Chrysler Sailors Forum

New Member,

I have a 1978 C26 swing keel in the water in Key Largo FL.

I am setting up a trailer for it and would like to get some dimensions.

How wide is the slot in the fixed portion of the keel that the swing blade fits into?

How wide is the fixed portion of the keel and how far below it does the swing blade stick out when retracted?

On the trailers that use four outside supports, how far apart and what is the vertical dimension of the support from the bottom of the fixed keel to the hull?

Thanks for any info.

I have some bunking measurements here

Thought I had a pic with a measuring tape in it to show the keel pocket slot with on there as well, but I don't see it. Will look at home tonight and see if I can find it

UNREAL! is there nothing EE doesn't have and have done perfectly!

I was about to do this exact measurement this weekend 9 although I do have the fixed keel so I should do it anyway...

I have the OEM factory shipping cradle and am looking for a trailer and will most likely have to build one or modify one so I was going to measure the factory shipping cradle and transfer that to the trailer ( when I find one! -- but I am determined - I never one to relive a $4,000 boat yard storage bill again ( yes that is just for winter storage -- Oh and btw - sir, you cannot work on your boat while you are in our storage yard...)

i don't think I will do pads or bunks , i would like to do a cradle and replicate what the factory shipping cradle looks like, but in steel on a trailer... I guess I would make the aft "cradle" a swing gate that might permit the boat to float off assuming I could find deep enough ramp somewhere.

If anyone is looking for a trailer for a C26 I came across this one on Craigslist. It looks nice and is set up for a C26.

http://charleston.craigslist.org/boa/1179584584.html

WOW! THANKS! I have a fixed keel but this is pretty close ( not geographically -- delivery might be close to $700 but it is better than anything I have found..thanks again!)

I drove down to Cinton and looked at this trailer saturday. It is set up for a Chrysler 26 and has 4 wheel disk brakes. The extension is longer than the Road King standard and is painted instead of galvanized. I checked with Road King a year ago and this was quoted to me at $4200 without the
extension and with electric brakes.

There seemed to be some brown stains on top of the frame and axles. It could have been tanic acid from siting under leaves and plants or maybe the start of rust. To me it was not that much nicer than my current trailer so I didn't buy. The owner was a nice fellow and seemed willing to deal.

FYI

I have been redesigning my trailer for way too long now, but it is a lot farther along than in the picture below. I used two 10' 4x4s with a 4x4 spacer in between to create the swing keel pocket, and it seems to be the perfect spacing and depth. If you need measurements for the assembly, let me know.

wow---three axles! nice...the SC trailer is over 11 hours away by car for me, that would be a whole weekend to get her, motel gas and a lost weekend... I wil have to see what a transport co will charge... thanks for checking her out and reporting..

NYCSAILOR wrote:UNREAL! is there nothing EE doesn't have and have done perfectly!

Just trying to save others from throwing rocks at objects animate and inanimate whenever I can...

Kokezaru,
I'd love to see the dimensions you used. I'm doing some trailer mods myself.

And on that note, does anyone know how to get long bunks to curve like that? It seems nicer to me than pads.

the curved bunks look noce and hug the hull but at my ramp...the guys with those curved bunks always seem to have the hardest time launching as the curve hugs and holds the hull in a pocket like...so it is very hard for them to just push i off, but I can see the boat travelling better on land in those curved bunks...

Here are the dimensions: (this is looking down with the front of the trailer to the left)



Of course, you will have to make it to fit you trailer's frame. I have a six inch overhang on each end past the frame crossmembers. If the spacing of your crossmembers are closer together, you will be able to make it shorter. The pocket size of 5' 11" gives a little room to play fore to aft. I used five 1/2" bolts with large washers to sandwitch the assembly together.

EXCELLENT!!! Thanks for the drawing and dimensions.

I have spent a lot of time redesigning the trailer, it's good that someone else can benifit from all my work!

My current project is making keel guides so that the swing keel is motivated to end up exactly in that pocket.

You Do nice work, when I load my boats on the trailer I put the keel down about 10%, that keeps the stern center.

Richard,

Nice work on the trailer keel support. You mentioned doing some more work on guides to motivate the swing keel to line up in the right position. Did you ever implement these guides? Do you have pictures and/or drawings?

The PO of my boat had some supports for the fixed part of the keel, but they have come loose. I was debating whether to put them back on, but seeing your example and hearing from others, it looks like a good idea to carry some of the boat load on the fixed part of the keel, rather than all on the rollers. I've noticed that when my boat is on the trailer without support under the fixed part of the keel, it flexes the deck/cabin slightly so that the companionway slats and hatch have tighter fits.

Thanks,

Craig

Hey Craig,
Yes, very important to support the fixed keel, flexing the hull is just not good.

Here are the guides I made:


However, work on my C26 has been delayed for a few (gulp) years, but I am just now starting to work on her again. The point is that I have not been able to test my design. The guides are angled at 15deg, an angle that is equal to the local ramp angle at our harbor. If the ramp angle is steeper than that, the guides may not work as designed.

--Richard