Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

I am about to start on a Moonfish build over the Christmas break with by boys (10 and 12).

Both of my boys and I have sailed Sunfish at camps and had so much fun that we decided that we wanted to get a Sunfish or build a Sunfish. New Sunfish were too expensive. Buying a 2nd hand Sunfish seamed like a good option, but after looking at a few that were older than I am (42 years old) the amount of work to get them looking decent seemed like too much work for a 40 year old boat.

That is why I purchased the Moonfish plans. I had already purchased a 2nd hand sunfish mast/boom and sail for $100 over the summer.

Here are my supplies:
Maranti Plywood, Fiberglass tape, Resin and Hardner, Plans, filleting blend, fiberglass



Should be fun.

Walkabout_slp

First question I have is regarding what to build the boat on.

Does it matter how flat/rigid the surface is that I build the boat on?
I was going to build a "torsion box" instead of just putting some plywood on a few saw horses.

The 2 builds that are well documented with photos seem to just use plywood on saw horses, so maybe I am overthinking this.

What if anything do you build your boats on?

No need a for a fancy set up, a pair of saw horses is fine.
The panles are very flimsy when you start but as soon as you stitch a couple together, the hull will take shape and become stiffer.

Walkabout_slp,

I really like the Moonfish! My brother and I had a sunfish growing up and would sail that thing everywhere. It is definitely a boat your boys will enjoy!
Best of luck on your build!

Reid

If I am using a 2nd hand sunfish mast which has an OD of 2 1/4", do I need to adjust the dagger board trunk?
The plans show a mast with an OD of 2" and a space of 2 1/4" for the mast to fit into.
Would I need to just change this to 2 1/4" and a 2 1/2" space for the mast to fit into?

Made some progress on my first day:

Yes, no problem, adjust the dimensions to fit your parts.

Looks really good and a great work space to build in. I have the same saw horses as you and love them, super sturdy and very adjustable.

Judging from Alan’s endorsement of your sawhorses and the picture of your shop, this will by another one of those fast and super high quality builds, like Eric, RIchard, Mike, Wouter, Peter, etc. and others around here.

Welcome to the forum and good luck on your build from a 17 year Minnesota veteran who now lives in the Deep South and doesn’t miss the Winter cold.

We received a question by email about the daggerboard trunk panel.
The dimensions are correct but the plan and profile view are flipped.
The short side is the mast side.
The drafter flipped the profile view. it is mirrored.
Cut as shown but assemble with the short side towards the bow.

I know how it happened but nobody ever mentioned it despite many boats built. Each drawing is correct but the layout is mirrored. The drafter extracted the profile view from the wrong side view. Poor drafting technique, sorry.
I hope this is clear now.

Jacques,
Thanks for the clarification. I guess I was in a rush to build and did not notice that the daggerboard trunk was flipped.

Browndog,
Yes cold weather does make boat building difficult. It has been down to -10F this week and my garage heater has been working really hard. I bet you don't have this problem in the deep south, plus you could go sailing right now. I have to wait till May before I can sail, which should be enough time to finish the boat.