Our Superform (tm) bending plywoods

A good example of the extreme bends a strip of 5mm Superform bending plys will bend to,the B&G Network Quad instrument is 110mm square only,so you can estimate the corners radius at only 30mm on the outside.


We have been importing and selling bending plys for around twenty (20) years now,the first to introduce it too,we have our own retail side but also trade outlets in the Cape Town area,if you find it at their stores we supplied it.Other centers are welcome to contact us for bulk buying prices in pack lots.

The product is simply the best there is,its also water proof,it can be tanalith or PCP treated for external use,it can be used as it is on concrete shutters,curved roof soffits,walls and swim pool surounds too.

Didi 26 Spirit-of-Freedom

We have been asked to supply a kit to make a Dix Designed Didi 26,the customer sent a link to a web site in Italy,where a Didi 26+ is being built to a very high standard,the boat is named Spirit-of-Freedom.Its a progression from the normal Didi 26 in that it has a boarding platform,the rudder goes through that in very neat bushes,the forward end of the cockpit has a nice rounded shape now and the coach roof has lost its angles and is now a round shape with very snazzy windows too.If Dudley can suply the cut files to this new shape,we will offer it as a kit.

Try this link to learn more about this very nice boat
http://www.spirit-of-freedom.it/Costruzione.html

Dixi Dinghy kit is selling well

The Dixi Dinghy is to the left with the Argie 10 to the right.




We have seen a turn of interest for our smallest dinghy kit,the Dixi Dinghy,before it was either the larger Argie 10 of Argie 15 design,I expect costs are the issue and folk are accepting a smaller design and saving money at the same time,our prices are also down by around 30% due to the stronger Rand currency,so imports of raw materials are cheaper for us to buy.

The first of the two designs, the DIXI DINGHY, was commissioned as a sailing yacht tender for very simple construction in stitch and glue plywood. As a rowing/powered boat, all hull panels can be cut from two sheets of 6mm (1/4") plywood, including forming bouyancy compartments fore and aft. Additional plywood is required to make up the rudder and daggerboard. The rig is free standing, supported at keel and bow thwart and is easily stepped. The mast is in two interlocking pieces and the sail is sleeve luffed and loose footed. All rig parts stow within the hull.
As a sailing fun boat she is highly manoeuvreable and nippy with an adult or two children. As a tender she will comfortably carry four adults and gear in calm water. Load capacity will vary with water conditions.

Dixi Dinghy

Stitch & Glue Plywood

LIST OF MATERIALS

6mm [1/4"] Marine plywood
Sheet 1220x2440mm [4'x8'] - 2
Piece 210x350mm - 2

12mm [½"] Marine plywood
Piece 170x850mm - 1

19mm [3/4"] Marine plywood
Piece 300x810mm - 1
Piece 140x360mm - 1

Timber framing etc (Meranti, Mahogany, Douglas Fir etc)
8x30mm [5/16"x1½"] - 6 of 2.7m [6 of 9']
13x20mm [33/64"x3/4"] - 8m [25']
15x15mm [5/8"x5/8"] - 5m [16']
20x30mm [3/4"x1 1/4"] - 1m [3']
20x40mm [3/4"x1½"] - 8m [25']
20x50mm [3/4"x2"] - 0.5m [2']

Sundries
50mm [2"] Fibreglass tape - 25m [85']
Epoxy,3.3kgs
1.5mm Diam [.06"] Copper wire - 15m [50']
Screws,200 posidrive screws

Progress at D & W Boat Works

A general veiw from behind.


A neat position for the boats instruments,easy to see and safe from harm.


NKE Autopilot fitting.

D stands for Dave and W for wendy,they are putting one of our Didi Mini Transat kits together out in Arizona,USA.I have lifted their words and pictures from their own web site at http://www.dandwboatworks.com/

I got the aft railings all welded together this week, thanks John. And started to fit them to the boat, when..... I also mounted the A/P ram to the deck & painted the area above the main hatch where I removed the panel and filled the holes. Also painted the filled holes in the deck from the old rails and track. So I was fitting the aft rails when I took a break and was looking at some of photos of the Minis finishing up the 1st leg of the Transat, when I saw how one of the boats had done their aft rails. Much lighter and simpler. So I cut up the rest of the leftover aluminum tubing and will see if John can weld these up. Wendy says I can not look at any more pictures of Minis until I get mine finished!
13 & 14 Sep 09. This & that.
Finished all the bits for mounting the rudder position sensor. Added fillets for the panel stop blocks & sanded area to ready for painting. Drilled holes for the A/P ram mount through the deck and made up a backing plate and epoxied it in place. Figured out where all the A/P box, interface boxes & AIS receiver will mount. Made up stringers to screw all that stuff in to and prepped the area for gluing.
07, 08 & 09 Sep 09. Instrument panel version 4, revision 2?
So I started with a new panel idea by mounting the instruments from the back. All well and good, except that after cutting the holes there would not be enough panel left too stay together. I must be getting a bit smarter as I used a piece of scrap 1st. So I tried to mount some stringers but I was not having any luck cutting the angles needed. So then I went back to the original panel and trimmed some off the top and bottom and moved the hinge up. All was fine until I attached the hinge and then it interfered with the hatch again. Arrrg! So I cut a rabbit for the hinge and it then fit. Epoxied the stop blocks in place.

Our dog is ready to sail

The picture is of our dog Druma,short for Drumbeat,the name of the boat that is Drumbeat Charters in Hout Bay,Drumbeat has taken in many stray and sometimes abused dogs,Druma was one of them.As we call him,a harbour special (breed) he is a mix of what ever dogs live in and around the harbour,he has a great nature,loves chasing a ball or a frisbie and the kennel we showed him never was used,instead he likes being inside the home with people,what a great dog!

AIS and what it is

I was looking for a ship in Britain,discovered a web address run from my old home port of Liverpool and in very little time discovered the ship tucked away in a port of Englands east coast,I not only found which port she was in but at which berth too. copy and paste this into Google,then start searching places like the Irish Sea,you will find vessels and be told what they are doing,speed and destination. http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=mersey

Fitting our drop keel down under

The drop keel foil is the internal shape we have supplied etch primed with Sigma Coatings etch primer.



Davids drop keel box installed in the while it is still upside down.

Thats down under the boat and down under the world in Fremantle,Australia,David is building a Didi Mini Transat Cruise kit we supplied early this year,as an add on we supplied the boats two rudders and it drop keel foil,plus the 400 kgs of moulded hot pour lead,as we have the correct moulds in our store.The foil is made from laminated Iroko wood,then CNC cut to profile with the final finish and shape work done by hand,we then epoxy/glass it with unidirectional glass as specified by yacht designer Dudley Dix of the USA.

David has built the basic hull now but has left off the radius chine panels at this stage,I suspect to allow light and air enter and that will help him fit the sturdy drop keel box he has pre made.

Holiday snaps,a little culture

One of my regular customers sent me some pictures of his pet pigs (honest) he also sent me this one, which is a remarkable performance (even in still life) by a bunch of guys,I know which one is my customer but I aint telling!

Roy

Herritage Day sailing pics?

The plan was good but the Cape Town boat show started on this years 'Heritage Day' here in the cape,so no pictures of Flying Cloud a Dix designed 'Dix 43'(wood epoxy) this year,we still have some great pics of Dixy Roller out in Chapmans Bay though,taken a few weeks back by Max.

Kayak is completed using our materials supplied.

Well,as far as being fully water proof,it is complete,Alain may want to paint the boat next? this was a father and son,plus small grandchild project done over a number of months,its a nice family adventure,next they will be trying it out.We can supply floataion bags and life preservers,flare kits too!

Learning as we go

My thanks to Full Circle magazine for publishing the original story,please left click on the page to view it full size and read the text.


My dear mum is now 84,she is alone and misses her husband and my dad who died a few years back,she was here with us recently for Janet and Nigels wedding,we tried to get her to think of using a computer and stay in touch with us when she traveled back home,my mother was not really interested,even though she was a typist in her working years.

Here is a nice story of a mother of a customer and friend of ours,he is in New Zealand but the brother who set up a PC and communictations world wide lives just across the road form where we live,as they say we are never too old to learn,if we want to that is!

The ninth Cape Town Boat Show,24th to 27th September

The show will open in the morning,which this year is a public holiday,named Heritage Day its also named National Braai Day,so I had better get my charcoal and braai tongs ready for action later in the day.



We are told over 160 stands will be on display,thats in the main CTIC halls and also in the V&A Waterfront,where boats will be on display too,thats a long walk,so take the water taxi (free?) see you all there tommorrow!

Roy roy@comlumber.com

This Cruising Life

Left click the picture to view in a larger size.

The picture sums up life as we want it? work for it,build it,sail off in it,enjoy it,so why not,the picture is of Taffy (in red shirt) and Shirleys Lavranos 39 named The Road (royal order of anchient druids)the hull is black with a staggered white line all along the center,just like a normal road! Taffy is of course a welshman.

The place is Scotland Bay,Trinidad,two of the guys on the boat at last sundays raft up,will soon be doing the long trip to the Panama,then Pacific Ocean and eventually all the way back to Hout Bay,where Taffy,Shirley and Rubbish the parrot sailed of from originally.

AIS by Watchmate with a built in receiver

This is new for an October release,the screen now has its own receiver built in,you will still require an antenna splitter,which we can supply also.
roy@comlumber.com

AISWatchMate®RX Two Channel Receiver and Display
The AISWatchMate is now available with an integrated two channel AIS receiver.
Excellent receiver sensitivity for maximum range.
Designed especially for highest AIS performance.
Easy to install. No external "black boxes".
Winner of two international innovation awards.

OverviewFeaturesBenefitsSpecificationsDownloadsThe AISWatchMate RX incorporates an internal high performance two channel AIS receiver with the award winning AISWatchMate collision avoidance display. Vesper Marine has designed the AISWatchMate RX to help avoid collisions at sea. Using the Universal Shipborne Automatic Identification System (AIS) the AISWatchMate RX displays data from all AIS equipped vessels in your vicinity. Audible warning alarms are sounded if a potentially dangerous situation exists.
The alarm sounds whenever a ship is detected that will come dangerously close even though the ship may still be many miles away. You are alerted immediately with the closest point of approach (CPA) and the time until CPA.

Unique and customisable alarm and filter settings help to eliminate false alarms. Ships and alarms are displayed in a prioritised order assisting you to safely navigate in crowded shipping areas.

The AISWatchMate RX has a built-in AIS receiver. It can be interfaced to other on-board electronics and will provide full AIS output. However, it is not necessary to connect it to anything other than a GPS.

Traditional Stuff?

Left click on any of the pictures to view in a larger size and see more detail.


Gumptions Dynema rope chainplates by Equiplite.

The yacht Gumption at Hout Bay.

Traditional dead eyes,picture by Max.

Dixi Rollar,sailing in Chapmans Bay,note the traditional rope and dead eyes.Picture taken by Max.
As a founder member of Cape Towns Traditional Boat Asscociation and a person who is interested in things that went before,I am always pleased to see old ideas being re invented,Harken have been using rope loops for some while now,they save weight and take up any angle required,inclding a twist,only custom made fittings will allow that,the related cost can make the idea not worth it?

The RCYC,HBYC and FBYC had whats called a 'feeder race' at the weekend,boats from the three yacht clubs would meet at Hout Bay and race to FBYC in Simonstown on sunday morning,then be ready for the Spring Reggata next week end,whats traditional about this you may ask?

We had a few very high tech boats arrive,carbon,mast,booms,spinnaker poles etc,one boat,Gumption, really caught my eye though,its rod rigging was fastened to the boats hull with loops of rope! looking closer at the boat I noticed the boat had no deck cleats for mooring,rather loops of rope exiting the hull where a mooring line would tie to,this saves weight and again,the fastening angle is always 100% correct.Ian Frazer at Sparcraft,Cape Town, has just told me the rope is made from Dynema and produced by a company named Equiplite Chainplates,try www.equiplite.com Ian agrees with me that the wheel has turned 360 degrees,as what was done decades before in traditional rope,then changed for exotic metals,has now returned to rope but in modern fibres,so we now have a whole new range of traditional boats!

My pictures show the boats feature,I also include some pictures that Max took on a cruise into Chapmans Bay on Dixi Rollar recently,she has just beeen re rigged with traditional dead eyes.