Boat building materials, supply and shipping world wide

An update: October 22nd 2014, with an order from the island of Reunion confirmed, we can add that to the island of Mauritius, this makes it some thirty six (36) countries we have shipped to now, Dubai was another new destination earlier this year.

Over the years we have received orders from some very far away places, one was Johnston Atoll, which is not too far from Honolulu where we sent the order to, from there the US base handled the transport to Johnston Atoll.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2009/03/didi-38-kit-to-south-pacific.html

This is as far away as its possible to be from Cape Town, South Africa, yet we shipped to there and with success.

We have also shipped to the Marshall Islands, Mauritius and a whole host of countries including Australia and New Zealand, the USA West Coast can be supplied ex Cape Town at a lower shipping rate than road freight across the States and our materials  are probably lower priced as well.

So if its materials and equipment you need why not ask if we can supply? right now the Rand currency we have is at a near all time low , so exchange wise you will score.

Some thirty five countries have done this so far, or was it thirty six?

How far is it to Honolulu? 18,554 kms Distance from Cape Town to Honolulu.

Then again to Johnston Atoll its a little closer if we go the other direction?

1. 17,933 Distance from Cape Town to Johnston Atoll Airport.

The 1967 Hillman Imp Lucas 12W wiper motor

Refurbished and mounted back where it came from, Rootes Car Co, also fitted the Lucas model DR3A wiper motor and Lucas 14W wiper motor to the Hillman Imp

While the car is still outside the work space, decent wind free weather saw me re fitting a number of serviced items.

One was the Lucas drive motor to the windscreen wipers, to access those four x 1/4" hex bolts I found that as long as the large hex nut at the end of the motor was free, you can withdraw the motor back far enough to reach the small hex bolts.

And so the work continues, all spare time work and when I get a chance to work on the car.

Roy

Smiths auto instruments repairs in South Africa

This Hillman Imp Mk1 speedo required a service and new parts, our courier delivered and then collected it and did a 3200 kilometer round trip while the car it belongs to went no place at all!

Click on the image for a larger view, the camera is a Canon G1X digital.

This of course where some of the expense comes in when restoring a classic car but part of the issue is just knowing who to sent the Smiths speedo marked in kilometers to in the first place.

Roy

Restoring a 1967 Hillman Imp Californian coupe in South Africa

With a large selection of Hillman Imp spare parts available to me I can normally select whats needed as I go along, that or have one of a number of service shops remake parts such as brakes and clutch plates.

Some Items have to be IMPorted, vent light windows were needed and a pair sourced in Northern Ireland, UPS delivered them yesterday, this with purchase,UPS and Vat left very little change from R3000, even then one turned out to be the wrong type, its off the Hillman Imp saloon!

So we now have an Imps passenger side window vent in stock and the search for one to fit the Imp Californian will continue..................so it goes.

Part of the work had to be done outside, with the 1971 Imp Deluxe in the workshop, space was tight.

Parts are taken apart and reduced to the bare bones, we then have them re plated or re painted prior to re assembly and fitting back in the car.

The black hose is the air box pipe that brings clean air from the cars air box and Lucas 12v electrice fan at the front of the car to the heater box in the drivers cabin.

The new wheel cylinders were ex stock, we still have more, the front linings were over from another Imp project when we later fitted new front disc brakes.

With the front hubs being fitted with new SKF bearings and rear lip seals, this assembly will last decades longer now.

The entire front suspension assembly was taken apart and bead blasted free of any dirt or rust, then the clean metal was spray painted with DTM gloss black paints.

The Hillman Californian as I had it some years back and before selling it, then recently buying the car back.

Roy

An export Hillman Californian classic car

The Imp Club tells me that they only made 10,376  of these cars, mine is an early Mk1 so one of the first and we know it came off the production line February 3rd 1967. I read they were first in production late 1966 but were only sold to the public from early 1967.

The web site Imps 4 ever quotes just 6100 made only, that is from  January 1967 to April 1970 which sounds a whole lot more probable.

The Vin plate is marked RCO, meaning Right hand drive, Coupe, Export, with the special petrol drain plug in the fuel line and a speedo in kilometers this car is one of only a few?

We know about 55 to 60 in total left of the entire production but just how many export cars are there left, I know of one other, its with Frank and down in Australia.

The Vin plate on that car is also the RCO code and reads 3441 later than my own car, with the Imp Club Spares man, Bob Allans car reading a few weeks earlier than my own, his was not an export car though.

My own car was found in a JoBurg police pound and had Mozambique plates on it back then, by  the time I found it the car was in Pietermaritzburg and thats when I bought it, now some twenty years ago.

The original engine block and standard pistons are still in the car, I rebuilt the motor with new bearings and rings, plus added sport 180 type head and Stromberg twin carbs and manifolds, sport exhaust also.

Reassembled on the bench its far easier to check what fits and where.

The entire front suspension and steering was removed for rebuilding, this includes a new set of front brakes.

The car is now on a full restoration and as the Imported parts arrive I will be fitting those as time allows.

Roy

Classic wooden yachts in Hout Bay

Well the Vertue 26 on the left is a classic, the Dix 43 on the right which is also a wood construction is nearly fifteen years old now so has some way to go before its classic status.

I have no idea how long the carvel planking took to do on the smaller yacht but I know the hull on the right took one man six weeks to assemble. The Vertue 26 is now fifty years old and the Dix 43 will be fifteen years old next January 17th 2015.

Not actually a www.ckdboats.com kit but we could make a plan on a bulkhead kit set.

Classic yachts, what are they?

Well if we cancel out the plastic new ones and all of the more modern multihulls but not the Wharram cats, we are looking on average at a 50% split of what we can call a classic. Any yacht say twenty plus years old will soon be a classic, even one design racing yachts like the local L26 are at thirty years old very much classics, I suppose its a mind thing?

Roy

Yanmar GM10 diesel engine refuses to crank over and start

Captain Notty,

Re the Yanmar GM10 on my genset not cranking:

The big hammer idea is quite common it seems?

 http://www.cruisersforum.com/

I will also check the panel out and open up the in line fuse, its not as is my engine has many hours on it, about 450 I guess and nice and clean and dry.

Athol, is this the forum you were talking about?

Folks, I wish engine fault fixes were always as easy as this one, my thanks to 

www.crusisersforum.com 

for hosting and posting the many stories on the problem with Yanmar engine starting.

I used a soft faced copper/leather hammer, it says 1 on it, one Kg I guess?

With the ignition key in the ON position and the start button pressed IN , the soft face of the hammer was knocked onto the side of the solenoid of  the 12v starter motor, the engine soon started to crank and I was able to run the engine up to full temperature for the first time in some months.

Switching the engine off, a restart in the normal manner was possible, the hammer remains on the boat for now!

Note, 24 hours later and the hammer was required again, its time to remove the starter and service the solenoid I think.

Then the next three days and the engine cranked and started on the button each time so maybe not?

Regards,

Roy

Hout Bay beach and harbour, a view from the water

Seen here and on a super day when the sea was flat and the wind near none existant, Hout Bay beach sure looks good.

Thats Little Lion Head in the center and the back of Table Mountain to the right.

Looking left and towards the Hout Bay harbour entrance.

Picture should enlarge when you click on them.

Roy

Opening cruise picture, HBYC 2014

The guys are Andries and Athol, both HBYC members, the large boat to the right of the picture was launched as Good News but that's another story,

Roy

A TBA book finds a new owner

For some reason Bernard who was the guy responsable for the restoration of the classic yacht She was left of the list of those invited to the RCYC for the last ever meeting of the Traditional Boat Association (TBA) and the handing out of Colin Davies book.

We met up in the HBYC club house after a cruise on the calm waters of Hout Bay and the 2014 Opening Cruise, Bernard took She out of course.

I happened to have a spare copy of the book handy and in exchange for the now traditional R120 we shook hands and exchange a book for the money, its a donation to the NSRI station 8 here in Hout Bay.

There is just one more unsold book on my shelf, another five may be available but only in January 2015, so if you want to buy a really special Xmas gift, now is the time to place your order!

Roy

HBYC, Hout Bay, South Africa, The 2014 Opening Cruise

Nice weather, no breeze really the wind indicator was doing 360s at some times !

More wind would have been handy but rather the calm then too much wind.

The club presidents boat, Chris Sutton was also Commodore of the HBYC for a number of years.

Athol off  Jenal joined me for the cruise.

Yacht She, an ex TBA boat was there as well.

Yendo brought his Simonis 35 around Cape Point the day before, he had been at the FBYC for their Spring Regatta.

The commodores boat was anchored and took our salute.

On our way back to the Hout Bay Harbour, Athol is putting the fenders back over the side.

Nice day!

Roy