How Much Does the Chrysler 26's Swing Keel Weigh?

eamac · Post by **eamac** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 6:40 pm

Fellow Chrysler Sailors,

I have seen various reports of the weight of the cast iron swing keel in the Chrysler 26, e.g., 800 lb, 1500 lb, etc., but have not found any reports of actual weight in any printed manuals or other material. Does anyone know how much the keel actually weighs? This will be important in planning removal, etc.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Regards,
Betsy

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:26 am

eamac · Post by **eamac** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 2:47 pm

Hi Beau,

I like your approach. It's probably best to err on the heavier side than the lighter side. Hard to believe that there could be almost a ton supported by a pin I can't easily inspect and a spindly 1/4" wire! I didn't check your math, but it sounds reasonable.

FYI, I cut an inspection hole in the keel trunk inside the cabin to observe the condition of the upper part of the keel since it is never seen. It is not pretty...serious rust delamination. I really want to inspect the pin, but since Chrysler's design doesn't allow routine inspection, this will be a tear down next winter. For this season, we tested the integrity of the pin through use of a floor jack to assess for slop, etc. and it seems to be ok. I won't plan routine use of the swing keel this summer! Good luck with your keel project.

I'm interested in figuring out if it's even feasible to have a new keel made. This could be a cost prohibitive endeavor, but I might ask around.

Betsy

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:10 pm

I'd enjoy the details on how/where you made the inspection plate !

I'm betting it is on the lower side, my other thought was that the total ballast is listed at 2000#. In the Good Old Boat article where someone dug out the foam and lead from their 77 because of soaked foam, I think they had about 800 pounds of lead bars in there. (can't find my copy of the magazine). That would leave 1200 pounds for the keel and other weight. Also the keel is about 3" thick at the leading edge but only about 1" at the trailing edge (based on the pics on the replacing your keel cable article on the Chrysler site), don't know what that averages out to.

I emailed Dave Hurrikain (www.hurrikain.com and www.chryslercrew.com), and he is going to email one of the old Chrysler factory guys he knows to see if they know.

regards,
beau

eamac · Post by **eamac** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:29 pm

Hi Beau,

If you can share any learnings from former Chrysler employees that would be awesome!

As regards the inspection hole, it is simply 4 inch (or so) square cut at the very forward end of the top of the keel trunk. We used a Sawzall to cut out the square and were able to inspect much of the top edge of the keel with a flashlight and mirror. The fiberglass/resin/gelcoat of this part of the trunk is really thick; I'd say 3/8". I intend to replace the removed square of material and epoxy back it in place.

The upper part of the keel is very swollen and the gelcoat interior of the trunk has evidence of rusty scraping.

Fingers crossed for an uneventful season this year and to successful restoration next year!

Regards,
Betsy

Windwalker · Post by **Windwalker** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:38 am

I read somewhere that the keel weights 950 lbs. I have verified this through measurement, as I thought it was 1500 lbs. from the literature. The additional 550 lbs must be in the keel well. This is on a 1978 C26.

eamac · Post by **eamac** » Tue May 01, 2007 5:57 pm

Thanks for your message. As I have a 1978 C-26, this is very helpful info, especially since you have verified the keel weight yourself. Many thanks for posting.