New owner and several issues

[Ozzie]

Good work Andrew. It will be worth it in the end. Simple answer first. It does appear to be a non standard rudder, but many of the 563’s have had the rudder replaced. Mine is still the standard from what I can tell but, it also came with a timber and stainless swing up rudder made by a previous owner. I stick with the original only because of its lightness . It’s hollow FG and it’s floats. Having lots of weight at the extreme rear of the vessel such as batteries, fuel, second anchor etc does, I’ve found, effect the trim on the water.

Concerning the thin cover over your ballast. As you have probably picked up from your reading of previous posts there was a great deal of variables in the construction of the boats. Mainly it would appear from the location they were built and the ancillary staff that were hired to do the work perhaps. My ballast cover is very thick and solid. I think if you have found water in the ballast area, Peter’s sound advise to rectify the problem is the most comprehensive on the forum.

The mast compression is a problem. As mine has the reinforced arch and seems to work fine, I had never noticed that it’s not directly under the mast, anyway I’ve learned something new after nearly 20 years of ownership! If you’re ok with the current setup and the post does not get in the way for your intended use of the boat it’s probably easier to reinstate it for the time being. You can always modify the setup later.

I think it’s important to get sailing asap as you may find other things that do or don’t suite your taste after a few trips. Providing she’s watertight and safe. I hope redistribution of weight solves your trailer issues. It did for me. Another point is having a 20kg outboard swinging around at the extreme rear is not the safest idea if you need to do a quick manoeuvre on the road at any time, other than maybe short distances.

Geoff will no doubt be along soon and can explain the operation of the gallery section. Although I’m a moderator the gallery operates under a different set of control, skills that Geoff has. You are welcome to start a thread under Technical Section if you wish and add links to the most useful threads you have found as you undertake your refinements. We all learn from each other here. The great benefits of forums.

Please keep us up to date.

[Peter T]

Hi Andrew. In case you need v it, have a look at the link below regarding my mast step and roof core repairs
viewtopic.php?p=8620#p8620

[Geoff]

Hi Andrew, going well.

The pic of the rudder looks like it may have been the standard rudder, modified. The ss fitting on top looks the same as the original, but instead of the tiller slipping into it a pivoting tiller has been added. I am guessing they must have moved the transom pintles or the fittings on the rudder to lift it higher. Then they probably had to extend the rudder length too?

With the pivoting tiller and moving the traveller forward the concept might have been to provide more room in the aft area of the cockpit. But I'm with you on having the traveller back where it was. The pivoting tiller is a good thing though, even when you restore the original height.

RE your mast step support. Here are some pics of what is my boat. These pics were taken by the previous owner. If you need more detail I could take more, but you will get the concept, which is pretty good and simple.

Having a topic of the docs that Crawfords have collated is a good idea, if you or anyone wants to do so we could make it a sticky and put it next to Ray's topic on Investigator Magazine Library.

Most of the docs in the Crawford site are from the old Moreton Investigator Assn, which are very interesting reading. Most are probably scattered throughout the forum, and I have quite a few on my pc. I am sure others do as well so we could make a good compilation.

Unfortunately image searches in the forum itself are not possible. When images are uploaded by members they are given a number and not a name. Plus the forum itself has undergone a few iterations over the years and there are quite a few orphaned pics and many 'image not available' from when a common image storage platform that people linked to went legs up.

The Gallery section is not part of the forum software itself but is a bit of eye candy on the website. I put that up and the intent has always been to add more (I have plenty to pick from) but time is a factor. I don't sail enough as it is. But it is totally separate from the forum and can't added to by members, unfortunately. I just pick images from the forum and add them to the gallery manually.

Appreciate you sharing your questions and your progress, it is this interaction that makes the forum so useful to us all.