INVESTIGATOR 563

Same here Ozzie. I have even wondered about gas struts. But genuine standing room for the over six-footers would be the go.

Bill, looking forward to the pics.

The biggest issue I find with the top top mechanism is that it terribly clumsy - you gotta be an octopus to raise it. The Cole 23 mech is a dream. Spring loaded so you just push the tube up and hey presto.No lock pins and it rises vertically not backwards like ours. By changing the arm lengths you can make it go higher.

Looks like a good system No Way.

I have not really made much use of the pop top and in fact I have removed the front struts as they interfere with my lockdown pad bolt. I’ve always considered it fairly rickety . I have not experimented but I consider a removable bracket that attached on the roof and then linked to the mast in some way would not only hold the front up but make it far more stable. Then I might add longer tubes to the rear for height similar to Emrys’ brilliant setup . I think I’d use Velcro on the inner edge of the pop top and attach canvas with clears hanging down and maybe clipped to ss studs on the flat surface near the edge of the opening. The male part of the stud would normally be hidden when the PT was down. Just a thought.


Edit...just throwing it out there , but I’ve also toyed with a thought of a low profile hard dodger . It’s hard to get standing headroom in the hatch without making it look ungainly unfortunately. Anyone else ever played with the idea

Sorry Geoff, no photos yet, but my modification was really simple. I installed a couple of eyebolts one through the poptop and one through the cabin top at right angles to each other. They are joined by a bolt, and work perfectly.
The top can be raised instantly to about 45 degrees, so with the hatch slid forward, the boom preventer can stay coupled. I did install a latch to secure the top in case of a "mishap".
I hope this helps.

G'day Topaz Bill,

Great to see another Investigator up North,

That's a good idea about a forward hinge on pop-top. my boat has nothing installed there at present (an old latch was broken) so been lashing it down for strong winds.