INVESTIGATOR 563

Fitting out the new boat I found no through-hull connection for the fuel line from the outboard to the fuel tank in the port cockpit locker (ouboard hangs on port side).The previous owner had the tank on the cockpit floor. I would prefer the tank be in the locker but wary of drilling large hole in locker bulkhead or transom.
Any of you guys know what the standard arrangement is.
Emrys
'Current Affair'

Emrys

Tank line on Spritzig II is up high just under the trim on the transom top. Fitted with a close fitting rubber washer -- no water leaks I'm aware of. Its good having the tank on the locker. Not only is it out of the way but you can have it moved right to the front of the locker which helps balance the boat a little better. Previous owner had siliconed a board to hold it from sliding. I keep meaning to arrange a tie down as well, but as I usually dont sail in rough seas I keep forgetting.

See Pic

Ozzie

Yara has a small cut-out in the locker lid- works fine.

Margarita has a hole in the transom, similar to Ozzie's but with no seal. It is large enough to allow both the fuel line connector and the charging lead plug to go through. In the photo only the fuel line is connected.

No water gets in - more gets in via the locker seals in wet weather.

Arrangement seems to work OK and we've had no problems.

good stuff
Nice pics Ozzie and Bob - neat job - also moving the tank to the back of the locker makes sense , ease the load - .
The lid cut-out would be a simple solution also. I'll get down to the local yacht shop and check his fittings.
cheers
Emrys
'Current Affair'

The boat's a beauty but noticing some design quirks which could be easily fixed (I think)
As a side issue I found that the port locker continuously fills with rain (being on the kerb side). My Careel mate with same problem suggested driving on to a wooden plank in the kerb which worked, bodgie though. For a permanent fix I drilled 3/8 holes down the aft locker gutter and cut a 25mm pvc pipe length in half and glassed it in underneath the drill holes.The rain now runs out onto the cockpit floor.
Next assignment is raising the height of the pop-top (found all the materials in Bunnings).
Then there's that huge storage area under the cockpit blocked off by the centre board lifting gear. hydraulic lift in the bilge maybe? the fun never ends.

A number of us have buckets screwed together which slide on rails and make the area under the cockpit usable.

I invested in a $100 silver tarp which covers the boat and most of the trailer. Lasts about a year but keeps everything clean and dry.

Emrys
You must be a mind reader. That was my next post, raising the poptop height. I have fixed up most of the existing stuff now I am working on improvements.

I dont use the poptop because Im 5.10 and I cant stand up under it although my wife is ok at 5.4. I have removed the front supports to incorporate a lock on the PT but can stick them back on manually for use. As I get more decrepit I thought it might be nice to stand up inside during winter. I was looking at possible ways to get it higher while still closing normally. So far I thought of replacing the whole mechanism with a large U channel like my mate's Court.

You are obviously past the planning stage. I'm a draftsman so I cant understand anything without a diagram Have you got one??

Ozzie
Diagrams? naaaaah I might manage a sketch.
My crude plan which I will put up as a separate post involves measuring the desired new height of the pop top, (I think it came to 560 above the coach roof) buying the longer alloy struts 2 sq 2 round 2 rods - found them all at Bunnings- (they all fit into the old fittings and then buying longer s/s tracks for the roof at the yacht shop. Assembly would start at rivetting the new longer tracks to the roof - temporarily suspending the pop-top at new height - mark off new strut lengths and cut and assemble using the old fittings. Easy
Of course on past experience all could go horribly wrong with heads crushed under collapsing pop tops etc
will post the outcome.
Emrys
'Current Affair'