Domicella,a cat rigged Lavranos design

I have always liked this boat,the idea follows the Freedom Rig concept and really works,with the boats long waterline its a cruising performer too.

Off Seal Island (duiker island) Hout Bay on the HBYC Closing Cruise

We can offer this design as a part kit set,this will be CNC cut bulkheads,materials to mould the hull with,epoxies and the plys for the decks.The masts on this boat are carbon in the front and GRP at the back,we could offer them as a Birdsmouth construction kit for owner assembly.

Mark,the boats skipper and owner was chasing down one of our kit builds,being Nandi a Didi 34,he passed him too.

Perfect sailing weather! Our stock design Hard Spray Dodger will fit perfectly over this boats cockpit too.

Arriving at Vulcan Rock,the turning point for the cruise that day.

All pictures by R McBride the camera was a Canon G11 set on auto but using the tele lens as required.

The Pelican 42 cat ketch by Angelo Lavranos

Something for everyone on this blog,I have always liked the idea of sailing with all the sails up and never having to move a sheet when you tack,sort of like driving a car,you just turn the wheel and off you go in the other direction.This is our first such sail plan design offering and as the masts can be owner built,wishbones and booms also,this could be a very cost effective owner builder project.

Left click to enlarge and read the entry on the Pelican design in SA Sailings magazine.( I tried that,it does not work!) email me for the original copy, Roy.

Seen here in Chapamans Bay,Domichella passes a smaller boat,Nandi a Didi 34 that was built using a CKD Boats kit

Pictures by R McBride

Enlarge each picture by left clicking it,the kit will consist of the plans and materials to build the boat,the bulkheads and transom will be pre cut with stringer cut outs on the bulkheads,we will supply a moulding jig to the transom which can be laminated from layers of 6mm marine plys.We also supply the epoxies and fastenings plus the treated pine building stocks if required.

Check out some favorable comments from Bob.

Hi Roy

 Just a quick note to tell you we mentioned you and CKD on the blog and
 even said some nice things.

Check it out here...

 http://boatbits.blogspot.com/2011/04/very-cool-design-and-not-wire-in-sight.html

All the best

Bob

If the link does not open,copy and paste it to Google,

It starts as: 
Thursday, April 21, 2011


A very cool design and not a wire in sight...
I have a question for you...

When was the last time you flew on an airplane whose wings were held up by wire rigging?
Keep that in mind while we discuss a boat design...

Roy over in South Africa is on something of a roll putting together lots of kits for folks to build boats with. Apparently if you want a kit that can be cobbled together with a computer and an automated cutter he is THE MAN!

Luke and Roy

Luke is our second grand child and the first by Janet our younger daughter,he is a great little chap and enjoys his visits.

Luke already aprooves of our bright  yellow Toylander,I can see me making him a Dixi Dinghy as well one of these days.

As the Crow flys

With our new addition to the family,Henry the pidgeon was one of the topics we discussed on sundays HBYC Closing Cruise,which was very well attended with some 17 boats out on the water and a full club house for the prize giving later.

Athol, one of our regular crew members turns out to be an expert on Avian things,we were told all about how birds eat and why,plus what they need as a diet,he also to us an amazingtrue story about a ride with a pet Crow.

Athol told us yesterday about a long trip they went on in a car from Rhodesia to Zambia,it was 1500 miles and more. They agreed to take a friend as a passenger,who turns up with a tame Crow on his shoulder,they questioned having him in the car and what about the border controls?

No bother says the friend,my Crow will fly while we drive he says,so off they go and sure enough there is the bird high above them,each evening when they stopped the bird would land and join them in food and a sleep,then the next day they were off again.

At some stage the passenger was transfered to a second and different make of car,now they said,whats going to happen now with your Crow? so the Crow is shown the new car,the Crows owner then gets in the car which drives off,the Crow then follows his owner and the new car!

And where is our Henry now?

We have started something now,he like to perch high up,so a head is just right.

Henry,my head and a Canon G11 camera.

Henry and I,a self portrait.

An Alan Fraser Imp now in South Africa

Well it will  be soon,we just need the typical white Scots Saltair cross on the roof,any day now and I can start the assembly process,the car will be re exported to Scotland where it came from originaly.

The car is a very bare shell,stripped right back and made as light as possible without drilling it full of holes.

Also now ready,is the full race inlet and exhaust manifold,we can now complete the build of the new 998cc Hillman Imp block.

Made to order only,my own was sold to fill an order,I am waiting for a new one to use on my own car,thats a Singer Chamois with a new 916cc engine using Hepolite Powermax plus 60 thou,pistons.