INVESTIGATOR 563

i have to get out in the investigator over Xmas it just would not be right not too

So were is everybody sailing this xmas.
Put up a day, and you may find some one would like to go out that day too.
Please put up photos of the day out ,we all love to see photos and videos.

My only set plans so far are New Years fireworks on Sydney Harbour. Normally drop anchor in between Woolwich and Cockatoo Island for the 9pm show then motor back to the public wharf behind Leichhardt oval to drop the wife and kids off. Then I head back out to find a good spot to watch the midnight show and hopefully get some sleep before having a early morning solo sail about the harbour before it gets busy.

If anyone is out and about pull up and say g'day, l've got 30m of rope lights going up the forestay, down the backstay and wrapped around the lifelines- can't miss me!

I took up the offer from Wyndam Marina at Werribee South for a months stay for $250 (From 27th Dec). So a few trips planned. - Geelong, Port Arlington, Blairgowie etc. Looking forward to lots of sailing. However, all I have to do now is to fix the leak in my Bilge... sigh.

I'll probably only go out a couple of times over Christmas as the Broadwater at the Gold Coast gets fairly congested this time of year.

I was out last week and got hit by the tail end of an afternoon storm. (The jib furler doesn't work well in strong winds and needed a bit of a hand to get the headsail in.) I continue to be amazed at how stable the Investigator is even when caught out with too much sail.

Neil, is your leak coming through the centreboard pivot bolt? I've got a small leak there myself and this is the next job on the list. I think the problem is that the face of the centreboard casing isn't at right angles to the bolt and this makes it hard to seal with a rubber washer. I don't want to just silicon up the joint so am looking at other alternatives.

neilmac wrote:I took up the offer from Wyndam Marina at Werribee South for a months stay for $250 (From 27th Dec). So a few trips planned. - Geelong, Port Arlington, Blairgowie etc. Looking forward to lots of sailing. However, all I have to do now is to fix the leak in my Bilge... sigh.

I assume you have a jet-ski to cross the bay to Werribee? Or are you braving numerous trips over the bridge? Is your boat anti-fouled?

I probably won't be sailing again until my wife gets more leave in February and at that stage we plan to leave the boat on Raymond Island. The ferry is apparently back in service thankfully!

Might have to put the next sail on hold for a week or so. The leak, that I thought was coming from the centreboard bolt, is coming up through the side of the centreboard casing. This is the same issue as Greg #10 and a few other owners have encountered. I've removed the rotten fibreglass section, exposed the lead ballast, and cleaned up the area as best as I can. I'll have to wait until it dries out completely before I epoxy up the gaps and lay some fibreglass over it. I'd say that the water is getting in along a hairline crack at the bottom of the keel where the centreboard case is bonded to the hull. I'll have a go at putting a strip of fibreglass along where I assume the water is getting in. I've never fibre glassed "upside down" before. Could get messy.

I have a feeling that these centreboard casing cracks are a result of launch/retrieve in shallow submersion, and not using the trailer tilt. Without the tilt, the almost entire weight of the boat can pivot on the end roller, and that is a lot of compression on one spot.

So my rule is use the tilt- or else sink the trailer in much deeper.

Ray, not a Xmas present you needed. You might try putting some moisture absorbing granular stuff in a sock and putting it down around the area to be repaired to help dry it out faster. I use the little kits with the plastic collection bowl underneath on the mooring to help with mould and mildew and they do work. I think the stuff is just kitty litter anyway. Good luck.

The source of my leak was not in the bilge (I put the boat in the water on Sunday) Another peculiarity of my boat is the cable to the centre board runs horizontally (more or less) to the transom and up through a pipe. Their is a join in the pvc pipes (with a (sleeve with clamps) which had been knocked back to barely cover the join. Water was dripping out at quite a rate. Relocated the sleeve and tightened the clamps which stopped the leak. I will have another look at the sleeve in the next few days to see if I can further water proof it.

Amazing the amount of pressure in the Pipes from the centre board but of course it is under the water line. I will re test the boat in the water next weekend.

As for Werribee I will be leaving the boat in the marina for most of the month so only two trips over the bridge with the boat.

i had fun in the big ocean what about you.
https://youtu.be/Z-HLM5OxI9c