Sunfish in bays?

B

Brett Ledman

New member
I?m looking to convert a sunfish sailboat into a sneakbox. I hunt out of the bays of south NJ in the marsh and open bays. Would the sunfish be able to handle rough water or are there modifications I should do to make it more seaworthy. I know there?s other post about the conversion but just seeing what mods were done to make it better for rougher water and also how can I toughen up the transom to add a 4-6hp motor on it
 
If you're looking to hunt somewhere very protected a sunfish conversion might suffice, but for the NJ coastal and delaware bay marshes, with giant tide swings and potential for nasty conditions I think a true barnegat bay sneakbox would be a better option. Now's the time of year when craigslist and other places are full of guys offloading their boats and other gear. A real sneakbox would be safer than a sunfish in my opinion.
 
Absolutely been hunting the marsh for about 8 years now I know how bad it can change in a second haha. It be more for calm days or for sculling on back channel black ducks. I was just seeing what people had done
 
Welcome Brett, pull up a chair. I haven't done it, but I've seen some real nice conversions over the years that look plenty seaworthy. I'm sure someone can post a link if you can't fine them using the search. Look forward to seeing some picks if you decide to build and document it.

T
 
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Brett Ledman said:
Thanks Tod yeah I will keep an update when it comes to working on it
Click to expand...

Lot of guys here that would appreciate it for sure, and maybe offer a tip or two.
 
Good morning, Chet~


I have converted one Sunfish for gunning - primarily to be towed as a layout boat - or to be rowed as a "grassboat":



https://stevenjaysanford.com/sunfish-to-gunning-boat/



IF I were to convert one to serve/perform more like a sneakbox, I would remove the decks almost entirely (I would leave a 1.5" "shelf" all around the perimeter to help fasten new frames and decks. The most important improvement I would make would be to add at least 4 inches of crown to the decks - for better hide, more storage below and mostly to shed seas.


I made many of these changes on my own Sneakbox (WARNING - VERY LONG post.....):


http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=280953;do=post_view;search_string=Sneakbox%20Renovation#p280953



What I have not played around with on these hulls is mounting an outboard. I believe others have shortened the stern and mounted a motor board, BUT....you'd need to balance the loss of buoyancy (from shortening the hull) against having the motor close enough to you to operate - even with a tiller extension. Sunfishes row well - not sure if they will plane or function mostly as a displacement hull.


All the best,


SJS





 
Brett,

What Craig said I agree with. However, I also look at what Steve has done himself and what I've seen and that's the exception. Last year I ran into two gentelmen at a local ramp who modified sunfish's for duck hunting. One of them told me they were both carpenters. They actually took two sunfish, slapped them together, and made a pretty robust boat.

You may find yourself with a fair bit of work on your hands to get it the way it needs to be.

So the long answer is they work if you're willing to put in the work. If you want something better out of the box (no pun intended), go for a BBSB. If your needs are for one hunter, you can find them really reasonable. Especially during this time of year.
 
I had a bob fricke sneakbox when I was 18 and i loved it had a 8hp Johnson and was awesome but had to sell it due to bills 😡😫 I will buy a 2 man sneakbox eventually but wanted to have a pretty cool winter project for my father and myself to do every chance we get free time. I have a sawmill so I will be cutting cedar boards to make a new deck to raise the front up so it has more of a rounded top and fiberglass it. It?ll be for fun to see how it goes. I?ll have to sketch everything out in order to see how it will work. Thanks for all the input fellas! Now the duck season is over I have more time on the weekends 😥
 
Brett, try your local marinas in the storage yard. Some really nice 12-14' run abouts sitting idle, haven't seen water in years. In Bellport area guys converted them to Pow Pows Bet SteveCut the top off and redeck how you want it. Fiberglass bottom.
I've seen some really nice boats made that way. Probably get the hull for next to nothing. Bet Steve could come up with great boat...
 
Good morning, Rich~


Very close! I built this 2-man Sneakbox from my father-in-law's old Herter's cartopper. In fact, I did discuss the project with Bud Corwin - originator of the "pow-pow"s you mention. Cutting down a runabout is a great idea - if you want a planing hull. Finding one with shallow draft can be tough because so many have too much deadrise (vee) up forward. That was Bud's most important advice.


This vessel served me (and a partner) well for many years - until I stumbled across the Barnegat that I now use.


I came across this photo just yesterday - preparing for the March 2 LIDCA Show. I built it before the era of digital cameras - so did not photodocument every step. This is the first spray dodger I made. The dodger was just for travel; we shot over the bow.



View attachment Two-man Sneakbox - SJS at helm sm.jpg





All the best,


SJS

 
Hi Bret,
I am the grateful owner of the sunfish conversion that Steve posted above. I love it. It rows beautifully and is very comfortable. The flat decks make it super easy to stow decoys (mesh bags lashed to the deck) and it hides very well. My original intent was to use it as an open water layout boat. While it will fool passing buffs and mergs and can peel off stray brant here and there, I have found that it doesn't function as effectively as a conventional layout boat like a Bankes or Mighty. But I have found it to be very effective when hunting a point where you can throw some grass and weeds on the deck. It would be an excellent choice if you were to tow it by a tender and then pole it in to a marsh system for shallow water puddle duckin'. When done well, it's a very cool boat. As far as going out in big water, I would not.
 
I've thrown around this same idea and might tackle it if I can find an old sunfish hull when I move to Tampa!

One question:
How much HP would you need to move a Sunfish conversion at hull speed?
Wondering if a cut down trolling motor with the battery up in the front would work fine for trips under a mile or two? With oars as back up of course.
Or a small portable outboard (2-3hp)??
 
I would say a 2 or 3hp would be fine and not require too much engineering. It would also be cool to be able to take it off and stow it once hunting. As far as what the hull can handle, the floor is pretty springy but it is well built woven glass and I'm sure when a proper transom is engineered and installed you could probably go all the way up to a 9.9hp and fly. But that's not what I wanted. I have a grass boat with a 15 and a dory with a 25.
 
Carl said:
I've thrown around this same idea and might tackle it if I can find an old sunfish hull when I move to Tampa!

One question:
How much HP would you need to move a Sunfish conversion at hull speed?
Wondering if a cut down trolling motor with the battery up in the front would work fine for trips under a mile or two? With oars as back up of course.
Or a small portable outboard (2-3hp)??
Click to expand...

When I was a kid, we had a 14' centerboard sloop that was a little bigger, heavier, and more seaworthy than a Sunfish. It came with a 1.5 HP Johnson outboard. That was way before GPS, but it would push that boat a lot faster than it could be rowed. I remember Dad towing two canoes back to shore one time when a thunderstorm was threatening. Got those two canoes to shore a lot faster than paddling would have.

Wish I still had that motor. Mom took it to the dump (!!!!) after Dad died.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk0XlWOqsQU
 
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