Chrysler Sailors Forum

Hi
I am new to the group. I just acquired a 1978 Chrysler C26.
I am new to sailing, I had four days of sailing instruction last July while I was at Melita Island BSA camp and fell in love.

http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/territ ... mode=story

The BSA had a C26 donated to them but the BSA felt the cock pit was too small so they sold it. I think I paid to much $6500.00 for it. But the money is going to improvements on Melita island.
I have lots of questions but that can come later.
Thanks guys
John

Welcome

Welcome aboard.

We're glad you're here! Ask away with any questions you have. I'm sure someone will have an answer.

I understand fall has turned a bit brisk there. Now is a great time to start getting ready for Spring!

Paul

Welcome aboard John!


You are one of many Pacific Northwest sailors!
I'm Scott aka Captain Scott and I live in Everett Wa. You as a member now have an outstanding offer to come visit us on the coast! I'll gather another Chrysler sailor or two and we'll all go sailing!


Feel free to contact us anytime on the forum with questons! You can also hit my site which has some details on stepping masts, etc. Most of it is for a Chrysler 22 but it should carry over to the 26 also!

Scott

Yes it has become cold here. I nearly froze my fingers off Monday when we washed my boat off. I parked her in my shop and next Monday we will wax her.
First question
The fiberglass around the mast is cracked.
It looks like some one tried to patch it but did a sloppy job of it.
What are my options to repair it?

Welcome aboard ! If the cracks on your mast step area look like spider legs fanning out from the step, that's a pretty common C26 issue. One cause is the mast compression post (HA!) that Chrysler used to transfer the weight and pressure of the mast from the deck to the keel.

If you open the door to the head, and look in the corner to your left you'll see about a 3 or 4 inch square of wood/formica. Its both a wire chase, and a cover for what should be a support post. Usually that post is made of, ah, less than adequate material for the job, and between the weight of the mast and the downward pressure of the rigging it smashes the mast step area. Go ahead and put replacing that post with something nice on your list if you find a scrap of wood in there.

If you only have surface spider cracks you can grind those open a bit, and fill those with a gel coat repair material, but you'll want to be sure that the cracks didn't get big enough to let water under the decking first.

You can find some C26 repair pics on various common things on EE's site by clicking here. And I'm sure others will chime in with their input and links to pics as well.

Welcome John.

I am fairly new, both to the site and to serious sailing. Lots of great info and help is available on this site, as well as some good stories.

Enjoy. Jeff

Welcom aboard John, nice to know there are some sailors in your area. I have some friends that live in Missoula. All questions and pictures are always welcome here.

Welcome aboard.
The compression post may only be part of the problem. The plywood floor under the compression post had rotted away and the wooden block resting on the floor wasn't much better. With all those components compromised the loads from the deck/mast are born by the bulkhead, which it was never designed to carry.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93952888@N ... 885035070/
I fabricated a SS shoe, bonded it to keel after removing all the rotted plywood. A 2"sq SS tube is now my compression post and above that is a transverse laminated ash beam just forward of the bulkhead location. I have not done any work on the mast step area except to fill in the 14 or so holes located around it.
Good luck.

Welcome aboard, John. You've found your way into the best single Chrysler sailboat knowledgebase in existence! Everyone's friendly and helpful, too. Hope you'll come to love your boat as we all have ours.

http://windward.lizards.net
http://chryslersailing.lizards.net

Those links under Jeff's name are a treasure trove themsleves so dig thru there as well.

Welcome aboard John!

Ok now I am torn between the NW Coast, and Flathead Lake!

Guess I'll have to make plans down the road to visit both, or everyone can just come to Spokane!

Billy

Welcome aboard!

Almost any problem you may have to address, someone here has been there already (and probably took pictures).

John

Younger blood is always welcomed in the ranks, the BSA... now that takes me back to the good old days. As I recall I got as far as the second stage of the Order of the Arrow. It may no longer be around but it was a group of select members within the BSA back in the day, (my day). I didn't have the gumption as a young man to make Eagle (my lose). Star was as far as I got before dating became my top priority.

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

Terrence -- my son, Duncan, recently made Life. Hope he perseveres and reaches Eagle, but that is largely up to him. His troop is approaching death thralls, with few active members left... can't decide if we want to try and resuscitate or just jump ship

My wife has been a major driver in this troop's activities. I've taken them backpacking and camping a couple of times, but several of the remaining guys just want to punch the ticket toward Eagle rather than truly master and enjoy the skills and that's not my style. Like I had a style.

I think I also made Star before I got tired of the whole affair. I loved the outdoor activities, just not some of the orientation, pointless requirements and other baggage. Probably my loss.

Jeff
Where in East Tennessee?
My girl friend lives in Murfreesboro. She teaches at MTSU
I get down there from time to time.

I had a feeling they're were BSA folks lurking on this forum.
I only went through Cub Scouts myself, but became a leader when my boys where Tigers. I thought it was a great way to make sure I scheduled qualtity time with my boys. I have enjoyed every minute of it. Now that I have 2 Eagle Scouts I realy believe thay are the fine young men they are because of the values and experiances that Scouting gave them.
I have contuned in Scouting by becoming a Scoutmaster trainer, OA Brotherhood member, Unit Commissner and a Merit badge counsler (of course Small Boat Sailing MB).

It was at Tomahawk Scout Reservation (WI) where I first sailed a C22, and after sailing the C22 one day a year for 10 years, I had to buy one when I didn't go to camp anymore.

The camp has had lots of "Big"* sailboats donated to them, but it's the C22's that have remained in service at camp year after year.

*The C22 are considered the big boats at camp, because the Small Boat Sailing MB is taught on Sailfish and the like.

Yours in Scouting