Resounds new spray dodger

Jeremy in action (slow motion mode)



This was the first try at such work by Jeremy.



This became easier as he worked into the idea and ended up with exactly what he wanted.


Resound is a Lavranos 39 in GRP,untill now she has not had a spray dodger of any sort,thats no good idea with the winds we can get around the cape from time to time.The boats owner,Jeremy,decided to have a go at making a spray dodger himself,he used our 3mm thick Superform bending plywoods,with a few layers around the boats existing combings,it was an easy bend,as Superform takes that radius with ease.

Around three years later and the hard dodger looks good and works well.

Make it yourself using our Superform bending plywood, in stock right now in 3mm,5mm and 8mm thicknesses.

How easy can it get!

Roy

Jessica Watsons progress,

I note Jessica on the Pink Lady has now crossed the equator,well done jessica,next destination is the Line Islands,wind will decide exactly where,she then sets a course headed to Cape Horn.

Jessica Watson Selects WatchMate
News release 14 October 2009
WatchMate Joins Jessica Watson for Solo World Record Attempt

Australian teenage adventurer Jessica Watson has chosen the AISWatchMate® from Vesper Marine as her on-board AIS solution for her solo around-the-world sailing challenge. The AISWatchMate was installed in Sydney after her earlier collision with a cargo ship off the southern Queensland coast.

The WatchMate is a unique and sophisticated collision warning instrument which is very easy to use. As a dedicated safety tool it provides mariners with advance warnings and features prioritisation and filtering capabilities that eliminate the clutter and complexity associated with other AIS solutions. Vesper Marine believes safety is too important to be buried in complicated menus or user interfaces. As a result the WatchMate's intuitive interface provides concise and relevant data at those times when it's needed most.

Jessica Watson aims to set the world record for youngest unassisted solo sailor to circumnavigate and the WatchMate provides her with a valuable watch keeping tool utilising the safety benefits of AIS to help increase situational awareness of surrounding marine traffic. The very low power consumption of the WatchMate is important to energy concious sailors like Jessica that rely on solar and wind to keep batteries charged.

The system was installed aboard Ella's Pink Lady by Vesper Marine agents Aquatronics Marine in Brookvale.

A boat cover you can make yourself

This looks a little tight inside if you want to work on the boat,if its for storage its really snug,end ventilators may be a good idea?
Roy.








I have already placed info on a neat way to cover a boat for storage or working in,that was down in Gweek,Cornwall,England,this is a nice set of pics found on the web site below.

http://triton680.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog

Tale Teller launches

Tale Teller is a Vertue 26,with sail number 114,she is a wonderfull example of the Laurent Giles design,built in Deneysville (i think) by Henry Vink,she is now forty seven years old,and is not showing her years.A while back Tom Maben bought it,I told him about a previous owner,the boat was once named 'Footloose' when Noel Jacobs (a diver)circumnavigated in her.Tom then took four years to restore her,he took her apart,removed anything that would move,some that would not too,as Tom said to me this boat has many tales to tell,hence the boats new name,Tale Teller.

Paper Jet launch

This is a super quality build from one of our Paper Jet 14 kits,the intention is for Andre' to build more to order,contact me for info.
Roy.

Hi Roy,
Our Paperjet no. 23 ready for Launch.
Regards,
Andre

Outcast,a Proteus 106 catamaran

Surely one of the best value for money kits around,we CNC around 125 sheets of marine plys and MDF stations,thats the bulkheads,hull and deck skins,cockpit too,epoxies,glass tapes and cloth,all for a price of R169,000 thats around U$22,685 right now,which a lot of boat for a very little money.Plans are extra and direct from Angelo Lavranos in New Zealand.

Eureka Canoe,a light weight boat

How Light Can A Eureka Be Built:

Words from Mike Storer,the boats designer,we have the plans and can supply those,with our without materials or a kit.

An email arrived from from a couple of serious canoe users with many years of experience. They were looking to build the lightest plywood canoe possible and had found the Eureka site on the net. They asked me whether I thought a 14 to 16kg finished boat would be possible.

I generally tend to be quite careful with weight questions because lightweighting a boat is a matter of putting every step of the building process under the microscope. Get lazy in one or two areas and it is very easy for extra material or heavier material than expected to creep into the building - resulting in the boat being much heavier than expected. The result is disappointment for the builders (and the designer)

Despite my cautious approach the customers decided to go ahead to build. It turned out that they had a background in lightweight model aircraft - great attention to detail through the whole project - this Eureka looks great and the weight is right on target.

Bertie Reed to be honored

Bertie and Voortrekker arriving in Newport,USA,after sailing around the world,he came second and probably in the fleets oldest boat,Voortrekker was by now fifteen years old,the boat that won was new.


Voortrekker.


I knew Bertie well enough to say hello and ask the odd question,now and again he would phone or email me and ask on specific boat information,he was not only an ok guy but a master at what he did in international sailing,a real giant killer,well done Bertie.

BERTIE REED



An extract from a news posting by the RCYC.

The final arrangements are as follows:

Guests, friends, fellow sailors and the public will gather on Clock tower Square, at the V&A Waterfront at 10h00 on Sunday 22 November 2009.

The SA Navy band will provide a musical interlude, there will be speeches in honour of the late Bertie Reed and at 11h00, British Solo sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnson and the Reed family will unveil the bronze sculpture.

This will be followed by the firing of the Chavonnes Gun Battery old guns in the sequence of an Ocean Race Start.

The famous yacht Voortrekker, crewed by SA Navy sailors who sailed with Bertie, will be moored opposite the bronze bust.

After a short break and refreshments, guests will witness the departure from the V & A for the start of the Clipper Around The World Yacht Race as the 10 yachts competing, accompanied by local yachts from RCYC and the NSRI will perform a sail past in honour of Bertie Reed.

The event is expected to be concluded on site by 12h00 and thereafter sailors and friends will adjourn to the Royal Cape Yacht Club to conclude the day's celebrations.

Royal Cape Yachts will be allowed to moor up temporally in the V & A for the duration of the ceremony.

Henrys Kayak continues

The birth of a new boat.








Projects like this can take weeks or months,one guy building a Didi Mini transat which is just 21 feet long is into his forth year,while I built my Dix 43 hull on my own in just six weeks,total to launch was around 3.2 years or so,this is not the point,we all move at our own pace,so be it a few months or years,its the progress we make and the journey we travel as we build our boat that matters,the adventure starts from day one!

Brand New a Hillman Imp Camshaft & Carrier

This could be dated any time post 1963 to 1974 when production of the Hillman Imp ceased,its a fine piece of engineering.

Kayak painted

A customer has just sent me a picture of the kayak he built using materials we supplied,he has now painted the hull,it looks really smart,I wonder what he will build next?

Our factory

This is where it all happens,we have been here some seven years now.