New C-26 owner

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Kenr74
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Location: Attica, MI

New C-26 owner

Post by Kenr74 »

Greetings Chrysler sailors!
I started sailing 2 years ago with the purchase of a Macgregor V222. It was a great boat to learn on, but was getting small for our family of 6. We cruised the North Channel of Lake Huron for two weeks this summer. It was a blast, but cemented the need for a bigger boat. This week I bought a C-26 on ebay. It appears to be in rough shape, but I am looking forward to the restoration. I have already gleaned some valuable information from this site about setting up my trailer for the new boat. I plan to pick it up on Monday in NY, and trailer it back to MI. Thanks for the information available here. I will look forward to contributing in the future.

Ken
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EmergencyExit
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Post by EmergencyExit »

And welcome aboard ! I think I saw that C26 you bought when it was listed - glad its found a good home
monty
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Post by monty »

Welcome! She doesn't look too bad, especially at that price! If you can buff up the topsides that would pretty her up nice. Some newer upholstery in the cabin can be seen. Good luck, and as usual - take lots of pics!
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78 C26D (I added the 'D' cause it's got the Volvo diesel!) #490
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CaptainScott
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Post by CaptainScott »

Welcome aboard Ken!
Congrats!

Scott
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astrorad
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Post by astrorad »

Welcome Ken.
Bill
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Kenr74
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Post by Kenr74 »

I got her home without incident. I would rather sail through a gale, than tow a boat through Toronto ever again, but that is a story for another day. Other than needing new paint, the boat is in great shape. The deck looks good, and has obviously been redone in recent years. Inside is musty, but certainly serviceable with some cleaning and carpet removal. One major surprise was that this does not seem to have a stock Chrysler mast. There was no place to attach the boom to use it as a gin pole for lowering it. The mast step also did not have the "hook" appendage. I will have to look for a hinged mast step. I'll have some pictures, and lots more questions soon.
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CaptainScott
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Post by CaptainScott »

Congrats on getting her home!


Now for the serious stuff . . . . .

Pictures??

;)

Scott
monty
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Post by monty »

Hard to tell from the pics about the mast. Anything I can make out looks like the original. The 'fitting' to use the boom (or anything else) as a gin pole is just a 1/2" hole in the forward edge of the mast baseplate.
No hook? Oh, that's a real easy 'modification' to make, just underestimate the weight of the 26's mast and try taking a shortcut using less than the full bridle! I'd always just manhandled the masts on my Hobie18 and Mac26S, but found I needed a block and tackle for the C26. Using the block and tackle with no bridle left me with no way to keep the mast on the centerline! Put a bit of a bend on the hook before I got the mast down again, but it survived in the end -lesson learned.
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78 C26D (I added the 'D' cause it's got the Volvo diesel!) #490
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Kenr74
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Post by Kenr74 »

Ok, thanks, that explains the gin pole fitting hole I could not find. The mast base has obviously been reworked. It has a stainless steel "box" over the mast step, had a 3/4 piece of rotten plywood on that, and then the mast sat on top. In trying to lower it, the screws pulled right out. I had tied it off as best I could, but it still popped loose before the mast was down. It came down harder than I would have liked, but nothing was damaged. I am going to try to get some pictures posted tomorrow or Friday.
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EmergencyExit
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Post by EmergencyExit »

Kenr74 wrote: In trying to lower it, the screws pulled right out.
Been there done that ! Make quite the CLANG when it falls don't it ? 8)

Hopefully EE will have a hinge in place of the hook before I step the mast again...
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Kenr74
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Post by Kenr74 »

Here are some pictures of the mast step. The stainless cover was on top of the step. I just set it aside in the picture.

Image

Image[/img]
Image
monty
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Post by monty »

Hmm, looks like a different mast all right. What type of slug does the main sail have?

The mast base will need work, stress cracking indicates possible compression post failure too.

Not hard stuff, just dig out the soft stuff and beef her up!
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78 C26D (I added the 'D' cause it's got the Volvo diesel!) #490
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EmergencyExit
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Post by EmergencyExit »

And the compression post is an easy fix too - just remove the panel to the left of the head door by taking out that row of screws, plus a few on the bulkhead in front of the table, then an L bracket at the top of the mast post..may need a bottle jack and 2x4 to take pressure off cabintop but I bet not
bet the bottom looks like the one on this page too..
http://svemergencyexit.net/ee/?p=190
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Kenr74
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Post by Kenr74 »

I will get a picture of the sail slugs tomorrow. The deck has a soft spot beside the mast step, no doubt due to the cracking, and water intrusion. I will plan on digging into and repairing that in the spring. The compression post looks fine inside. Would there be obvious signs if the post had failed? With the new mast, I am thinking the damage around the step is from a dismasting. I will certainly look over the compression post though.
I has a pleasant surprise going through the boat today. It came with a headsail on the furler that has obviously been left out in the elements for a few years, and looks to be in bad shape. I had figured I was going to have to replace it, but today I found a genoa in a bag that looks quite new, and has the UV cover sown into it for when it is on the furler.
It's going to be a long winter waiting to get out on the water.
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Kenr74
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Post by Kenr74 »

I am pretty sure the mast is a Dwyer DM-500. I see they have a hinge available that works with that mast, so I will likely pick one up. With mast raising in mind, does it make sense to drill a corresponding hole in the base of this mast to use the boom as the gin pole, or should I look for some alternate method of attachment?
What do other 26 owners do for a mast crutch? I'm sure I can rough something up out of 2x4's for now, but if anyone has any ideas, I would love to see them.
I did a bit more exploring of the compression post. I peeled back the carpet on the outside of the bulkhead, and poked all around the post inside the head. Everything looks dry and sound. It is a pretty cheesy post for this size of boat. I will think about beefing it up in the spring.
Here are the sail slugs:

Image
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