Chrysler Sailors Forum

Ahoy there!

This is my first post here. I bought a Chrysler 22 of unknown vintage in september. It's in overall good shape, needs a little elbow grease but that's about it. I have not sailed it, in fact I bought it without having seen it in the water. The seller assured me that there was no leaking WHATSOEVER from the swing keel, but I'm a little suspicious as I've been told that they ALL leak to varying degrees. Is this true? Furthermore, is there anyway to verify whether or not it leaks BEFORE I launch it in the spring? I was planning on filling it with water (well... not filling it but pouring a bunch of water in) and seeing if any leaks out... does this make sense?

thanks,

Jake

I do not think filling her with water would prove anything. One idea might be to look for discoloring, the keel is made of iron, and any leaks would probably leave rusty traces (leaks are caused by iron dissapaering to rust). The seller might have cleaned this away, but then this might also be possible to spot (too clean areas).

I had a lot of leaks in my Chrylser when I bought it (never seen her out of the water before I bought it), and most is possible to see.

My boat has been in a slip for the last ten years, she remains bone dry except for a small amount of rain that is blown in around the companionway hatch.