/04, 01/14/05

On Site Links
Go home
Link tested: 01/14/05
Camping
Link tested: 01/14/05
[Airplanes]
Link tested: 01/14/05
The music is "Key Largo" and it loops continuously.
 
Link tested: 02/18/05
[Submarines]
Link tested: 01/14/05

Web Page Created By Frank C. Odell
Merritt Island, Florida, USA
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