The Proteus 106 sailing catamaran

This just has to be one of the best boat packages on offer,the size and space you get in the boat is amazing,the performance is what would be expected from such a well known designer as Angelo Lavranos.

This is Rick on boat number one,that was built from  plans in Thailand before we were licenced to produce the kits.

The Eureka canoe is in Kommettie

Passing some lakes and places with access to water, reminded me that Nigel has a Eureka canoe in build,this one is our demo model,well it will be when its finished!

The Eureka Canoe as designed by Mike Storer.

This one is a bit special,Nigel used our 6mm deluxe light ply,which is about half the weight of a normal ockume marine ply,the canoe will be easy to handle and a lot faster.They can be supplied either as a kit or as a completed canoe ready to use.

For custom cupboard componants  and special toys contact Nigel on 082 558-4448

This is the place your looking for when you visit Nigel at Digicut,he does fitted and loose cupboard parts ,kitchens and wardrobes,all on his CNC machine,so they are easy to self assemble.

The Kids Stuff table

The Singer Chamois is now a status car?

This seems so and when seen in the light of more modern cars,still looks the part.I have also noticed more and more recently just how much real attention our 1967 Singer Chamois (hillman imp) is getting.

Seen here in an upmarket residential setting the Singer looks quite at home.

Spring afternoon in Hout Bay

How good can this be,we have a few more days like this too.

Yesterday late afternoon,yacht Megafrieght returns to harbour.

Volvo MD 36hp three cylinder parts

Someone somewhere needs the parts that are on this engine,its up for trade,what have you or Kruger Rands (bits of) contact me for information.

In a used condition and available as is.

As far as I am aware,all parts are available but not for long!

R McB

The Northshore annual street braai (barbacue)

Gill and Eric Wells started an event some four years back,the recipie is rather simple,they light the fires at 5pm sharp,open a beer,then sit back and see who turns up!

It takes place on the first saturday in September,which Eric says marks spring,looking at some of the new leaves on the trees,I would say he is correct.

Now in its forth year,its become a great success with a good turn out.

To organise your own such event,just print a batch on notices and two weeks before the set date,take a walk around your own estate,dropping the messages in each post box as you go.Then light the fires on the given date and see who turns up!

How hard can that be?

R McB

For sale,Cape Town,one 6 meter long shipping container

Now available,delivery can be offered as an extra and at Stelvaals cost.

The steel container is in good condition,it has a wooden floor and has been inside a factory for eight of the past ten years,now in Parrow where it can be viewed,it will be available to the buyer ex Noordhoek.

Priced to sell at R8000,no vat,cash payment or money transfer.

R McB

021 790-3859

Tourqe is cheap

Well it will be if I can sort out how to stop twisting on an Imps standard drive shafts.They are 3/4" and in cast Iorn,suitable for the standard Hillman Imps 38hp.When the sport version of the engine was released in 1966 the Rootes Car Co,changed the output shafts to a 1" diameter,whcih was sufficient to handle the new output of 55bhp.

Two standard Hillman Imp 3/4"drive shafts,check the top painted one,its showing signs of twisting and stress,clearly used with some sort of gusto in a car with more than the standard engines output.

I have an idea and possibly there is some person out there who can give an answer?

A mail that I sent to the boat designer Dudley Dix,he is also keen on cars and is rebuilding a Mk2 Lotus Europa right now.

Hello Dudley,

I was going to ask Graham about this but you have worked with cars also.

The two shafts are Mk1 and Mk2 Hillman Imp transaxle drive shafts,they are cast and 3/4" 

When the later Sport versions came out the power went up from 38bhp to 55bhp and the shafts were then made as a 1" version,they did not twist as much and were fine for normal use.They are now becoming  scarce and the ones I have are about to be shipped back to Scotland as part of the race Imp I have been building up.

Do you think that a bandage of 50mm biaxial carbon cloth and epoxy will stop the twist,what epoxy grade would I use,it would save a lot of old shafts if I can come up with a plan?

Regards

Roy

Hi Roy,

 I don't think it will work. You will have the same problem that they had with stainless steel rudder shafts in the 90s when they tried wrapping them in carbon to make them lighter and stiffer. Although stronger on paper, they broke. The problem is that the carbon takes all the load because it is on the outside. The carbon was designed to stiffen but not  to carry the full load, so it broke. That suddenly transferred all of the load to the stainless, which was also not designed to carry the full load, so that immediately broke as well. If you were to do this, you would have to design the carbon to carry the full load and use the cast iron shaft only as a core, or make completely new shafts totally from carbon over a foam core.

DD

www.dixdesign.com

On the beach in Jacere,Brasil

Seen here after a bottom paint job,working through the tides in the river the HBYC yacht Dixi Roller is nearly ready to set off an back to Hout Bay after an 18 month visit to Brasil.

The boat is a steel Roberts 35 Spray,home built by Steve.

Steve waiting for the tide to rise,he may well be considering the rather long trip back to South Africa,two handed with his brasilian born wife Renata.They are looking for crew and leave quite soon.

Pictures are from Steve and Renata,many thanks!

While I have been here and painted the bottom of our Endurance 37 Ocean Cloud, I used another method and had Brian Stevens source some very heavy local timbers ( sinks in water) we then made a drying rig and we took our boat in at the high tide,painting was easy then and we did not have to lean over like Steves boat did.

R McB