Chrysler Sailors Forum

Got back about a week ago from a couple of weeks sailing Pamlico Sound and Onslow Bay. Apart from some minor equipment issues, a wonderful, wonderful trip. Only "major" problem was putting a couple of 6" cracks in the rudder cheek plates (both plates), due I think to some heavy rudder...

If I put my whole list on here I'd need my own forum. :oops: Fortunately I know that between sailing, home, sailing and work I won't get to much of if. Fortunately it's warm enough that I can sail year around here, although last January when I overnighted at 13 deg, sailed next day with a high of 21...

Don't recall exact spreader / shroud config on the 22, but when I reworked yWindward's mast I get spreader brackets here from Dwyer Mast (check style "D" if you have double lowers). http://www.dwyermast.com/items.asp?cat1ID=40&cat1Name=Hardware&familyID=26&familyName=Spreaders+...

I had almost no fiberglass experience when I bought Windward in 2002. I started with West Systems, based on recommendations from two friends, one a whitewater boater and one a rogueish piratey looking sailor. I've had nothing but success with it, and while there are other resin systems, I've never s...

Sorry to hear you're cracking up. :wink: When I rebuilt the remnants of my mount, I laminated in a couple of chunks of 3/4" ply in the motor clamp area, and laminated in one or two 3/8" pieces on the sides. Those, plus woven roving, mat, cloth, seam tape and epoxy resulted in a darn strong...

Windward came up as 174. Would have been 179, but the cockpit locker isn't totally waterproof, although it would hold less than 20 gallons of water if it were empty, and thus poses less of a risk than most large lockers.

Windward did come with a wheel, but I converted back to tiller and would not seriously consider going back, at least on her. Having sailed other boats in the 27' range with both tiller and wheel, I prefer tiller in most cases. I think the decision point for me would be when the rudder just has too m...

Got the new engine last night. I need to bolt up the remote adapters (no instructions, of course, so that should save time normally wasted by reading them) then try in on Windward. The power prop is a massive mutha, with four nice, wide blades. The hub is .75" larger in diameter, which permits ...

I've seen several engines where the different parts also include exhaust components.

In any case, with most of the 4 stroke motors I've seen the 8 and the 9.x share a common platform, but the 15 is usually a physically larger engine with more displacement and a lot more weight.

Thanks to all who provided input and shared experiences. Taking into account various inputs, research, the indeterminate nature of the Chrysler Sailor 250's ills, the short time frame, and the budget (well, I pretty much had to ignore that, since this purchase wasn't part of it), I ordered... a 2009...

I was thinking about how easily the C26 heels due to the lovely shape of the hull. While she never feels insecure (to me), it doesn't take much to get her to lean over. Step on the gunwale of your boat from the dock, then do the same thing on a newer, or beamier, boat around the same size... bet you...

I love(d) my Sailor 250, Chrysler's 10 hp, High Thrust, electric start sailboat motor. Sadly, it has fuel, spark and steadfastly fails to start. :( Pretty sure it's ignition related. While diagnosis may continue, ignition parts are non-refundable, expensive or unavailable: the CD unit is nearly $300...

I pulled several lengths of parachute cord into Windward's mast to use as messenger lines. I left one with about 40' of line extending. I bought some large, soft sponges, cut them in half then halved the thickness, tied one to the long messenger every 6 feet or so, then pulled the "string of pe...

almost exactly. Nice job on that mounting. Did you cast it from 'glass and resin, use wood to make the flange, use plastic or StarBoard, or ??? I seem to catch sheets on everything and have no patience to clear them, esp if racing, so was going to mount it between the ribs to avoid any edges stickin...

Maybe Hanna will be too pooped to pop by the time she makes it your way, but if you've been to www.nhc.noaa.gov lately, you'll see that Ike and maybe Josephine are lined up to follow suit, so best to have your prep planned out. Trailer's for sure the safest alternative. How's the mooring? Hard to kn...

Instead of replacing, I just reinforced mine. Did the companionway last time around, with forward hatch sometime in the next couple of months. Sanded well. Used good glass seam tape and epoxy to reinforce the track area, then reinforced the interior perimeter same way. Used polyester resin to recoat...

In fairness to Windward this should be a long response, and thus will need to wait. However, steady winds mid 30s with gusts > 60 are not a problem according to my anemom, assuming you don't have waves to match (you'd be screwed then). I've never encountered conditions on our lake where I wouldn't s...

Yes, the lines run up through the hollow rudder shaft and cleat in the cockpit, usually on a clam cleat at the butt end of the tiller. However... let's say, hypothetically, you had the poor taste to run your boat into a bit less than 4' of water. What do you do? Well, crank up the keel, of course, s...

and overtackled is good 8) Where I sail it's not uncommon to anchor in 50' of water. The bottom's often foul, so I usually set two hooks to reduce swing / wrap on various stuff. This necessitates having twice the scope I actually need on the primary hook so I can back down, drop #2 and end up with a...

No snubber, just one heck of a friction fit. I've seen 'em wedge in hard enough that they're very tough to raise. Broke a keel pennant trying to raise mine once, although I've gone to 1/4" pennant since then to replace the original 3/16". Would be nice to have a lock-down, but can't see a ...

C-26 uses 5/16" halyard tails, tied to 1/8" wire with a thimble swaged into each end. If you don't care about swapping end for end to even the wear, you could eye splice for neater connection that doesn't hang on things. Main and jib sheets are 3/8". You could go thinner with a high t...

For main and genoa halyards, Windward uses 1/8 wire with a double-swaged thimble on either end and a line tail tied to that. 5/16" was original spec for the line portion, and I stayed with that (easy to grab) but went to StaSet-X instead of StaSet. Could go to a higher tech line and drop that t...

I was backchannelling to Beau, so I'll just plagiarize myself: There are lots of theories about rig tension. I don't readjust my rigging based on season, and thus tend to carry more tension than most people I know. While this time of year things are generally quite mellow, in the winter my rig may h...

Everyone has a different idea of when to reef. With Windward, it's early and often. Windward, and I think most C26's, are quite tender initially. She readily heels to 20-25 deg then firms up. It's quite disconcerting for folks who've not sailed on her before, but once you're past the "Oh my God...

Windward's bilge is arid... dusty, even. When I first got her she did get a fair amount of water sloshing, but I traced that to a damaged swing keel trunk, which I subsequently repaired. Since November 2003 she has had absolutely no water below, unless I put it there to clean up loose fiberglass dus...

If anyone has occasion to remove the keel shoe brackets, please please please take good pics, and I'll post them on chryslersailing.lizards.net. You might consider making a plaster cast of them, too, which would simplify making new ones. I'm particularly interested in what the keel / shoe mating sur...

I like what you've done there. In fact, it seems you categorically do good work. The Chrysler's chainplates are a joke, and every owner who sails much should consider some sort of reinforcement. You could get wild and put on an outboard rub strake, running the length of the hull. That would cover th...

Need to resize and post 'em. Just lots else going on now.

There's a retaining wire hole just inboard of the shroud slot. Idea is to wire 'em in. I used some aluminum flashing and made flat straps that hold the shroud in the slot. Once the rig's up and tensioned they don't want to slip out, and doesn't take much strength to keep 'em in place when the stick'...

Short version: You need to have the compression tube, and may also want to fashion a reinforcement plate on both sides to deal with the deformed mast. While you're at it, the starboard chainplate mount needs to be reinforced, because from the factory it's secured at the aft end by a couple of wood s...