Swing Keel Support

[cfortin]

Hi all,
I recently bought a Chrysler 22, had it placed on a trailer, and drove it home, where it sits in my driveway.

The trailer wasn't a perfect fit ( I bought the trailer used, and it might have been from a Catalina 22 ). The boatyard shimmed up the rear of the support boards with about another inch of wood. As far as I can tell, the boat is resting on the shims, the forward ~1/3 of the support boards, and some on the swing keel. The swing keel rests on a foam 'v', which is now under compression.

So, should I try to jack the boat up while on the trailer, and insert more shimming to lift the swing keel off the 'v' support? Or is some weight on the swing keel OK?

Thanks,
Chris

[merc2dogs]

Best thing I can say is look for a manual on the chrysler, they are available for download somewhere, I looked at a couple of them before I bought my current boat, and downloaded the manual but can't remember where.
If you can find another chrysler owner, maybe you can take a close look at the trailer to see where the bearing points are.

I don't think there is supposed to be any weight on the keel, My last trailerable was meant to have all the weight supported on the bunks, with the keel lowered after loading.

Just did a quick search, and found athe manual:

Chrysler 22 Owner's Manual

And some pics of one on a trailer:
Chrysler 22 for sale, sailboats for sale, used sailboats

others here:
Chrysler 22 Sailboat Photo Gallery

What I see is that the weight is on the bunks, so I'd take some measurements then build the bunks up till they have the weight. Lower keel after retrieving to get the weight of the keel on the trailer, not the hull.

If the trailer has pads, try to move them or rebuild so that they are on bulkheads.(or convert to bunks)

Ken

[cfortin]

Thanks for the reply. Do you think it would be safe to use a hydrolic jack, with something like a 1ftx2ft wood plate touching the boat hull, to lift the boat while I build up the bunkers?

[merc2dogs]

I redid the bunks on my portager buy lowering the trailer tongue as far as I could, put some 2x10's or a 4" concrete paving block under the tires to give more 'lift' if you need it, then blocking it up at the transom, (I used two stacks of tires one stack on each side), then raising the tongue as high as I could and blocking the front up. when you let the tongue back down there is plenty of room to work on it. To get it back on the trailer just reverse the process. If you used blocks under the tires, you can take them out and give yourself a bit more room

I've used jacks before with no ill effects, but was never entirely comfortable with it, seems like it puts a LOT of pressure in a small area, if you use them, make sure you place them on a bulkhead or something that provides enough support to the skin.


Ken.

[cfortin]

Thanks for the blocking description. I'll try that way.

[Sabreman]

I worked in a yard that only had a travel lift on rails - it could not drive around. We routinely blocked boats up to 40' on a trailer, so your situation is actually quite easy since it is a light boat.

1. Keep the boat on the trailer, block the wheels to keep it from rolling.
2. Stack wood blocks (12"x12"x12"). I know that these are hard to find, but cinder blocks are notorious for crumbling. Since the boat is light, you may be able to get away with it, but BE CAREFUL!
3. Put a stack of blocks under one side of the transom with a 12" square pad under the hull
4. On the other side, put a stack of blocks and a 4 ton-ish hydraulic jack. Jack up the hull support with a stack of block next to the jack.
5. Repeat #4 on the other side of the hull.
6. Repeat 4 & 5 until the hull is the enough.
7. If anything seems unstable, STOP and adjust accordingly

The centerboard should not support the hull. The pivot pin will not take it.

[merc2dogs]

just found this that may also help you:

Chrysler 22 Off the trailer

They're doing it with a hydraulic floor jack

Ken.

[Banshi]

If you are jacking it up from the bow don't worry about it just use some wood blocking (I had some 1/2" heavy rubber used in precast work if you can find some it gives some added cushion), this part of the hull is very strong. My trailer bunks were 10 inches higher than they needed to be and I used some block and a 6 ton jack to ease it up far enough to get it setting on piers of stacked block just like you would on any trailer. I usually worked one end at a time (front/back). I did make a saddle for the rear when jacking it up to help spread the load across the hull. Be careful these boats are fairly heavy for there size at 3000 + lbs, the keel alone weighs in at 900 lbs. Also if you find the brackets/pin in poor shape you can get some SS replacements from a fellow at the chryslersailors.com forum.

You should not be putting any weight on the keel bolt while on the trailer. Here are a couple of links to places you can find lots of specific info.

Chrysler Sailors :: Index
Chrysler Sailing Association Website
http://www.byershome.net/_Boat/Boat.htm

Good luck, by the way my id on the Chrysler forum is banshi as well over there.

[T34C]

I would definatly get the weight off swing keel. Swing Keels are not designed to carry that kind of weight. It is possible for the keel to crack or break the keel trunk inside the boat.

[cfortin]

Oh this is just great . Looking to put stands on the rear as a first step to increasing the bumper height, I noticed a crack in the trailer, directly under the keel support. The trailer is holding now, but I don't trust it to move. I'm planning on putting 2 stands on the rear, and taking the weight off of the keel support. Then ... I'm not sure. Probably wait for spring, and pay to have someone come and lift and launch the boat. Unless I can find someone to weld the joint in-situ.