AMF Sunfish Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

There is effectively one layout: an open cockpit with a small foot-well, a bow handle on the foredeck, and — on boats from 1971 onward — a storage cubby under the aft end of the cockpit. The 4-foot 1-inch beam and 2-foot 11-inch daggerboard-down draft define a trailer or cartop boat rather than a moored one, and the cockpit itself is sized for a solo sailor up to 190 lbs or a crew total of 500 lbs. No enclosed accommodation exists; this is a beach-and-ramp design.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

No fitted-equipment tiers are published for this model, so the consequential items to know are those the design itself settled on over time. The DePersia Venturi bailer is the one piece of hardware that matters for ownership: it lets the cockpit self-drain at a few knots and closes with an internal float ball or plug from inside. A hiking strap close to the cockpit floor, a ratchet block on a stand-up spring ahead of the cockpit, and aluminum tillers (straight or wishbone) are the later-standard fittings; original wooden ash tillers and cotton sails are period curiosities rather than upgrades. Rudder and daggerboard choices on new-order boats were mahogany or fiber-reinforced polymer.

What to Inspect

On a specific hull, confirm which rudder system you are looking at. The pre-1971 boats used a patented bronze rudder-releasing mechanism by Wilcox & Crittenden; from 1971 the boat went to an aluminum gudgeon, pintle, and spring design that kicks up by itself for beaching or if an underwater obstacle is struck and can be raised from the cockpit. All fiberglass-fleet parts are interchangeable except across that old-versus-new rudder divide, so a mismatched blend will not fit cleanly. Check the DePersia Venturi bailer for its internal float ball or plug — without it the self-draining cockpit cannot be sealed when stationary, and a hardened or missing plug is a tell. On any wooden early hull (built to the mid-1960s) expect plywood care, not fiberglass; the ALCORT 1960s hulls at 139 lbs are stouter than the modern 120-lb shell. Verify the six closed-cell foam blocks (three bow, three stern) or later air bladders are present for flotation.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

Used AMF Sunfish are typically found in the United States. For a viewing, keep the following short checks in mind:

• Identify the rudder system before assuming parts fit.
• Confirm the bailer plug is present and soft.
• Look for foam blocks or air bladders in the hull.
• Match tiller and sail hardware to the boat's era.
• Test the daggerboard length against the hull's generation.