Hout Bay today, life's a beach

It is on a day like today when the SE gales have backed off.

I took the 1967 Hiillman Californian out for its first drive in many months, things are working well and I was pleased to top the petrol tank up today.

With  some petrol still in the tank, the R150 extra that went into it took the fuel gauge up to 3/4 full !

Roy

TBA history book back in stock

There are five back in stock and very few left with the author and publisher, so if you still want a
copy it will be best to place your order soonest.

At just R120 a copy, which is only U$12.00 they are affordable, plus all monies go to the NSRI, which is the National Sea Rescue Institute, they are self funded and require funds constantly.

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian in red

The red was easy, it was once a white car, Rootes Car Co paint code 108 but when the car arrived with me it had been changed to red and red its been ever since.

I decided to spray the car myself, its a challenge to get a good standard of  finish, what you see is gloss off the cun. I will later wet sand it with 1200 grit water paper, then power polish it with a Makita polisher and lambs wool mop.

The car is now forty eight years old (48) but still on its original 875cc  bore and pistons, I checked out the crank and bearings, all looking like new and with the original Rootes supplied bearing shells.

The cylinder head and camshaft are sport, with a 310 lift camshaft and twin Stromberg 125cd carburetors fitted the engine will give 55 bhp which is more than enough to do 100mph or around 160kph.

The roof and the other side of the car will be done next.

Attention to detail, the re made sticker covers the seat belts fitted to the car.

The roof still requires painting, the car can be driven and the cars original seat belt is now fitted to the car.

Click on the image for a larger picture.

Smile!

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian, making space

This rare 1967 Imp Californian is now being reassembled and as I apply the new paint, this makes more space and allows a new task for the week to be undertaken.

This one door took more than a half day to hang, yes it came off the same car but with the hinge pins worn and bent, the reason was that the door was a tight fit when it left the factory on the 3rd of February 1967.

With new 6.85mm high tensile pins refitted the door was again tight so it needed shiming at the hinges.

Making the plates and fitting took the time, 2.4mm at the top and 1.2mm at the bottom, its fine now and the door can be fitted with its window glass.

I never said this would be easy!

A few days later and now with the vent light and wind up window glass fitted.

Roy

The Tumlaren design by Knud Reimers

Some of you may remember me restoring Astra, I did the work for free to save the boat, this was sixteen years and more back.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2011/07/astra-storya-continuation.html

Astra, circa 1934 and on the 1999 HBYC Opening Cruise, Trevour and Oscar the new owners were having a good time. Thats Table Mountain in the background.

Here is another one, you can see why I wanted to save such a craft.

Click on the image, it should enlarge.

Here is a Tumlaren photo from the Wooden Boat Facebook page today. Should bring back memories for you.

Regards,

DD

A new train, Peppercorn class Tornado

This is quite a story!

LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado

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LNER Class A1 Peppercorn 60163 Tornado
Tornado, 14 December 2008
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	Arthur Peppercorn (original designer)
Builder	A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
Build date	1994–2008
Specifications
Configuration	4-6-2
Leading wheel diameter	3 ft 2 in (0.97 m)
Driver diameter	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Trailing wheel diameter	3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
Length	72 ft 11.75 in (22.24 m)
Width	9 ft 2.875 in (2.82 m)
Height	13 ft (3.96 m)
Axle load	22.1 long tons (22.5 t)
Weight on drivers	66.55 long tons (67.62 t)
Locomotive weight	105.2 long tons (106.9 t)[1]
Tender weight	60.9 long tons (61.9 t)
Locomotive and tender combined weight	166.1 long tons (168.8 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	7.5 long tons (7.6 t)
Water capacity	6,000 imp gal (27,000 L)
Boiler	Diagram 118 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) diameter 29 ft 2 in (8.89 m) length
Boiler pressure	250 psi (1,700 kPa)
Firegrate area	50.0 sq ft (4.65 m2)
Heating surface: – Tubes	1,211.6 sq ft (112.56 m2)
– Flues	1,004.5 sq ft (93.32 m2)
– Firebox	245.3 sq ft (22.79 m2)
– Total	2,461.4 sq ft (228.67 m2)
Superheater area	697.7 sq ft (64.82 m2)
Cylinder size	19 in × 26 in (480 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures
Maximum speed	100 mph (160 km/h) design[2] 75 mph (121 km/h) certified
Tractive effort	2,700 metric horsepower (2,000 kW)
Career
Number(s)	60163 (display) 98863 (TOPS)
Official name	Tornado
Axle load class	Route availability 9
First run	29 July 2008
Disposition	Operational. Approved for 75 mph (121 km/h) running on Network Rail track.

60163 Tornado is a mainline steam locomotive built in Darlington, England. Completed in 2008, Tornado was the first such locomotive built in the United Kingdom since Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Railways in 1960. It is the only example of an LNER Peppercorn Class A1 locomotive in existence, the entirety of the original production batch having been scrapped without preservation. The locomotive's namesake is the Panavia Tornado, a combat aircraft flown by the Royal Air Force.
Construction of Tornado began in 1994, and was based at Darlington Works for most of the project, while numerous components such as the boiler were manufactured elsewhere. The project was financed through fundraising initiatives such as public donations and sponsorship deals; further funding came from hiring out Tornado itself for special rail services. Construction was completed in 2008, and full certification of the locomotive was achieved in January 2009. Having been designed with compliance to modern safety and certification standards, Tornado has been conducting passenger services on the UK rail network and on mainline-connected heritage railways since 2008.

Lotus 11 at Killarney Circuit

This really is a classic car, it probably boasts the smallest engine size at the annual classic and historic car race event, being only 750cc and a Coventry Climax four cylinder.

Di Dugmore is the driver, seen here talking to Eric Wells.

The Coventry Climax 750cc engine is said to be the idea behind the Rootes Car Co Hillman Imp engine which was sized to 875cc.

Used as fire pump engines, they are still to be found now and again.

Di Told Eric that the engine will pull just short of 6000 rpm down the back straight.

Nice!

Roy

Zundapp 50cc motor bike on display at Killarney Race Circuit

There were five makes in all and it was impossible to choose one as being better than another but the Zundap did make me smile.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

Why the smile, read below:

Nice !

A comment just in from the USA.

I love the story attached to the Zundapp. Priceless.

Regards,

Roy

Boat building epoxy, mix and use

A shipment of WBP plys and epoxy suitable for building a boat has just been received buy our customer is Reunion Isle, the customer asked on some advice on the mix and use of the epoxy we supplied him, red the reply below.

The data sheets on the 816 epoxy and 205 cure agent were sent with the shipment.

Use wise the mix is 100 grams of the 816 epoxy to 65grams of the 205 cure agent.

In temperatures to about 25c you have some hours to work when its mixed, as the temperature goes up to 30c

there will be less time, if its very warm mix smaller amounts such as 85 grams.

Pour into a painters tray to allow the mix to spread out, this slows the mix from warming up.

Work out of direct sunlight if possible to slow down the effects of the sun.

You can use the epoxy when mixed as a glue and also a coating, do not change the mix to try and slow down or speed

up the cure rate, epoxy does not work like that.

Roy

Killarney Circuit, day at the races

Killarney race circuit is just outside of Cape Town City and on the Potsdam road.

Not just any day but the International Invitation Event, now named Passion for Speed, which brings back memories of the Springbok Series in the mid sixties and seventies when I was racing a Hillman Imp some forty three years ago and at the same circuit.

The entry fee was R90 each, the program cost R15 so for R115 you were set to go for an entire day, this includes free access to the pits on both sides of the circuit, so very good value.

I was very keen to see Jody Sheckters race winning Tyrrell F1 car with its Ford Costworth 3 ltr V8 engine.

It was recently restored by Dickon Daggit of Hout Bay and to a very high standard. 

On the day Ian Shecketer drove five demonstration laps so that we could see and hear this car running.

These cars are smaller than I had imagined!

Tyrrell in 1974 gave him his first full-time drive in F1. Jody rewarded them with a third-place finish in the drivers' championship and a pair of wins in Sweden and Britain. During the year, he scored points in eight consecutive races, one of the longer scoring streaks of the time. A slight off-year followed, although he did become the only South African to win the South African Grand Prix, but his third year with the team in 1976 gave him another third place finish in the drivers' championship. In that season, Tyrrell introduced the most radical car in F1 history, the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. Scheckter gave the six-wheeler its only win on Sweden's Anderstorp circuit and in his twelve races with the car, he scored points ten times. This included a thrilling race-long battle for the lead in the American Grand Prix between himself and his great friend James Hunt

My thanks to Wikipedia for the info above.

Roy

All in a days work at the HBYC Marina gate

What can I say!

Roy

Druma ( r.i.p)

Twelve years a friend.

It is with great sadness that I have to inform those friends and customers that our friend of some twelve years left us for what we hope will be a better place yesterday.

Farewell Druma.

SUNDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2014

Druma looking at the sea in Hout Bay

Druma  (drumbeat charters) came to us around ten years back, he has been a regular crew member when sailing ever since.

Always fascinated  by the local sea life, which in the Hout Bay and Chapmans Bay area near Cape Town, South Africa is plentiful.

What's out there?

Well you will always see Seals but often Dolphins, Sunfish and Whales, Sharks are out there too but we have yet to see one!

Jean passes the snacks to Druma.

All pictures by Roy McBride / CKD Boats cc @ www.ckdboats.com

Looks like fun!

It was, we loved you Druma.

Roy

A bit of snow in our garden

So says the title of a picture a friend has just sent me.

He is in the midlands of England, Markfield Town, snow means its cold of course, we had 28c here in the Cape Town area yesterday!

This is four to six inches deep?

Looks like its deeper here at the front of the house? thats a Volvo estate AWD under the white stuff.

brrrrrrr

Roy

Figaro V pulls at her stern mooring

The trade winds were really giving it a go yesterday, I saw 37 knots on the meter myself, out in the bay you can add another 10 knots?

The HBYC put the stern moorings in some years back to allow the 2012 ARC World Rally boats to use the marina.

Bill Snaith ordered the building of this oecean racing classic and with the intention of winning The Fastnet Race, he never did the race, you can read why by finding the story in one of my blogs on Figero V.

Figaro V, thats her with the white hull,  is a very fast classic ocean racer with lots of history is for sale please contact me for details and pricing.

She would suit the annual Antigua Classic racing week exactly, we have a delivery skipper.

Roy

Where in the world is this, Cape Town?

Thats what it looks like but your wrong.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

All the bags say Cape Town but this is really Hout Bay Harbour and in winter.

Its a nice splash of colour though.

Roy