INVESTIGATOR 563

Mine has the same locker and one hinge configuration, so maybe they did locker modifications before changing hinges on front hatch. looking really nice Geoff.

Geoff
Have you got a pic or a sketch of the cross section of that rubber seal?
What is the sail number on your sails?

Ian:
My sail number is the same as the hull number: OY 255. Not sure what that means age-wise, but the original first owner had the boat in Melbourne, while the second owner had it at Bendigo for the past 17 years. I bought her in November last, and she now sits on my front lawn in Geelong during current works.
I'll photograph a profile of the edge trim rubber this weekend and post it asap.
Cheers, Geoff

Hi again:

Just thought I'd share my progress on improving the electrical system on QUMBU.

When I bought the boat last November it had no electrical system at all, so I'm rewiring her from scratch. Importantly, I wanted to encase the key electrical components in a splash proof enclosure that I could then mount on the inner cockpit wall in the cabin.

To do this, I hunted around the $2 shops and found the right sized lunchbox to fit a master switch, fuse and switch combination plate, and common negative bar.

I then made an inner baseboard from 15mm thick 5-ply and some pine, which I have sealed with marine varnish. I then carefully measured where the various components would poke through the white lid, and cut out the shapes using my bench-top scroll saw. I also cut a small rectangle into which to insert a 12V battery voltage readout.

The pictures below tell the story. I'll mount it in the boat this weekend and post some more pics after that.

Cheers, Geoff

Hi again:

In an earlier post I said I would post a close-up of the rubber trim I used on my forward hatch enclosure; please see below.

Cheers,

Hi again:

This weekend I decided to start rewiring the inside of my otherwise stripped out boat.

I've started in the bilge again, wiring in a small electric pump (that empties into the cockpit), to supplement the larger manual pump in the starboard cockpit locker.

I've attached a few pics below.

Cheers.

Probably put a hex on it, but I have never had a drop of water in the bilge, so the bilge pump has never been tested. I often wonder if it would work, given the amount of possible sources of blocking the pipe.

Ian:

That's what I like to hear! I too have no plans on using this pump, but you never know!

Certainly, given the rain we've had in southern Victoria these last few months, I've had to pump my bilge a few times, even with the tarp on the boat (though with the entire pop-top off for repairs).

I figured that with the cabin step currently removed, it was far easier to install this little pump and wire it in.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Cheers.

Hi all:

I've not posted much on the refurb in recent times, mainly due to other family and sailing commitments taking up my spare time on the weekends.

However, I've resumed fitting stanchions, pulpit and taffrail - complete with new white bedding (what a mess that stuff makes, despite masking off first) and inner backing board (cut up white plastic breadboard, instead of previous 5-ply wood) to ensure a much stronger attachment.

I'm now concentrating on some small but tricky pieces of woodwork to line the inner cabin on P&S sides, onto which I will then mount my electrical fuse/switch box, wiring, radios, compass and fishfinder (depth reader).

Although these are only small areas, getting the curves right takes a little work. Fortunately, now that I've taken careful measurements and transferred the angles to butchers' paper, I can complete the woodwork in the comparative comfort and warmth of my shed, rather than out in the boat.

Once I've got something new to show on this, I'll post some new images. The images attached here are a few weekends old.

In the meantime, I was out crewing yesterday (on a friend's Farr) in the GTYC's annual Steam Boat Cup race across Corio Bay and the Outer Harbour here at Geelong over this weekend (see post on TSP). Although the breeze was frustratingly light, it was still great to be out sailing. Next year I hope to do the same race in my own boat - either single or double-handed).

Cheers.

Hi again all:

With the wet weekends now descending on Geelong, I've had to move my refurbishing efforts to 'inside' my boat to stay dry!

So I'm currently making some light wooden frames to mount on either side of the saloon entry. Once completed, these will hold all the electrics on the starboard side, while the port side will hold my RAVIA metho twin-burner stove underneath (on a new sliding mechanism I'm also making), with compass mounted above (poking back through into the cockpit). I may put a small shelf here too, though I need to minimise the metalwork around the compass.

This is very fiddly, time-consuming work as there are no right angles, plenty of curves and the two sides are different sizes (as the starboard side has the centreplate uphaul sheet tube running up its inside).

I've found the best tools for measuring are the adjustable bevel, a flexible tape-measure and a flexible rubber/lead ruler that holds its curved shape - which you can buy at a hardware/craft store.

I've also put two lengths of 100mm diameter PVC tubing under the inner step area, into which I will later shove oars, barge pole, rolled up boom tent, etc. In my last boat I found all this stuff just rolled around under there, so I think these tubes might do the trick.

I'll post more pics as the work progresses.

Cheers.