The sunfish is one of the most popular small sailboats ever manufactured, and for good reason. Its simplicity and ease of use makes it great for beginners, yet enjoyable for even seasoned veterans. The Sunfish has a relativity simple rigging set up, and after a few tries you will have it nailed.
Components
The Sunfish consists of the boat itself, the sail (which is composed of an upper boom, lower boom, and sail) the mast, the rudder/tiller, and the dagger board. The boat itself is a fiberglass hull with a sitting area in the middle large enough for two crew. Located on the bow is a mast hole, deck eye, and cleat. Aft of the mast hole is a slot for the dagger board, and aft of that is the crew area. Near the stern is a cable for attaching the mainsheet, and the mount for the rudder.
On the sail there is a lower and upper boom each made out of aluminum. These booms are hollow and will float in the event of a capsize. On the lower boom are two pulleys for attaching the mainsheet line. On the upper boom the halyard (rope used to raise the sail) is attached.
The mast is a long hollow aluminum pole, which rests in the mast hole. At the top there is a large pulley used to raise and lower the sail.
Finally, the rudder/tiller and dagger board are components that aid in control of the boat. The rudder attaches to the stern of the boat with a pin, and is controlled with the tiller. The dagger board slides down through a slot, and projects into the water to provide lateral stability.
Rigging
Now that you are familiar with the components of the boat, the rigging process can begin. First run the halyard, which should already be attached to the upper boom, through the top pulley on the mast. Then place the mast through the ring on the lower boom, and then into the mast hole on the boat. The mast and sail are now attached to the boat itself. Next clip the mainsheet line into the cable on the stern of the boat. Then run it through the two pulleys on the lower boom going outside to inside. Leave the excess line in the boat.
Next connect the rudder to the stern of the boat using the pin attached to the rudder. Make sure that the tiller is fed under the cable holding the mainsheet line. Now that all components are attached you can raise the sail.
Pull on the halyard so that the upper boom begins to rise. Continue raising the sail until it reaches its full height. The lower boom should be 1-2 feet above the deck. After the sail is at its highest point, feed the end of the halyard through the deck eye, pull tight, and secure on the cleat. The sail should now stay raised without having to be held.
You are now ready to sail. Make sure that the dagger board is in the boat but not yet inserted into the slot. Once you move away from shallow water the dagger board can be inserted. Remember to always keep safety in mind, and be mindful of others on the water. Happy sailing!
