Hi Marilene,
The M419 was the second of a series of Models that Moody offered, all based on the same hull: M41, M419, M422 and M425. While the interior changed from model to model, the only external change were the addition of a sugar scoop stern, a large lazarette and a slightly taller mast from the 419 to the 422. I suspect the taller mast was to make up for the loss of the roach on the mainsail due to the in-mast furling main. The M41 and the M419 were offered with a choice of Fin Keel or Centreboard while the centreboard was dropped for the M422 and M425 which offered fin keel or shoal keel. You can find details of the various Moody models here:
moodyowners.org
I wouldn't expect any centreboard yacht to go 40 years (the newest M419 will be 40 years old next year) without some issues arising with the hydraulic system and its quite likely that some part of the hydraulics on the boat you are looking at has been replaced at some stage in her life. Indeed the reliability of the system now is far more reliant on how well it has been maintained than how well it was built. Typically repairs are not made with the same equipment as original as that is often obsolete and not available. This follows for most of the equipment on boats of this age, not just centreboard hydraulics. It will also vary with how the boat has been used. If the centreboard is left permanently down, it is quite likely that it has seized in place. Hydraulics use seals made of rubber or nitrile, both materials that perish with age, so it's worth asking when all the seals in the system were last replaced - some yachties religiously pay for annual servicing of the auxiliary engine but leave all other systems on their sailing boat until they fail.
In particular, on Moody' of this era, you should check on the security of the chainplate mountings before making an offer. The chinplares pass through slots in the side decks, below which they are bolted to marine ply part bulkheads which are tabbed onto the hull. The slots in the deck are sealed with a sealant covered by small stainless steel plates held down with self tapping screws. Over time, the sealant dries out and cracks, allowing deck water to enter where it soaks into the marine ply part bulkhead causing it to go soggy and start rotting. If left for long enough, the bolts can tear out of the ply, dumping the whole rig over the other side.
There's an easy preventive maintenance step to prevent this - lift the sealing plates every 5 - 10 years, dig out the old sealant and replace it with new - sealant technology has improved a lot in the past 40 years. If you can't find evidence this has been done, you need to check the condition of the part bulkheads to which the chainplates are bolted. As these are hidden behind the beautiful cabinets above the saloon settees, to check properly, you need to remove the cupboards or cut inspection ways, inside the cupboards, through the plywood chainplate covers.
Only last year, a Moody 38 owner was dismasted crossing the Irish sea, fortunately without injury, because he was not aware of this issue, you can read about it here:
https://www.moodyowners.info/threads/dismasted-chainplate-to-hull-connection-failure.26812/
While this is an important issue, it's not a reason not to buy such a boat, but checking before you buy is definitely worthwhile.
Peter.
