The DS15 racer sail boat in South Africa

We have just been asked to supply a DS15 sail boat kit.


http://www.dixdesign.com/DS15.htm

The difference with this kit order is that it will be built here in South Africa, so from a kit a new class will soon start.

This design started as a 16ft bigger sister to the Paper Jet. It was to be of similar concept but a twin trapeze skiff for two adults. When he told me that he also planned to use it as a picnic boat for four adults with cooler boxes, I told him that the Paper Jet concept really had no chance to serve all of his requirements. The concept immediately changed to what you see in the Didi Sport 15, as a ballasted sportboat.

The Didi Sport 15 design started a few years ago and has been moving along very slowly, at the pace of the prototype that is being built by a very meticulous builder. He is making a beautiful job of his new boat, hence the slow rate of building.

The Didi Sport 15 hull is a little sister to the Didi Mini Mk3 and a direct development from it. It has the waterline beam and stability to serve the picnic purpose that the builder wants, able to carry load in a relatively docile manner if reefed down to suit the breeze of the time. In this mode she is really a sportboat with a modern and powerful rig that can be reduced to be more docile if needed. With her full rig of squaretop mainsail, self-tacking jib and asymetrical spinnaker on a retractable bowsprit and launched from a chute, she will be a spirited racer for club Olympic triangle and point-to-point racing. Or just blast back-and-forth across the bay or lake until you wear yourself out from fun and excitement.

This DS15 was built from a kit.

She has a covered foredeck above a sealed rapid-draining wet deck, which creates a safe and dry storage area and shelter for small crew. These characteristics make her a good option for raid-type racing events that require carrying one's own stores, camping equipment etc over long distances between camping stops. Hanging a tarp or the mainsail over the boom turns her into a camp cruiser, with a cockpit long and wide enough for a couple of airbeds for a comfortable night anchored or nudged up onto the beach in a sheltered private cove.

But this boat is schitzophrenic, it has a very different alternative personality for those who want to have some high-performance fun. Remove the ballast bulb from the daggerboard and she morphs to what I originally intended with this design. She becomes a high performance skiff with one or two trapezes for adults.

Construction is over permanent bulkheads and a ladder-frame backbone, with stringers. Most of the hull is 6mm sheet plywood, the exception being the radius area that is done with two layers of 3mm. The topside chine uses a stitch-&-glue joint and increases the power from the stern when power-reaching. The deck and cockpit are all 6mm sheet plywood using stitch-&-glue detailing.

All information is from the designers web site.

Roy

Sunbeam Sport brake servo repair kits

These were fitted to the Sport Imps and made a nice difference to the feel of the brakes, I have used them on my two Sunbeam Stiletto's and to good effect.

This one is in stock and comes from a 1966 Singer Chamois Sport, its done 134,000 miles and has been to many places, Vic Falls, Kilimanjaro, Mozambique and even up the Sani Pass.

I have now sourced the correct service kit and will be fitting it to my 1967 Singer Chamois with its part sport engine and front disc brakes from the Ford Fiesta / Ford KA.

How easy ? I will let you know but I have the section pipe from the front to rear of the car, plus the four way union in the picture.

The early sport Imps had the servo in the front of the car, then a four way union, plus the suction pipe to the twin Stromberg carbs inlet manifold, this is the system I will use. Later Sports saw the servo move to the rear of the car and in the engine bay on the passenger side, which is more weight where its not required really?

It does seem that my idea to re sleeve the original 0.625" brake master cylinder to the larger 0.70" (sport)  master cylinder is possible, you will require the correct size piston though.

Roy

Coventry Climax silver stickers

The first batch were sold out and when we asked for more the company who did them was not to be found.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2011/12/coventry-climax-brand-name-stickers.html

We then had to pay for new art work and the cost to sell on doubled, so now at R35 each plus postage, that's about U$3.28 and GBP1.95? so still affordable?

Postage at our cost!

Roy

Hillman Imp cylinder head valves

As you can see we have a choice.

The ones at the back are the larger Sunbeam Sport inlets, then the Mk2 versions, the smaller ones being the exhaust valves which are common to the Mk2 and the Sport engines.

The Mk2 and exhaust valves will be fitted with new valve stems to a Mk2 cylinder head later this week.

The new valve seats will be used if required?

Roy

Cruising yacht hard dodger build progress

This was posted some while back, then as a planning idea, which became an order. We supplied the jigs and materials to extend the roof on this one.

Hout Bay Marina on a fine winters day.

Open the picture by clicking on it.

The owner is doing his own assembly and works when he can, he covers each days work up with a tarpaulin at the end of each day.

Some weeks later and just look at our winter weather!

We can recommend a pro boat builder if you want the kit pre built and fitted to your own boat?

Now what we call the Mk3 version, kits have been shipped as far as New Zealand and the USA, we supply it all, the roofs building jig, front window panels precut, 6mm tempered glass, Dow Corning glazing sealant, plywoods, solids and a builders guide.

To be continued.

Roy