At least 5 examples were produced (based on Hull Identification Numbers (HIN) in the US Coast Guard database),[4] while three more were under construction when the C&C factory in Niagara-on-the-Lake was destroyed by fire in 1994.[5] The last example, Silent Partner II, was finished from a hull produced by C&C and spared by the fire, with the finishing work completed at the Wiggers Yard in Ontario, Canada, and was launched in 1997.[6][7]
Design
The C&C 51 Custom is a small recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fibreglass, with wood trim. It has a mastheadsloop rig, a raked stem, a reverse transom, an internally-mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a wheel and a fixed stub fin keel with a retractable centreboard. It displaces 33,800 lb (15,331 kg) and carries 13,800 lb (6,260 kg) of ballast.[1] It carries a sail area of 1,312 sq ft (121.9 m2) and has an air draft (overall height) of 71.3 ft (21.7 m).[8]
The C&C 51 was designed as a centerboarder from the start. The centreboard is filled with lead ballast and has a hydraulic lift with a tackle arrangement in which the hydraulic cylinder moves about one quarter the distance needed to pull up the board.[9] As a result the boat has a draft of 9.92 ft (3.02 m) with the centreboard extended and 5.92 ft (1.80 m) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow moorings.[1] One example, Silent Partner II, was completed with a fixed keel.[7]
The design has a hull speed of 8.88 kn (16.45 km/h).[10]
There was a 51 XL version produced with a slightly taller mast and so a slightly larger sail area.[11]
^Ball, Robert W. (21 July 2020). "The C&C 51 was designed as a centerboarder". C&C Photo Album Archive. Stu Murray. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020. The C&C 51 was designed as a centerboarder from the start, and the board is full of lead. We did a hydraulic lift for that . . . . . a tackle arrangement so the cylinder moves about one quarter the distance needed to pull up the board.
