My '99 has stainless brackets and the giant rudders that are squared off at the bottom, though I don't know if those rudders are original or aftermarket. The brackets, I'm sure, are original.capncarp wrote:I know the 2000 rudders won't fit the pre 99 brackets. the 2000 brackets are stainless.
Since it is already summer time I am back again trying to put all sailing/rigging parts back 
only with the engine. So what I still have in my hands right now is a load of rigging parts, pulleys, cables, big aluminum poles (mast ++), ropes, etc. I still could not find any step-by-step refitting guide on the internet (the original user manual is only partially useful). They are the stainless steel version.
Avoid using the rudders if they are not all the way down. Even at a short angle, they put undue strain on the brackets. If the brackets are the aluminum type (like they tend to be on most 26X models) they will bend and crackBe Free wrote:
You will notice a definite increase in steering effort if the rudders are not all the way down.
They are the stainless steel type, but I will keep it mind anyway.March wrote:Be Free wrote:
... Even at a short angle, they put undue strain on the brackets. If the brackets are the aluminum type (like they tend to be on most 26X models) they will bend and crack
OK, thank you. Now that I am taking care of the swing centerboard, would you recommend that I place some marine epoxy reinforcement at the bottom edge?Be Free wrote:It is held down by gravity. There is no mechanical locking mechanism at all. In shallow water or when striking an obstruction it will swing up and then drop back down when you are clear of the obstruction or back in deeper water. I've heard my centerboard sliding over sandbars or bumping over submerged logs on more than one occasion.
Your rudders are also designed to lift up in the same way but in much shallower water...
I was not advocating using the rudders in that position, only letting him know how to notice from the steering if they were not completely down. I agree that they create a great deal of strain on the rudders and the brackets if they are not completely lowered.March wrote:Avoid using the rudders if they are not all the way down. Even at a short angle, they put undue strain on the brackets. If the brackets are the aluminum type (like they tend to be on most 26X models) they will bend and crackBe Free wrote:
You will notice a definite increase in steering effort if the rudders are not all the way down.
belfastni wrote:I have just purchased a 1999? 26X and am in process of doing a GRP repair & renovating the interior. I found the manual very informative but short on electrical wiring runs etc.
Can someone please tell me where the leisure battery is located.
Many thanks for a very informative site.
Belfastni
My electricals have been rewired too (I think). There are two batteries at the port side before the galley (left side before the kitchen in plain Englishbelfastni wrote:I have just purchased a 1999? 26X and am in process of doing a GRP repair & renovating the interior. I found the manual very informative but short on electrical wiring runs etc.
Can someone please tell me where the leisure battery is located.
Many thanks for a very informative site.
Belfastni
for my sake ). They are under a removable cover, barely fitting through the opening (about a foot -30cm long). "Owners Instructions" around the Internet and available here too. I am referring to the 1996 edition manual. The 2002 edition does not mention/show anything about this "Cabin entry step and valve cover". Just to enlighten on this non-electrical observation, my '99 has the step (no ladder), but no valve under it. The vent is in the bow, like the later ones. And that step is really in the way. I can see why they got rid of it.eco wrote:** Please note that there are at least 3 versions of
Good to know that the (only) vent is in the bow (for models after 1998-99). Without the step-vent mentioned earlier, and without the original instructions, I was concerned that somebody had modified the boat. Thank youTomfoolery wrote: ... The vent is in the bow, like the later ones. And that step is really in the way. I can see why they got rid of it.
My hull number is X2413, manufactured in August of 1998, though the model year is actually 1999, all per the HIN. Just for reference.
. And yes it looks and feels much better with a flat surface there, rather than with a step. If I could find a ladder, I'd take the step off and never put it back. I have to remove it to get large items into the stern berth (just storage there, for me), or to get to the operable ports I installed in the cockpit seat walls, particularly the one on the starboard side, as my arms just aren't long enough to reach with my shoulder against the head bulkhead and my chin on the companionway hatch board coaming.eco wrote:Good to know that the (only) vent is in the bow (for models after 1998-99). Without the step-vent mentioned earlier, and without the original instructions, I was concerned that somebody had modified the boat. Thank youTomfoolery wrote: ... The vent is in the bow, like the later ones. And that step is really in the way. I can see why they got rid of it.
My hull number is X2413, manufactured in August of 1998, though the model year is actually 1999, all per the HIN. Just for reference.
