Wittnessed the end

[clair hofmann]

Just got back from NC. This retirement is great! Last Saturday we put the bikes in the truck and went in to ride around Oriental. We were riding and came to one of the boatyards. There in the parking lot among all the high priced sailboats for sail were the remains of a burgandy hull sailboat in the 25 to 27' range with the grappeler bucket of a skidsteer poised above it. I stared with interest as I rode by and saw it had a keel trunk. Then looking closer I saw it had keel shoes! Closer examination confirmed it was a C-26. Operations were stopped as someone was scavanging stuff from the remains. I looked it over and saw it had a perfect OE boarding ladder still on the stern! I went over to the operator and asked him if I had time to go get my truck and tools and take the ladder off. He said yea go ahead.Five minutes later I was back removing the ladder. I also scored the screens for the lazerett vents. They were'nt perfect but I had none. I gave the operator something for his time then watched the rest of the boat go into the dumpster.

The boat had wheel steering that all went in the dumpster. the rudder cheeks were still there but it looked like the boat had been dropped and the rudder shaft bent. It also had a conventional lift up motor mount on it centered on the tramsom. The transom appeared to be closed from the factory or someone did a good job of removing the OE motormount and sealing the hole. Anyone know if they discontinued the built in motor mount in the last years of production?

The keel trunk, keel and shoes all went in the dumpster. That killed me. I know what that keel weighed and what heavy scrap is paying. I really wanted the keel shoes but didn't want to hold the guy up any longer plus it might have gotten complicated getting them off.

It was a PA. registered boat that was damaged in Irene. It had the Chrysler logo in cursive instead of the block letters often seen. I didn't see what year it was, that chunk of the transom was already gone.

Clair

[EmergencyExit]

You hate to see those sort of things, but necessary sometimes - one of the things we've had to accept is that when we take EE to the coast that a hurricane may get her. We'll have a trailer, but you just can't run down there everytime Jim Cantore shows up ya know..

[CaptainScott]

That is sad. I always hate to see a sailbot go away perminantly.
Glad you managed something off of her.

Scott

[hp18carr]

Just imagining the grappler bucket crushing the remains of the old girl gives me the shutters. Too bad there is not some type of donor card system for good old Chrysler sailboats that fall upon hard times.

Terrence
Wilmington N.C.
Chrysler 26' 1980
Pandora (for now)

[thepartydog]

the Chrysler Sailboat Preservation Fund?

[thepartydog]

My bad, EE and Capn Scott are making a great effort to personally cover that job.

[EmergencyExit]

My bad, EE and Capn Scott are making a great effort to personally cover that job.

lol..

[CaptainScott]

My bad, EE and Capn Scott are making a great effort to personally cover that job.

lol..

What EE said . . .. . .

Scott

[EmergencyExit]

Anyone know if they discontinued the built in motor mount in the last years of production?

I haven't seen anything to show they removed it in production, but I've read a few accounts of C26 owners removing it and sealing it for offshore sailing - problems with following seas swamping into it..

[lecker68]

My 26 was built in Aug of 1980 one of the last months built and I have the mount like all the others it might have been a diesel and they patched the bottom where the sail drive went through. just a thought but a bad way for a Chrysler to go.

[clair hofmann]

Good thought on the diesel. By the time I got there so much of the cabin ,deck ,etc.was in the bottom of the boat it was hard to see what might have been. The closed transom did appear to be OE.

Clair

[tgentry]

My 1979 had the Chrysler script.