Lee Montes has been hard at work putting together some great Sunfish sailing videos recently. I wanted to share this one – “how to upgrade a used Sunfish sailboat” – with some of my thoughts on his list of recommended items.
Lee recommends the follow items to upgrade your used Sunfish [with my thoughts in brackets]
- mainsheet hangers [my2fish: zip-ties are a really cheap and simple option for mainsheet hangers]
- dry out your boat [my2fish: install an inspection port and a cheap fan like a muffin pan, PC fan]
- gooseneck quick release [my2fish: agreed, but Intensity Sails doesn’t offer them anymore… need to find a new supplier]
- universal tiller joint (and tiller extension) [my2fish: agreed, this is a great improvment]
- daggerboard retaining line (bungee cord) [my2fish: agreed, I’d recommend a new line kit]
- trucker’s hitch or slipknot for halyard [my2fish: install a mast cleat]
- Seitch or Dynamic dolly [my2fish: our build your own PVC dolly]
I added my thoughts behind each item above, but a couple others I’d recommend as good upgrades to improve your Sunfish sailing experience:
- mainsheet ratchet block (my preferred setup) makes sailing the Sunfish so much fun and easier to maintain your grip on the mainsheet
- new racing cut sail from Intensity Sails ~$150 (this sail is not “class legal” but for rec sailors is such a good upgrade)
- mast cleat (mentioned above, important to minimize the tension force on the halyard cleat on the deck)
- new line kit (mentioned above, well worth the $50 or so for all new control lines)
I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my photos slipped into Lee’s video – showing my older Sunfish stored at my dad’s barn (at the 1:21 mark of the video).

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