A few weeks ago my wife dragged home a boat. 
The info plate says it's a sand piper 8.
$50 and we're pretty sure it floats so no complaints. It needs work though. Closest thing still being sold to it I can find is a Walker Bay 8 I think? Any help in finding parts and pieces would be great. It needs a new transom, oar locks possibly, and a mast plate if I can't find or make a sail kit for it.
I'd also like to get an outboard for it. Suggestions?
Lol, rubberqueen. 
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Looks like $50 worth of fun
Never seen a white one that big...
For the money to find and buy all the bits to make it sail you could buy an up and running sailboat.
For power I would lean toward an electric trolling motor. It would provide plenty of power for a few hours at a time without the weight of a 4 stroke.
Here's some inspiration for you. 
In reply to petegossett:
LOL, I hadn't heard that before. I imagine it was a bit risque for the times.
In reply to skierd:
Looks like a fun project. That is is you find fiberglass, epoxy and sanding fun. I have been on the lookout for a little sailing dinghy myself, but I am looking for 14'-16'.
3 persons ~ 360 lbs? All under 12 years old?
I've been learning to sail on a Vagabond 14 (same as a Hobie 1-14) dinghy since last year. I bought it with a trailer and usable sails for $600. Might have $1500 in it now and that includes a brand new trolling motor, Optima marine battery, and a complete re-rig. As long as you don't have to buy sails these little boats aren't expensive to own and operate.
So - parts? Go to www.duckworksbbs.com They sort of focus on wooden boats but they have everything you'll need for hardware and fiberglass at the best prices anywhere. Trust me, I've looked. A lot. Also, they're a small businees and are great to deal with, and are very active in supporting the small boat community.
The only thing I would suggest looking elsewhere for might be lines. I bought all my running rigging from www.riggingandhardware.com Good prices with a wider selection on rope than Duckworks can stock. Also family owned and very helpful.
So....did it come with sails and a the daggerboard?
My Vagabond, Firefly, the day after I bought it:
Grtechguy wrote: 3 persons ~ 360 lbs? All under 12 years old?
Think less 'kids' and more 'bikini clad'.
Just re read your post. No sails - Check out Polysail.com - best way to DIY sails for cheap. You might also be able to scare up a set of used Walker bay sails for cheap if you keep your eyes open.
Propulsion is a problem - motors are heavy (especially gas outboards) and expensive (especially gas outboards) but oars are hard to store in a boat that small when you're not using them. If it were me....I'd grab a $100 Minn Kota 30 (which is what I have) and a really small battery. My Optima is way overkill and weights 45 lbs. Or whatever tiny trolling motor you can find on CL for cheap.
As for the mast plate ---- that may be more of a challenge....
If you are closer to NJ.. I am more than willing to take a day or two to give you a hand with the epoxy. I have gotten -very- good with it.
I could even build you a daggerboard if you can find the specs on it. I also find that Sailright has what you need for making your own sails
I taught sailing at a summer camp in boats like that. We called them sunfish. Never had a need for oars or a motor.
God I miss sailing.
T.J. wrote: In reply to petegossett: LOL, I hadn't heard that before. I imagine it was a bit risque for the times. In reply to skierd: Looks like a fun project. That is is you find fiberglass, epoxy and sanding fun. I have been on the lookout for a little sailing dinghy myself, but I am looking for 14'-16'.
It's "Stag Party" music, so yeah definitely risqué for the time. I have her greatest hits on CD, it's awesome. 
Dusterbd13 wrote: I taught sailing at a summer camp in boats like that. We called them sunfish. Never had a need for oars or a motor. God I miss sailing.
A Sunfish is a particular boat, actually. Unless it's become a generic term since I worked at a summer camp. We mostly had Lasers.
Dusterbd13 wrote: I taught sailing at a summer camp in boats like that. We called them sunfish
I used to work at a summer camp as well; Sunfish sailboats were the same general size, but they were quite a bit different than this boat.
edit: our camp had one Laser boat as well, until some kid turtled the thing in the middle of the lake and the mast went to the bottom.
I learned to sail in a little dinghy and it was really fun. Spent a day cruising the harbor in St. Somewhere in the Caribbean. Haven't sailed since, but I hope to try it again some day.
Find a 3 or 5 horse gamefisher on CL, should be able to find running examples for under 300$. Air cooled, self contained, no transmission, reverse is achieved by spinning it 180* backwards. Light, easy to store, just make sure you run it dry on fuel before you put it up for any period of time.
Local examples:
The boats we sailed and called sunfish were much more similar to the op's boat. So maybe it's just what we generically called them.
I want one to teach my daughter to sail in. But I need to finish her go kart first.
Keep in mind most air cooled outboards will still have wet exhaust and a water pump for that. Only a handful (dry exhaust) will let you run them with the prop barely in the water.
RossD wrote:Grtechguy wrote: 3 persons ~ 360 lbs? All under 12 years old?Think less 'kids' and more 'bikini clad'.
Old sailor’s adage…girls only lay down in boats they can stand up in.
yes, the sunfish is -the- most popular boat ever built. There are literally over 300,000 of them built since 1952.
and I am serious Skierd.. if you can fins the specs on the daggerboard.. I can build you a one
I'd bet it's close enough to the Walker bay that you could make that dagger work. Hell, mine's just a board with the front and rear edges rounded out, basically. Kind of a NACA cross section...sort of. It's even cheap pine. Works great so far.
Grtechguy wrote: 3 persons ~ 360 lbs? All under 12 years old?
Remember, 40 years ago the average adult male weighed 155-160.....
40 years ago I weighed even less than that!
Our Thistle one-design sailboat is designed for an optimal race crew of three, totaling 450 lbs. My wife and I together total not a whole lot less than that. :-/
It was designed in '45 though, for sure they had smaller people back then.
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