I see there is quite a thread on how to raise the rudder on a 23.5. Try this method - it works for me. Winch a line bent onto the rudder raising rope. That's all your have to do! Some details; I use the mainsteet as the line, and a double sheet bend to tie the bitter end of the mainsheet to a bight formed in the rudder rope. It took a few minutes to work out where on the rope to form the bight - common sense was all i needed - and to speed up the process I've marked the rope at the correct point. The winch can't pull the rudder all the way - you have to grasp and then pull the rudder the final few inches. Using this method raising the rudder takes less than a minute, and doen't require any holes to be drilled into the rudder. Good luck! Peter skipper Sunny South