Hout Bay today

This is what 30 knots of south easter looks like in Hout Bay,the harbour entance is just behind the two residential  block structures lit up by the sun light and with red roofs,entry to the harbour  is easy excepting there are no leading or transit lights,you need to go past the harbour entrance,then turn back and towards it.

Note,only the green to starboard light works,the white to port has been out for many months due to poor harbour management.

We have the South Easter doing its thing right now,two ARC around the world rally  yachts have rounded Cape Point and are due in today,while another will round the point at midnight,that one is a catermaran.

The Fluid-Film data sheets

Left click the brochure to see the results more clearly.

Fluid film is not new,in fact its dated back to 1943, made in the USA and the base product is lanoline,a by product of sheeps wool.We have it in stock as a regular size aerosol spray can and also a larger 1ltr trigger finger application plastic bottle,which works well by squirting the item your protecting,then spreading around with either a small  brush or a cloth.

 One of our regular users,Andreas,he is a well known delivery skipper and does work for Robertson & Caine,the local boat builders,he has now done five or six deliveries using Fluid Film to protect the boats engines and deck gear from the elements on his trips.When he arrives at the delivery destination, he degreases the parts protected by Fluid Film and hands over the boat as a clean corrosion free boat,he pays for the Fluid Film from his own pocket too.He tells me he has tried many other products,WD40,even baby oil but nothing works like Fluid Film.

In stock now,we can post country wide,email to the address below.

kits@comlumber.com

Visitors to the Hout Bay Yacht Club Marina

Yacht Olivia shows her transom name board.

Its that time of the year when we get visitors cruising the local waters,normally heading north in our mid summer months,this one is from Sweden but we have French,English,Spanish,Dutch,Danish too I think?

Introducing MCU - Aluprime special coatings available in Cape Town

MCU-Coatings vs Epoxy Paint Coating for Steel Corrosion Protection, protective coatings, marine paint

Epoxy coating or Moisture Cure Urethane coating?

Take a look how much more you get with MCU-Coatings!


New to me as a person who handles paints and coating quite often,this coating grips steel,alloy,ferros Iorn,even GRP and just holds on,in metals you can even paint a flat sheet,then bend it later with no structural damage to the paint.The paint has no cure agent to mix with it,so more or less idiot proof,open the can stir it (properly) and apply,it cures with moisture,so is a very tollerant coating,with a 3% addition of a fast speed cure agent,it will be ready to over coat in a half hour.Two top coats are all thats then required,leaving a super hard and virtually scratch free surface,if damage does happen it will not creep under the paint but just remain localised.

This paint can be spray applied or with a brush and roller,its got a terrific spread rate of around 20 square meters per liter and covers so well fewer coats are required over other more conventional coatings,recomended underwater. We will supply in 1ltr and 5ltr packs.contact me for a full spec sheet and pricing,available now.

http://www.mcucoatings.com/

Watch the video clip to learn a whole lot more about how and why MCU Coatings work.


roy@comlumber.com

MCU-Coatings, Moisture Cure Urethane Protective, Offshore, Industrial and Marine Coatings:


Steel, iron, stainless steel, concrete and aluminium are world wide protected from corrosion and rust by the international leading (mcu) moisture cure urethane coating technology of MCU-Coatings manufacturers. These revolutionary marine, industrial and protective coatings have proven to outperform 2 component epoxy coating and polyurethane paint in many ways. Cost reduction by reducing project completion time up to 50% and 2 to 3 times better long term concrete and steel corrosion protection are just a few of the possibilities with MCU-Coatings.

"MCU-Coatings is the first to develop a true high solid MCU coating range reducing VOC emissions and costs significantly."

MCU coatings are single component coatings with thin film technology, which allows for easy application. No other coating system can be used as widely with fewer restrictions due to temperature, dew point or humidity. MCU coatings also cure quickly even in low temperatures, but with the addition of QuikCure accelerator, recoat windows can be reduced by as much as 80%. With better corrosion resistance, longer coating life, and the best track record in the industry, MCU’s moisture-cured urethanes provide coating solutions that are second to none.

Marine grade phenolic glue

It seems as if we are Cape Towns only regular stockist of Phenolic or Resourcenol Glue,we have more stocks arriving this morning to replace that being delivered to a Mine Sweeper later today.Pack sizes are normally 2.4kgs,with the 0.4 kgs being the powder hardener mixed at a ratio of 20% per 1kg of resin.This is the same grade on glue as used in our marine and WBP plys,we only ever use this glue for making masts.

kits@comlumber.com  Cape Town  021 790 3859

Year end closing at CKD Boats cc

With internet sales being so easy we never really close but many of our trade suppliers certainally will,so once our stocks are sold out there will be no replacements untill the second week of January 2011,please advise if you think you will be needing anything,we can get it in for you next week then.

Happy festive season everyone!

roy@comlumber.com

Fitting out a Lyle Hess 34 hull the nice way

This work has been done by the boats owner,he professes to be an amature but his quality of workmanship questions his amature status,he has used 15mm ockume marine ply to BS1088 grade that we have supplied.

The blue frame is part of the stairway up from the gound level,the only improovment would be an upper work station deck alongside the boat but the materials still have to be carried up so its swings and roundabouts I suppose.

The quality of this boat goes far past what can be seen normally,each locker has been hand sanded and flo coated inside to a nice smooth surface finish,world class quality for sure.

I had always wanted to fit out my boat this way,with the entire decks and cockpit raised or removed,in this case the decks are lifted high and out of the way with a pair of chain blocks,what a pleasure!

Sea Gaucho,a Lyle Hess 34

We have the issue of Cruising World that published the story on Sea Gaucho,the boat has a very strong connection with Cape Town as you can read at  http://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/boat-reviews/a-sea-gaucho-and-his-falmouth-cutter-34 one of my earlier blogs already mentions Danzerin,check that at

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=696865986115363040&postID=2374742468091790583

roy@comlumber.com

A Lyle Hess 34,Sea Gaucho.

Picture by Peter Bruce.

Brokerage , a Lyle Hess 34ft GRP hull and deck for sale

,

This is really far more than a bare hull and deck as the inside is fitted out too,just requiring paint and trims to complete, at this stage you can design the way the boats interior will look to suit your own needs.

Thats a very large 34 ft yacht,the space inside is equal to many larger boats, it was Larry Pardey off yacht Talasin,another Lyle Hess design, who recomended such a hull to me when I told him I wanted a boat larger than my own Endurance 37, looking inside today I have to agree.

The solid teak joiner work is just about ready for you to apply varnish.

Check the details in this foredeck area.

The cockpit is really nicely trimed out in teak wood.

A Lyle Hess 34 for sale as a brand new offer does not come on the market very often, I think just one man is building these now, jump the queue and finish this one off yourself.

The boat has all its main bulkheads,bunks and seating ready installed,so finishing this boat should not be that big a job.

A delivery of some of our quality BS 1088 ockume marine plys to a customer this morning, found me looking at two Lyle Hess 34ft pilot cutter type hulls in GRP, the quality of the lay up and construction is world class.The yard is a private one and really is the work of its owner, who now is ready to sell one unit to allow more space for finishing his own boat, contact me for prices and an inventory.Basically the boat is fitted out but not  finished, there are stainless steel tanks and a new Yanmar 40 hp diesel, all wood work trim on deck is in solid teak.

Read more on these remarkable boats in a recent story published by Cruising World

http://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/boat-reviews/a-sea-gaucho-and-his-falmouth-cutter-34

This boat can be shipped world wide on its own cradle and then finished off to your own requirements.

September 2013 priced as she is at U$95,000

roy@comlumber (dot) com

The Hout Bay YC marina walkway

Seen here some years back on a quiet morning,left of the little girl is now the marina security,workshop and managers office.

How to straighten a warped or dished vinyl record

Well the proof of the pudding is laying out side right now,Stephen of Mabu Vinyl suggested this method to straighten an album,one of a matched set volumes 1 and 2 by Peter Paul & Mary named In Concert Vol 2.

                                                               
Fixing Warped Vinyl Records

By Jannie (Guest Post)

Put them in between 2 pieces of clear glass and put in the hot sun for a couple of hours...I used to do that back in the 70's...works like a charm!!! Good Luck...Jannie

In my case one of a set was warped on a trip up to Durban in 1968,we had the loan of a VW Beetle 1300cc and myself and a friend,Colin Hancock set off on that 1000 mile trip,my LP collection found space behind the back seat,in direct sunlight,its that that caused the warping,so if sunlight can do that then,can it now undo the damage of 42 years,its the same sun.

In my case I have gone a step further,I have good quality thick glass from a car, as close to plate glass as I can find,this time a 1966 Singer Chamois Sport,the glass will be the same age as the record,not quite,the date on the record is 1964,so just 46 years old now.  Will it work? well its the hottest day for months right now,the ambient temprature alone is said to be 32c today,the test is in a quiet part of our back yard and in direct sunlight,lets see what happens in the next few hours,no pictures yet,check in later!

The half hour report.............Its working!

The one hour report (nearly) well in less than an hour, a large sector of the warp has gone,its doubtfull if I will remove it all though,memory tells me I tried hot water once,when that failed to work a hot Iorn,that did something,it damaged the tracks the Iorn touched but the disc was still too wavy to allow the other untouched tracks to play,If I can get to that stage this test is a success.

I have taken a step further,two heavy steel flywheels are now on the upper sheet of glass,over those I have placed a black dustbin bag to up the inner temprature,I hope its not too much,slow cooling will be important now?
roy@comlumber.com

Did it work? well yes and no,in my case the bent record was more damaged by myself than the sun but check out the pictures and see for yourself,its much better looking LP now for sure.

This 1964 vinyl album as it was before the pressing attempt.

This was how I set out the glass sheets,an old towel underneath with the damaged LP in between the cleaned glass sheets,being black and in the sun,the results are very quick to see in our direct sunlight.

This was an attempt to apply more pressure,the two Hillman Imp steel flywheels weigh quite a bit and are the right shape and size,this will actually remove heat,so only do this when you know the heat has maxed out and the album is as close to flat as its going to get,with most applications this added weight will not be required?

The finished job,still far from perfect but the disc is now actually flat and most of the severe distortion in my first picture has now gone,so this method does work,bring on those warped discs folks!

http://www.ckdboats.com/

A baby safe stair way gate device

Being a grandparent brings its own rewards,this one is baby Luke investigating a new thing in our home,Luke will always make a straight line to get up our stairs,so some kind of gate was needed,this was the development of yesterday.

In production the gate will be made from MDF (supawood) and be supplied with vertical bars CNC cut out,saving weight and adding some style.The side panel is hinged and can be left out on a closed stairway,or doubled up to cover both sides on a staircase thats open both sides.The device is fastened to the stairs,it can not be pulled over,Luke had a really good try too,there are no fastners into the stairs making holes and the whole set can be removed quite easily by an adult.It can be installed lower or higher as required.

The design is hinged and it folds close to flat so you can pack it away,with adjustable stays behind it,you can self assemble to allow it to fit your own set of stairs,we can post it easy enough.

kits@comlumber.com  for info.

The Hout Bay 30 design in wood epoxy?

This was not built from one of our kits but the picture shows the size of boat a Hout Bay 30 is.

 Taken from the http://www.dixdesign.com/  web site,

The boat above is an Hout Bay 30, built in Germany by Christiane and Jorg Langanky. They built their boat, sent me photos and have now sailed away to cruise the world.

Normally built in steel,this radius chine design will convert easily enough to Dudleys radius chine ply/epoxy method,we can supply just the plans or the  CNC cut   bulkheads,plus the rest of the materials required for the hull and decks.    http://www.ckdboats.com/

A Cape Henry 21 is launched

This is from the website of Michael B. Smith, a builder and restorer of model boats, builder of wooden boats and kayaks, and custom woodworker.

He tells us,

My biggest project for the last couple of years has been my dream boat, the Cape Henry 21 designed by Dudley Dix, which is now complete.

Well done Michael,thank you for the use of your words and picture,you can see a lot more on the build at the link found below.

http://www.woodsmithm.com/

We can supply plans and  CNC cut kits to this design at http://www.ckdboats.com/

The Cape Henry 21 replaces the Cape Cutter 19

Tip Toes first touch..............left click on the picture to view in a larger size.

This is in Picton,South Island,New Zealand, Ian took the last Cape Cutter 19 kit and drop keel we had and built the kit himself at home,he made a stunning job of the boat and its finishes are top quality.We supplied the spars and the 316 stainless steel fittings too.

Thanks for the use of your photos Ian.

The Cape Cutter 19 named Tip Toe.

Due to a licence agreement,it was decided that when the moulds to the Cape Cutter 19 were sold to a new company,no more Cape Cutter 19 kits will be cut,we replaced it with the Cape Henry 21,at just 10% larger in size but some 30% larger in volume,its a good size to have.

Hepolite Piston quality is hot stuff

Pre heating a Powermax piston on heat setting number 5,the piston cools as you slide the pin in,this requires further heating as the piston then re heats to regain temprature.

The polished steel gudgeon pin is  fitted to a hot alloy piston,the circlips must still be fitted using a set of circlip pliers.

The new plus 60 thou, Powermax pistons fitted to a 1966 Singer Chamois Sport engine block (hillman imp) this is the maximum over bore an Imp block will go to without fitting new liners and pistons.The new piston set take the normal 875cc block out to 916cc.

These pistons are made in England and by a company named Hepolite,which is an AE group member,sold under the brand name Powermax they are made to the highest quality available at the time.Piston pins are quite often a simple press fit,no so with these Powermax piston pins,they are highly polished and the piston has to be preheated before the pin will fit the new bearing fitted to the conrods small end bearing.