The Day One Kit for Sunfish: mainsheet, block, cleat and telltales

The parts that wear out first on a Sunfish, in one order. If your boat has been sitting, or you just bought it and don't know how old the rigging is, start here.

The Day One Kit replaces the mainsheet and the small parts around it: a new sheet, a ball bearing block for the small controls, a cleat, and telltales so you can see what the sail is doing.

What's in the kit

• Robline tapered mainsheet (MT-OPTI). 7m (23 ft) of Dyneema and polyester line, 9mm in the middle where you hold it and 6mm at the ends where it runs through the blocks. Thick enough to grip, light enough to run free.
• Ronstan Series 15 ball bearing block, loop top (RF15101). A small ball bearing block for a control line up to 5mm, such as a 2:1 outhaul.
• Ronstan nylon horn cleat, 76mm (RF520). A 3 inch cleat for tying off small lines. Two 5mm screws at 25mm centers.
• Ronstan leech tails, set of 3 (RF4026). Telltales with adhesive patches that stick to the back edge of the sail. When they stream straight back, the sail is trimmed right.
• BoatLIFE Liquid Life-Calk sealant, 2.8 oz (1052). Bed the block and cleat in it when you screw them down, so the holes do not let water into the hull.
• Orion safety whistle, 2 pack (676). One for each life jacket.

Who it's for

• Parents getting a boat ready for a child. You want the lines and fittings to be sound before they go out.
• Anyone who just bought a used Sunfish. You don't know the history of the rigging, so start fresh.
• Sailors coming back after a few seasons off. Lines go stiff and fittings get brittle in storage.

Fitting it

Line for the outhaul and other small controls is not included; 3 to 5mm line suits the block and cleat. The mainsheet and telltales go on by hand. The block and cleat replace parts already on your boat; if the old screw holes don't line up, you'll need a drill. The sealant for bedding them is in the kit.

Which Sunfish it fits

Every Sunfish with the lateen rig, from the aluminum-trimmed boats of the 1960s to the boats built today. The parts that changed over the years are the rudder hardware, the bailer and the drain plug, and nothing in this kit touches them.

• Mainsheet length. The tapered sheet is 23 ft; the standard Sunfish sheet is 25 ft. That's enough for the stock rig, from the bridle through the boom blocks to the deck block. If you've added purchase or lead the sheet somewhere else, it may be short.
• Block and cleat. Both mount with screws, so they suit any deck. The cleat's holes are at 25mm centers; if your old holes don't match, drill new ones.

Ready for more? The Club Racer Kit rebuilds the mainsheet system and adds adjustable control lines for racing.

All sales are final. Not sure it fits? Ask us first.