Lots of questions from a new 26 owner...

Roofus

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Jul 8, 2014
6
Balboa 26 Trailered
I am new to the Balboa 26, mine had been sitting for at least 6 years on the trailer with rotted bunks (no carpet, cracks in the wood). I am going to replace them this weekend with all new wood, carpet and hardware. There appears to be depressions in the hull from the ends of two of the bunks. Is this normal for these hulls?

The cable for my keel is broken in two pieces. What is the best way to replace it? It there a specific cable for it?

What is the average sized motor to install on the 26?

My rudder if frozen! Oh yeah and the tiller handle is missing in action as well. Suggestions?

How many pound capacity trailer winch do I need? The one on my trailer is junk.

Thanks,

Roofus
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
The keel weighs 1200 pounds.... So you will need a hefty break winch and some sturdy stainless cable.

Hull depression happens...
 

Roofus

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Jul 8, 2014
6
Balboa 26 Trailered
That is good to know! I was really concerned with the depressions. I everything to do the bunks, so hopefully I can get that done this weekend.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
That is good to know! I was really concerned with the depressions. I everything to do the bunks, so hopefully I can get that done this weekend.
I thought my breaking winch was garbage but I sandblasted it and it was actually in very good shape... I had to sandblast my entire keel so when I was done I just did the winch for chuckles. I was really happy with how it came out. I only have a before pic on my computer (see attached) but I can snap an after now if you like. After sandblasting, I rust treated it and then painted it with rustoleum. It looks great and you can even see the original manufacturer's lettering etc.

I guess rust takes up a lot more volume than the metal it actually consumed so your winch might come out fine if you can find a shop to sandblast it. It would be cheaper than a new winch and you probably would have more metal in the old one than in a new Chinese POS winch. If not, you can find a breaking winch at Tractor Supply, Northern Tool or Harbor Freight.

The cable is 8' of 5/16" stainless wire rope[FONT=&quot].[/FONT] I got the stainless cable at tractor supply and I got the stainless bails and stainless cable clamps from SeaDog.
 

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Roofus

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Jul 8, 2014
6
Balboa 26 Trailered
I have a sand blaster, didn't even think to clean it up. I will give it a go. I managed to install a bow eye (mine was missing in action), so now it is all the way on the trailer where it belongs. After a good bath (inside and out) and vacuuming the bilge, it is a much happier boat. I try to do something everyday to get here back in shape. I need to get a whole mess of turn buckles, all mine were lost by the previous owner... I look forward to the pics, it is always better to see what others have done. After I paint the bottom and seal all the deck fittings, I am going to get busy on making new cushions for the interior.
 
Aug 12, 2014
5
Balboa 26 Lindon Marina - Utah Lake
I am getting ready to replace the swing cable as well. How did your replacement go? Did you replace any other parts as well? I want to make sure I have everything I need before I lift my stern up on blocks.

Thanks,
Jon
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I'm probably not the right guy to ask. I took my keel all the way off and sandblasted it... so while I had it up, I replaced all of the ancillary hardware.

In your case, you might be able to loosen the keel cable from inside the boat (unwind it). Then lift your stern up just enough so that the cable attachment point is clear, remove the cable from the keel, pull it out from inside the boat, feed a new cable down inside the keel trunk, and reattach everything. Easy peasy...:D:Liar:

Here are some pics of my job but I don't think it applies to what you want to do...
 

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Aug 12, 2014
5
Balboa 26 Lindon Marina - Utah Lake
I'm probably not the right guy to ask. I took my keel all the way off and sandblasted it... so while I had it up, I replaced all of the ancillary hardware.

In your case, you might be able to loosen the keel cable from inside the boat (unwind it). Then lift your stern up just enough so that the cable attachment point is clear, remove the cable from the keel, pull it out from inside the boat, feed a new cable down inside the keel trunk, and reattach everything. Easy peasy...:D:Liar:

Here are some pics of my job but I don't think it applies to what you want to do...
Fantastic. That is exactly my plan. I don't think I will need to raise the stern that high to get to the bolt. Is there anything complicated about how the cable is routed? Do you have any pictures how the bolt connected to the keel? Thanks for everything, Jon
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Fantastic. That is exactly my plan. I don't think I will need to raise the stern that high to get to the bolt. Is there anything complicated about how the cable is routed? Do you have any pictures how the bolt connected to the keel? Thanks for everything, Jon
There is a hole in the keel and two SS plates are bolted through the hole (see Pic).You connect the cable with a bail and a wire nut to a second bolt that is through bolted between the two ss plates.

You can see the two SS plates in the first two pics and in the third pic, you can see the hole in the keel that the plates are connected to.

I got the SS bail from seadog but I've seen them at Lowes and the SS wire nut I also got at SeaDog.

Good luck,

r
 

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Aug 12, 2014
5
Balboa 26 Lindon Marina - Utah Lake
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
The specs are not listed on those links. What I do know is that the Cat 25 keel is A LOT lighter than the balboa keel. The Balboa is 1200lbs and I think the Cat 25 is somewhere around 800lbs. So I'd wonder if the cable is the right diameter. Here is the spec sheet for the Balboa

[FONT=&quot]The cable is 8' of 5/16" 316 or better SS wire rope. The attachement bolt is 1/2" SS.


If the cable you have here is correct size, it should work fine. Kind of pricy. You can get 8' of SS wire rope at tractor supply for less than $20. And the bail is a few dollar


And here are some links for other parts you will need...

http://www.sea-dog.com/groups/1528-wire-rope-clip

http://www.sea-dog.com/groups/1267-light-thimble
[/FONT]

You can also get SS thimbles at Lowes.

r
 
Aug 12, 2014
5
Balboa 26 Lindon Marina - Utah Lake
There is a hole in the keel and two SS plates are bolted through the hole (see Pic).You connect the cable with a bail and a wire nut to a second bolt that is through bolted between the two ss plates.

You can see the two SS plates in the first two pics and in the third pic, you can see the hole in the keel that the plates are connected to.

I got the SS bail from seadog but I've seen them at Lowes and the SS wire nut I also got at SeaDog.

Good luck,

r
Interesting. I was able to get a look from underneath of how my cable (which is broken) is attached to the keel. The cable end is simply attached to the bolt that passes thought the keel. There are not metal plates. In other words, the cable is only attached to one side of the keel, by the head of the bolt. The other side of the keel has the nut for the bolt. Can I attach my new cable with the same method or do you think there would be problems.

Thanks,
Jon
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Beats me. I guess if you feel it is secure ... what works, works. If you lose your cable while sailing, your keel is stuck down. If you lose it while the cable is up, the keels slams down and does damage to the keel trunk. So make sure it is secure.
 

Mrlee

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Sep 9, 2014
19
Balboa 26 26 ft. Altamira
Rudder issues

Hi, I'm new here as well. I bought a Balboa 26 a year ago and am now only starting to do some work on her. It seems that someone has stolen my rudder! For what...I have no idea!! Anyway, this whole system is a wonder to me...Does anyone have an idea where I can find a rudder? Is it a difficult install? Any tips on how to do this?
Thanks a lot guys...I have already learned a lot here by reading the forums...I hope that I can be of assistance here for you all soon.
Thanks a lot.
 
Last edited:
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Hi, I'm new here as well. I bought a Balboa 26 a year ago and am now only starting to do some work on her. It seems that someone has stolen my rudder! For what...I have no idea!! Anyway, this whole system is a wonder to me...Does anyone have an idea where I can find a rudder? Is it a difficult install? Any tips on how to do this?
Thanks a lot guys...I have already learned a lot here by reading the forums...I hope that I can be of assistance here for you all soon.
Thanks a lot.
That's a bummer. The rudders on these things are quite unique. They fit into a removable sleeve that sets down into the groove in the bottom of the cockpit.

I'm afraid I don't have any good pics of that. If you need me to take some pics let me know.

r
 

Mrlee

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Sep 9, 2014
19
Balboa 26 26 ft. Altamira
Hi rgranger...Thanks a lot, I would certainly appreciate ALL the pix you can send me...This is a mystery to me...I now have a hole with cables and fittings hanging out of it...Where can I buy one? Wjth enough pix I will probably make one... I have access to a machine shop, a welding shop, and fiberglass repairs etc...resources down here are plentiful...
I really appreciate your help...friggin crackheads!!!
Have a good day/night
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Okay

I'll try and get that together this weekend. In the meantime I found this pic on line and I labeled the major pieces.

The rudder sits in a wooden rudder housing. The housing fits down into the slot in the cockpit floor. Two tangs keep the housing from falling through the cockpit floor. The rudder shaft fits through the housing and your tiller is attached to the shaft. See pic.

When you want to beach the boat, you can lift the tiller out of the water by lifting the entire rudder housing up through the slot. Pivot the housing 90 deg and it will allow the rudder to be suspended through the slot but up high enough for beaching (and trailoring).
 

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Mrlee

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Sep 9, 2014
19
Balboa 26 26 ft. Altamira
Rudder

THANKS a lot. That's a pretty cool system...I only hope I can find one, or make one! I have made a lot of things but this will be a real challenge I think...Hey, cannot be tooo much harder than building a 1962 Corvette drag car...E/GAS...back in the good ole days!!
I really appreciate your time and effort to help me. I feel a little better...yesterday I was pretty bummed out over this...
Thanks again...I await your pix...maybe you could put the measurements in or I can give you my email if ya want...
Have a great day and God bless,,,
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
THANKS a lot. That's a pretty cool system...I only hope I can find one, or make one! I have made a lot of things but this will be a real challenge I think...Hey, cannot be tooo much harder than building a 1962 Corvette drag car...E/GAS...back in the good ole days!!
I really appreciate your time and effort to help me. I feel a little better...yesterday I was pretty bummed out over this...
Thanks again...I await your pix...maybe you could put the measurements in or I can give you my email if ya want...
Have a great day and God bless,,,
I'll snap the pics w/my tape measure in place
 

Mrlee

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Sep 9, 2014
19
Balboa 26 26 ft. Altamira
Great!!!

Thanks a million...I'll make one if I need to...I have another question for you guys...Where is the HIN on this boat. It is not on the transom where it should be. It's a 1973 boat so it should have one...I am confused...Anybody have a picture of a Balboa 26 HIN plate? Where else can I look? I am starting to get overwhelmed here. It's a really nice looking boat that needs some elbow grease but everything is turning bad fast! I need to get off of land!!!