Monday 20 December 2021

Ardic 04-D diesel heater major servicing

 Many years back, say twenty of them, I became the owner of an Ardic 04-D diesel heater, it was not installed when removed from the boat it was on and the owner had no information about it at all!



In searching for the user manual I found one on line easy enough.



This unit above is similar to mine but with a different type of electric pump.


Mine has the SU type pump, it was a Lucas label on it.


In my case the wire harness had been cut, there was a very short set of wires left on the multi plug, about 80mm long.

There are six wires involved with connection, red is positive, white negative, they are the thicker 4mm wires.

There are four more wires, white, blue, green, they go to the control switch, the other wire is orange and will be used for the tell tale light to show when the Ardic is running.


Note that there is a factory service box which plugs into a spare multi plug, which is kept in an empty socket, only the factory and service agents will use that plug.


Running the unit makes a fair bit of sound, once installed I doubt that will bother many, as the induction and exhaust sounds will be well muffled.



The heater puts out 3Kw of hot air which exits from a large diameter pipe on the end of the casing away from the control switch.

After a few days I was seeing success, there was plenty of blue smoke on start up, left to clear and on a restart the heater warmed up quickly and without and smoke at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nadZsnpZVnM

I used length of steel pipe to exit  the exhaust fumes out of the work shop.

Running the unit will use 0.4ltrs of diesel per hour.

To be continued:

Please ask me questions, I will advise if I can ?

All info supplied is in good faith and at the readers and users own risk, I will accept not liability for any errors.


Roy





Tuesday 2 November 2021

Argie 15 by Dix Design

 One of our kits was sent down to Ian in Picton, South Island, New Zealand.

The owner builder was Ian, he has since done his usual top quality assembly and build, the finish is in a similar paint shade as the Cape Cutter 19 named Tiptoe that we also shipped to him.



Ians care in his assembly always looks great.


This is a nice sized yacht for coastal sailing, as long as your equipment and experience allows.


Seen here in primer and before final sanding prior to the top coats.




We can ship this type of boat and larger to most places, always as a kit and a flat pack , sea or air freight.



Seen here this is Ians kit packed in a steel bound plywood crate, this type of packing means that your order is secure and safe to travel.

We have an Argie 15 PDF which explains the basics of what can be supplied and what the price indications are.

Roy.





Saturday 12 June 2021

Now added to our kit production list, the Trika 540 trimaran

 The kit set has in fact just been packed into a plywood crate that will be steel band strapped for extra security on its way to the customer and by air freight. The crate is 2.55mtrs long x 77cms x 18cms and weights 70kgs.

Full details on this exciting design can be found at the Klaus Metz web site 

Metz Boats - Trika 540 Kayak-Trimaran



Each kit requires eight sheets of okoume marine plywood, it is six x 4mm , one x 9mm ( half sheet ) and one x 12mm thick.



Plans can be bought direct from the Trika 540 web site.



All of the boats hulls are CNC cut, including the hull skins and decks.





Please contact me for details on full and part kits prices with shipping.

Tuesday 1 June 2021

The Cape Cutter 19 as a kit boat

 Dudley Dix designed the Cape Cutter 19 some years back, its been a very successful design too.

Recently a one design class regatta was held for the Cape Cutter 19 in the UK.



The pictures show how many boats made the event!


Pics were taken from the www.dixdesign.com web site.

Kits are available and we can ship Worldwide.

Saturday 15 May 2021

Sailing starter boat, the Optimist

 We started a five boat order for the Knysna Yacht Club, as we got into the design and building a test hull to prove the dimensions worked we had three more orders by the time we got CNC cutting.



This one is Stuarts and it was shipped all the way to the USA like many others have since we did the Knysna YC order here in South Africa.


This is our builders jig which can be used more than once.


A typical Optimist Dinghy kit order,

A packed kit, we use a steel banded crate for extra security when being shipped.


Another one of our kits, this one was for a South African customer.

Please contact me for the Optimist kit boat details, we do the North Sail and a Harken deck gear kit when required.


Roy

Friday 14 May 2021

Trika 540 multi craft

 The Trika 540 was designed by someone who needed a space saving design that has many features, such as small enough to store and move on a trailer and large enough to sail with his family.


The idea worked to such an extent that it does everything intended,


The center hull on its own.




This design has recently be re priced, please contact me for details.


The boat can be ready to sail in less than a half hour when taken to the water by trailer.

Nested and ready to load onto the trailer.


The craft looks fast even when standing still.


Ready to sail!

https://www.dixdesign.com/Trika_540.htm  




The Cape Cutter 19 as a kit

 One Cape Cutter 19 kit that we shipped to New Zealand was built by the kit buyer, then after some years in his use was later sold.



The boat was at a traditional boat show recently and won a best of class prize for the new owner!

Plans and kits are available from www.ckdboats.com 

Roy


Thursday 13 May 2021

The St Ayles Skiff build in Hout Bay

 The building of a St Ayles Skiff in Hout Bay has opened up a new membership class for the HBYC , a rowing section.



The new marina club house even has a dedicated lift for the skiff to enable an easy launch and retrieve.



The club members did all of the building and painting  works.



Contact me for the plywood kit pricing.

Roy



Monday 10 May 2021

The Argie 15 kit build by Ian in New Zealand.

 Ian has in the past built a Cape Cutter 19 kit that we supplied, he has now started the Argie 15 kit build and is well on his way to being ready to fit the decks.



This build will be for use as a power boat, so the normal Dagger Board case has not been fitted, that will keep the boat dry while under power.



This is a very near build, the attention to  detail shows.


The compartments in the hull are many, they will be fitted with water tight screw in covers so that they can be accessed and used.


When Ian has the decks fitted I will update this blog page.

Roy







Saturday 27 February 2021

The Argie dinghy by Dudley Dix

 Our Argie dinghy is a well known favorite and we have shipped them as far as Wales and New Zealand.


We offer the plans only at U$55 plus print and postage cost, or the CNC cut kit.


The kit can be in genuine okoume marine plywood which right now is made in France, or to save cost it can be ut in WBP plywoods from Malaysia.


The boat in the pictures is being built right now and in New Zealand.


Assembly work and pictures were done by Ian .


Contact me for a price and PDF showing the options.




Friday 26 February 2021

Julian Godwin dinghy

Back in 2005 a cruising yacht from New Zealand came into the marina at Hout Bay, South Africa.


The yachts tender was really different and I asked the owner who had designed it?


The name given was Julian Godwin of New Zealand, I was able to make contact with Julian via a good friend who lives down there and searched out Julian for me.


This brought a letter and a set of plans some weeks later from Julian which gave me permission to use his plans and also create a CNC plywood kit and sell the plans.



 

Wednesday 20 January 2021

Dedication 27 power fishing boat



This is the new design offering from Dudley Dix.


Just released for the sale of plans!

The plans cost U$500 plus postal shipping costs.


At this time Dudley tells me he has the plans ready but not the DFX panel cut files so right now I cannot price the kit.




Please contact me if you would like a kit price when I have it.

Roy


 

Thursday 7 January 2021

St Ayles Skiff storage idea

 

The Hout Bay YC in South Africa have a new club house on the marina, this is in addition to where the old club house is.




The St Ayles Skiff they buily now has a new home which makes things really easy for launching.

I am told that a second St Ayles Skiff is planed so that they can develop team rowing.

Sunday 3 January 2021

The Eureka Canoe

 We have done the Eureka Canoe which was designed by Mike Storer for some time, either as a plans set only or as plans and a CNC cut plywood kit



The canoe is really a right sized boat for those wanting a car top type boat, you can take a passenger in the Eureka Canoe or just yourself.

Please supply your email address and I will forward you the PDF on this design.


Roy