Yachts hanging about in Hout Bay

The next weekend will again see the HBYC host the racing yachts for the annual Admirals Sword races.

The image will open to a full size if you click on it.
The camera is a Canon G11.

The clubs racers were launching two of the L26 class yachts this afternoon.

Roy

Navigator by John Welsford

This was the first kit set we made to a design by John, it was built to a very high standard in in the Cape Town area.

This is a wonderful construction.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-john-welsford-navigator-in-south.html

Kits available anytime.

Roy

JW Rifleman plans in stock

JW is of course John Welsford, we stock a number of his plans and can post to most places.
Some can be turned into CNC kits but not all of them.

The steeply rising bottom panels soften the ride, and give good directional stability while the long fine entry eases through the waves and keeps the spray down in a way that the more common wide beam can rarely achieve.
Inside there is room for four to ride in comfort, and to fish without tangling lines. There is adequate storage under the foredeck and under the centreline of the seats, while the space under the side seats and forward thwart is sealed off providing sufficient air tank buoyancy to float her stable and baleable fully swamped. This space can be accessed through plastic hatches if required and is a good place to keep spare clothing, matches, food and other essential small items. ( Don’t put the bait in the same one as the food!)

Steered from the console on the centre thwart the boat is easier to trim, and generally will provide a more comfortable ride with the weight out of the ends. With the motors normal remote control kit and a simple cord and pulley steering system it is possible to rig the controls without having to spend too much on hardware.

We have just been asked for a design similar to a 1957 power boat, this sort of fits that time slot?

We have the plans in stock.

http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/rifleman/index.htm

What a nice boat, we can get it built for you also.

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian coupe rear side window rubbers

The car is a rare 1967 Imp Californian.

The rear side window rubbers  arrived from our suppliers today and are perfect fit.

This is the retro type and will not accept the original Rootes Car Co, painted metal insert which covered most of the rubber.

The supplier tells me these are the last pair he had and has no plans to make anymore.

They should last another fifty years I guess?

There is no glass fitted at this stage as we need the re trimming  job finishing inside the car first.

Roy

Building your own boat from a kit?

We have sold many boat kits and to many different designs, one was the Dix Design Cape Cutter 19 which we shipped down to Picton In New Zealand.

The customer was Ian who has a number of boats behind him but none as large and on a start to finish basis as the Cape Cutter 19.

We no longer cut that design but we can offer the Cape Henry 21 which is the same design scaled up  some 10% which makes it 30% larger.

We also supplied Ian with the mast and spars plus the steel plate drop keel.

\Ian sure made a nice job of his build, it takes time but as he said, one hour a day, possibly two or three and I will get there, which he did!

Thanks to Justin for helping out with the pictures.

You can read Justins review on the Cape Cutter 19 and the Cape Henry 21 at the link below.

http://sayachts.blogspot.com/2013/05/cape-cutter-19-cape-henry-21.html

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian, Stromberg carburetors, a rebuild

This takes time and some past working on them to get an understanding of what needs doing to them before they will work correctly.

The engine is the cars original block, with matching numbers and the original crank bearings and pistons, it is quite a rare find, the car came off the Rootes Car Co, Scotlland , production line February 3rd 1967.

The engine was fitted with the series Sport 180 cylinder head and Stromberg carburetor some years back.

The engine is running in this picture.

Roy

Goat Island Skiff

Or GIS for short is a very popular sailing skiff.

We sent Johnny the plans and kit some time back, seems he will soon be sailing as he has asked for pricing on the Lug sail also.

Mail in from Johnny reads below.

Am making good progress. Mast is made, tiller & center board & rudder all made up but still to be epoxied/glassed.

I reckon I need 3 packs (epoxy and hardener = 1 pack) and 1 packet micro balloons.

Simple to Build Modern Performance - Sails rings around most "character boats"
Light enough to handle on land by yourself Easy to follow plans - step by step instructions.  96 page manual.
Length - 15'6" (4.73m)
Beam - 5ft (1.52m)
Hull Weight - 128lbs (57kg) - Gaboon (Okoume) Ply
Sail Area - Lug 105 sq ft (9.75 sq metres)

For purchasers of the plan there is a new birdsmouth mast option .

Yachts in Hout Bay, South Africa

Mist always adds depth to any picture and non more so than pictures of yachts?

Both yachts are built using wood, the one on the left was built by Henry Vink around 1934 and is a Vertue 26 , the one on the right is a ply/epoxy build and is a Dix Design, Dix 43.

The picture was taken using my now old Canon G11 and even with the now normal lens scratches still produces a good image when the light is behind the camera.

Roy

Optimist kit cutting this week

We will be cutting another Optimist dinghy kit this week, also supplying a sail by North Sails.

This must be the most popular small dinghy in its class ever designed and built world wide.

More info can be found on our web site.


http://www.ckdboats.com/optimist.html

Roy

Tididi fitting out, built from plans by Hartley.

Tididi  is a Hartley 37 being built and fitted out near Camel Rock in the Table Mountain Nature Reserve area.

Hi Roy,

Just some updated photographs. The grab rails are not fixed and in their final positions. Still need another coat of Intergard and then the top coats. Making progress with the rudder and hopefully will have it ready to go to the CNC shop by end of next week.

Regards

Andrew.

CKD Boats cc supplied much of the plywoods and epoxy to complete the build, we also supplied the plantation grown teak grab rails, we still have some ex stock, a not to be repeated manufacture.

Roy

Hillman Imp rebuild in South Africa

This car is a 1971 Imp Deluxe, a one owner car and Imported by its lady owner many years back.

When I discovered it over sixteen years ago it was in storage and not for sale, then the owner decided he wanted to sell it.

A deal was made and  I moved the car to a friend who had an interest in such cars, he stored it six years, then it came to myself. Work was started by turning the car over to work on the underside surfaces and suspensions before the rest of the car.

The customer wanted the best, so the car was inverted on our special jig for turning Imps over on.

We managed to discover just enough of the cars original Chrysler metallic blue paint colour, then matched that to  a Samcor / Ford shade and used that.

The pro paint shop who finished the work made a really nice job of the car.

Work started in 2012 and went right through to November 2014, only the best materials went into this car restoration.

Moved by road trailer to the cars owner, they were asked to help a hire car that got into difficulty!

The car has been waiting for a silencer to be made from the original Rootes Car Co drawings, it was fitted recently, this is the kind of detail searches we made on the cars restoration.

The speedo was serviced and calibrated, taken back to read zero miles and right now has clocked all of 2 miles, so its a new Hillman Imp?

We had the cars original engine and that is what we converted to a 998cc size.

If you would like a similar car please contact me.

Roy

The Proteus 106 sailing cat kit

This just has to be one of the best value catamaran boat kits available anywhere?

Click on the image to enlarge it, or go out and buy the March 2015 issue of Sailing magazine.

I couldscan the pages better but would need to cut them free, this is not what I want to do.

The magazine will feature the boats build as it progresses.

We supplied the 102 sheets of materials only last May 2014 and check the progress this far, this was with one man and his helper as far as I know.

How hard can this be?

Roy

A Barlow Wadley portable radio with the FM button

Those of you who are regulars to this blog will remember that I had a stroke of luck a year back (was it more?) and was offered a very nice Barlow Wadley in a clean and working condition.

Reading up on the set I find that it is very good on power use from its six 1.5v batteries. I fitted nicads, they lasted a whole year!

Ok I do have an external power source but from time to time the set is using the batteries.

With yet another Eskom power outage the other day I fitted new batteries and was soon listening to a sports feature on the BBC World Service, so clear and sharp too, I was tuned to a frequency around 15,400 which has not been active here for some while now, the time was 17.00 so 15.00 BST (GMT)

Roy

Mirror Dinghy replacement deck panels

Lat year we cut more than ten Mirror Dinghy kits, we also did a replacement deck panel set which has now been sold.

Mirror Dinghy kits are available ex Cape Town and we can ship to most places.

Roy

We have a Submarine in Hout Bay

This used to be a regular event, with the SA Navy base not far away and in Simonstown, Hout Bay is not a bad over night stop.

This image will enlarge, its the Canon G11 on standard setting, there is a submarine in the picture, can you find it?

Closer, about 4 x magnification?

The Canon G11 on its maximum 5 x  magnification.

Thanks to Tojan for the on the water pics,, he took his yacht out just to get some decent pictures with his Canon G12.

Nice day or what!

Roy