![]() ![]() Standard features included a solid tempered safety glass windshield, mechanical steering, and step pads. The Charger 151 had higher performance, with a 90 horsepower outboard or 130 horsepower I/O the bright red and white interior was color-coordinated to match the hull. This boat held 118 cubic feet, with a 72 inch beam, maximum depth of 36 inches, load capacity of 1,130 pounds, and weight of around 628 pounds. It was not the Cordoba-like Charger SE, the Valiant Charger, or even the Omni Charger, but the Charger 118, a sporty 14 foot runabout with the Hydro-Vee hull seating was flexible, with choices of four lounge seats, four bucket seats, or two bucket seats, and an optional folding, sliding yellow canopy. One of the many Chargers made by Chrysler had a mere 65 horsepower. She's stable and low, with a big, deep splashwell that means storage aplenty. And she responds almost instantly to power, planing fast and easily - like a high-powered racing boat. Her high transom and deep splashwell are "dry," safety features. The company wrote: "Chrysler Cathedrals travel on top of the water, gliding over a bow-to-stern cushion of air and water. The side sponsons created airspray cushions of foam for a softer, more stable ride. The aluminum models used heavy-gauge heat-treated marine aluminum, painted with enamel.įor 1969, the company introduced a brand-new hull design, with the moniker "Chrysler Cathedrals." This was similar to the hydro-V in appearance, but had a smoother curve coming up from the keel, and a shorter freeboard. They only used the three-layer hand lay-up technique. Gel coat applications were temperature controlled for smooth, bright, color-fast finishes with ultraviolet-absorbing agents. In the fiberglass models, hulls and decks were riveted and sealed around the shear shelf resins were applied to eliminate humps, dips, and flats. ![]() would only fill up to the gunwale and never sink completely, thereby letting the passengers stay with the vessel until rescue.Īgain, Chrysler was FAR ahead of its time." #Tri hull runabout 1960 full#The full foam flotation was mandatory per USCG requirements in later years to keep consumer boats from sinking completely. George Shahovskoy commented, "The boats were so far ahead of their time, it is sickening! George also wrote that the former West Bend's outboards "looked great but had a horrible reputation and were awfully noisy" (Chrysler had purchased West Bend and Elgin, makers of outboards.) These were re-engineered over time.Ĭhrysler said its hulls "revolutionized hull design, developing a safer, better-performing boat." One key feature was "FOAM-PAC" - a construction process using a specially formulated, polyurethane foam that was impervious to gasoline, oil, and water it formed a structural core bonded to the hull and floor of every runabout, including the aluminum-hull versions. Speaking of his own Buick V6-based engine, George noted that the odd firing engine was smoothed out through the use of a heavy flywheel crankshaft oil passages were drilled out and a bigger oil pump was used to handle the far heavier load. Capitalizing on its automotive market, the Chrysler boats often had the same names as the cars - ironically, though, only Plymouths and Dodge names were used under the Chrysler Boat label (Valiant, Fury, Barracuda, Dart, Charger, and Polara).Įngines ranged from the 82 horsepower Chrysler "Spitfire 1500" to a 235 horsepower motor, with the 225 horsepower V-Drive being featured most engines were Chrysler labelled, but two were from MerCruiser, two were Chrysler-Volvo powerplants, and two were from O.M.C., using, according to George Shahovskoy, former Contributing Editor for Power and Motor Yacht, General Motors engines. ![]()
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