Our Superform (tm) bending plywoods

A good example of the extreme bends a strip of 5mm Superform bending plys will bend to,the B&G Network Quad instrument is 110mm square only,so you can estimate the corners radius at only 30mm on the outside.


We have been importing and selling bending plys for around twenty (20) years now,the first to introduce it too,we have our own retail side but also trade outlets in the Cape Town area,if you find it at their stores we supplied it.Other centers are welcome to contact us for bulk buying prices in pack lots.

The product is simply the best there is,its also water proof,it can be tanalith or PCP treated for external use,it can be used as it is on concrete shutters,curved roof soffits,walls and swim pool surounds too.

Didi 26 Spirit-of-Freedom

We have been asked to supply a kit to make a Dix Designed Didi 26,the customer sent a link to a web site in Italy,where a Didi 26+ is being built to a very high standard,the boat is named Spirit-of-Freedom.Its a progression from the normal Didi 26 in that it has a boarding platform,the rudder goes through that in very neat bushes,the forward end of the cockpit has a nice rounded shape now and the coach roof has lost its angles and is now a round shape with very snazzy windows too.If Dudley can suply the cut files to this new shape,we will offer it as a kit.

Try this link to learn more about this very nice boat
http://www.spirit-of-freedom.it/Costruzione.html

Dixi Dinghy kit is selling well

The Dixi Dinghy is to the left with the Argie 10 to the right.




We have seen a turn of interest for our smallest dinghy kit,the Dixi Dinghy,before it was either the larger Argie 10 of Argie 15 design,I expect costs are the issue and folk are accepting a smaller design and saving money at the same time,our prices are also down by around 30% due to the stronger Rand currency,so imports of raw materials are cheaper for us to buy.

The first of the two designs, the DIXI DINGHY, was commissioned as a sailing yacht tender for very simple construction in stitch and glue plywood. As a rowing/powered boat, all hull panels can be cut from two sheets of 6mm (1/4") plywood, including forming bouyancy compartments fore and aft. Additional plywood is required to make up the rudder and daggerboard. The rig is free standing, supported at keel and bow thwart and is easily stepped. The mast is in two interlocking pieces and the sail is sleeve luffed and loose footed. All rig parts stow within the hull.
As a sailing fun boat she is highly manoeuvreable and nippy with an adult or two children. As a tender she will comfortably carry four adults and gear in calm water. Load capacity will vary with water conditions.

Dixi Dinghy

Stitch & Glue Plywood

LIST OF MATERIALS

6mm [1/4"] Marine plywood
Sheet 1220x2440mm [4'x8'] - 2
Piece 210x350mm - 2

12mm [½"] Marine plywood
Piece 170x850mm - 1

19mm [3/4"] Marine plywood
Piece 300x810mm - 1
Piece 140x360mm - 1

Timber framing etc (Meranti, Mahogany, Douglas Fir etc)
8x30mm [5/16"x1½"] - 6 of 2.7m [6 of 9']
13x20mm [33/64"x3/4"] - 8m [25']
15x15mm [5/8"x5/8"] - 5m [16']
20x30mm [3/4"x1 1/4"] - 1m [3']
20x40mm [3/4"x1½"] - 8m [25']
20x50mm [3/4"x2"] - 0.5m [2']

Sundries
50mm [2"] Fibreglass tape - 25m [85']
Epoxy,3.3kgs
1.5mm Diam [.06"] Copper wire - 15m [50']
Screws,200 posidrive screws

Progress at D & W Boat Works

A general veiw from behind.


A neat position for the boats instruments,easy to see and safe from harm.


NKE Autopilot fitting.

D stands for Dave and W for wendy,they are putting one of our Didi Mini Transat kits together out in Arizona,USA.I have lifted their words and pictures from their own web site at http://www.dandwboatworks.com/

I got the aft railings all welded together this week, thanks John. And started to fit them to the boat, when..... I also mounted the A/P ram to the deck & painted the area above the main hatch where I removed the panel and filled the holes. Also painted the filled holes in the deck from the old rails and track. So I was fitting the aft rails when I took a break and was looking at some of photos of the Minis finishing up the 1st leg of the Transat, when I saw how one of the boats had done their aft rails. Much lighter and simpler. So I cut up the rest of the leftover aluminum tubing and will see if John can weld these up. Wendy says I can not look at any more pictures of Minis until I get mine finished!
13 & 14 Sep 09. This & that.
Finished all the bits for mounting the rudder position sensor. Added fillets for the panel stop blocks & sanded area to ready for painting. Drilled holes for the A/P ram mount through the deck and made up a backing plate and epoxied it in place. Figured out where all the A/P box, interface boxes & AIS receiver will mount. Made up stringers to screw all that stuff in to and prepped the area for gluing.
07, 08 & 09 Sep 09. Instrument panel version 4, revision 2?
So I started with a new panel idea by mounting the instruments from the back. All well and good, except that after cutting the holes there would not be enough panel left too stay together. I must be getting a bit smarter as I used a piece of scrap 1st. So I tried to mount some stringers but I was not having any luck cutting the angles needed. So then I went back to the original panel and trimmed some off the top and bottom and moved the hinge up. All was fine until I attached the hinge and then it interfered with the hatch again. Arrrg! So I cut a rabbit for the hinge and it then fit. Epoxied the stop blocks in place.

Our dog is ready to sail

The picture is of our dog Druma,short for Drumbeat,the name of the boat that is Drumbeat Charters in Hout Bay,Drumbeat has taken in many stray and sometimes abused dogs,Druma was one of them.As we call him,a harbour special (breed) he is a mix of what ever dogs live in and around the harbour,he has a great nature,loves chasing a ball or a frisbie and the kennel we showed him never was used,instead he likes being inside the home with people,what a great dog!

AIS and what it is

I was looking for a ship in Britain,discovered a web address run from my old home port of Liverpool and in very little time discovered the ship tucked away in a port of Englands east coast,I not only found which port she was in but at which berth too. copy and paste this into Google,then start searching places like the Irish Sea,you will find vessels and be told what they are doing,speed and destination. http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=mersey

Fitting our drop keel down under

The drop keel foil is the internal shape we have supplied etch primed with Sigma Coatings etch primer.



Davids drop keel box installed in the while it is still upside down.

Thats down under the boat and down under the world in Fremantle,Australia,David is building a Didi Mini Transat Cruise kit we supplied early this year,as an add on we supplied the boats two rudders and it drop keel foil,plus the 400 kgs of moulded hot pour lead,as we have the correct moulds in our store.The foil is made from laminated Iroko wood,then CNC cut to profile with the final finish and shape work done by hand,we then epoxy/glass it with unidirectional glass as specified by yacht designer Dudley Dix of the USA.

David has built the basic hull now but has left off the radius chine panels at this stage,I suspect to allow light and air enter and that will help him fit the sturdy drop keel box he has pre made.