Kidz's Stuff chair kit

The perfect gift for your children,a chair they can assemble from a flat pack themselves,supplied either unpainted,or in a range of bright colours in a high quality paint finish,the range will include a table,bookcase,bed side unit,bed and anything else we can think of.

Traditional Atkin 34.7 ft Vixen arrives

This boat arriving in Hout Bay from Simonstown,was drawn in 1950 and built in 1952,more pictures of Vixen in another blog later.
Left click the pictures to view them full size.


VIXEN is a 1950 design by John Atkin; 34’7” on deck, 32’ waterline, 43’ overall, 13 tons, gaff cutter, 1950. She was built by Joel Johnson at Black Rock, Connecticut in 1952 of eastern white cedar on oar frames. Her original owners, James and Jean Stark, circumnavigated 38,000 miles taking five years. William and John Atkin based the hull shape on the Colin Archer lifeboats from Norway.
An Atkin Double-Ender

Plans are still available,we can CNC cut a set of bulkheads and intermeadiate stations for you,plus supply all materials,including the correct glues,caulking cotton and copper rovings if required,contact:
Roy@ckdboats.com

No how-to-build article on Vixen was ever published, so you will have to be satisfied with the blurbs from the yachting press below. Vixen measures 34 ft. 7 in. on deck, with a length of 32 ft. 6 in. on the waterline. Her beam is 10 ft. and draft 5 ft. Freeboard forward is 4 ft. 10 1/2 in., 3 ft. 11 in. at the stern and the least freeboard is 2 ft. 11 in. She displaces about 26,000 lb., with a 9,500 lb. external lead keel and 1,500 lb. of inside ballast. She was designed for Jim Stark, specifically to make a circumnavigation. He had a suc­cessful trip taking five years, as he liked South Africa and Tahiti so much he stayed there several months each.

New Didi Mini Transat Mk3 version

DUDLEY DIX YACHT DESIGN

Didi Mini Mk3
Radius Chine Plywood Mini 6.5

One of Dix Designs most popular designs has just been given performance facelift,check those chines aft.



From the Dix Design web pages.
In the 10 years that we have offered plans for the Didi Mini, we have sold plans for 90 boats. Apart from a redesign of the aft deck and a continual expansion of build options, it has remained the same basic boat sold as the Didi Mini Mk2. Now we introduce a major redesign, as the Didi Mini Mk3. It has some major changes from the earlier versions while retaining the same basic structure and detailing. It remains suitable for amateurs to build economically but performance will step up a notch or two.

Introduced in the Didi Mini Mk3:-

~ Updated hull shape with broader stern and topside chine

~ Extended cabin roof, forming protected cuddy over front of cockpit

~ Easier access between cockpit and interior

~ More power from broader and flatter stern

~ Water ballast of fixed keel version further outboard

~ Bow and stern ballast tanks in canting keel version

~ Tacking daggerboard in canting keel version

~ Redesigned foam flotation, cleaner interior

~ Inboard chainplates for tighter genoa sheeting

~ Larger square-head mainsail

Overall, these changes produce a boat that will be more powerful, faster, more weatherly and more comfortable to sail.

This cruising life,Salvador,Bahia,Brasil

Left click to view an enlarged picture.

With friends and their yachts sailing off right now to Brasil,this is a good time to post a picture I took,its in 1977,we are with the crew of two other boats,one is the Eckhoffs,Donella,the other is a family from Durban but I do not recall their family name or the name of the boat,it was about 36ft long and a pale blue.Dennis off Brer Terrapin is standing up and suggesting our plan of action for an evening ashore and a beach braai.The camera was my Canon FT with a 1.4 x 50mm lens.

Pirates,Somalia

Actually,its no laughing matter but maybe some of the world powers are a joke?
Left click to read the words.

Vampire Jets

We have a second order to supply Hendrick with our Resolution 816 epoxy and 205 cure agent,while the plane may fly,its construction is wood being in plywood made from birch,so when we think of it,planes and yachts are very similar,they both fly in one way or another!

The Vampire Jet designed by de Havilland, Hatfield. Some 1500 were built at English Electric Preston in the 1940's.

Design and development

Interior layout of the Vampire FB Mk2The Vampire was considered to be a largely experimental design due to its unorthodox arrangement and the use of a single engine, unlike the Gloster Meteor which was always specified for production. The low-powered early British jet engines meant that only twin-engine aircraft designs were considered practical; but as more powerful engines were developed, particularly Frank Halford's H.1 (later known as the Goblin), a single-engined jet fighter became more viable. De Havilland were approached to produce an airframe for the H.1, and their first design, the DH.99, was an all-metal, twin-boom, tricycle undercarriage aircraft armed with four cannons. The use of a twin boom (similar to that of the Lockheed P-38) kept the jet pipe short which avoided the power loss of a long pipe that would have been needed in a conventional fuselage. The DH.99 was modified to a mixed wood and metal construction in light of Ministry of Aircraft Production recommendations, and the design was renumbered to DH.100 by November 1941.[2]

Under specification E.6/41 for two prototypes, design work on the DH.100 began at the de Havilland works at Hatfield in mid-1942, two years after the Meteor.[3]

The Moth hydrofoil

We have been asked to develop a Moth hydrofoil kit,whats a Moth says I,checking on the web I see its nothing new but they can be expensive,exciting too I bet.We have asked one of our team of designers to give the idea some thought,its a possible thing,so watch this space,as the kit will not be expensive,there is so little boat!

Flying Cloud,a Dix Design Dix 43

How big is a big boat,there probably is no answer to that but the 45ft american yacht that used this cradle before this boat, sure looked a whole lot larger than this Dix 43!We have boats on our kits offerings to 55ft but size is not an issue really.
Left click the picture to view full size,the camera was a Canon G11 set on auto.

This was not a boat built from a kit,it was hand lofted and hand built,the hull took me six weeks working eight hours a day to build.It was the learning curve on Dudleys radius chine construction start though,so in some ways the beginnning of what became to be known as CKD Boats cc.We can offer CNC cut bulkheads on this design,also the very similar shaped Dix 38 and 45.

SSB Radio ground plates

The issue on a boat of a decent SSB ground plate always causes discussion,I can only advise what has worked on my own boats and worked very well,the basics are a decent radio of course,then a copper foil to ground it with (not a wire) you then link up to various things that will help the cause,steel tanks and the engine are a good start.In my case I have always had a copper plate with a large slab anode fastened to it,not so neat but it works very well and as the engine is connected to the anode,I have never ever had any worry with corrosion in the engine,so its working two ways in my case.I have just added an upgrade in a dynaplate,thats the bright yellow slab next to the anode you can see,its a mass of bronze balls sintered together to make a connected mass,but not solid,you can blow air through it,the size you see is said to equall five (5) square meters of ground plane,I should have a very good set up now!

Inside the boat,one of two mounting bolts on the dynaplate,the brass shim foil goes to the anode stud which is out of sight under the pipe work,the anode stud already has a 3" (75mm) copper foil ground strip in place.Why the brass strip? I have run out of copper but have brass shim stock,its the same thickness so I used that.

The copper plate is about 550mm x 550mm,it will get some growth on it but not much.

Insulation,Alububble sheeting

I had recently removed the boats head liners to do some other work,so I used the chance to spray them with a twin pack satin clear laquer,a decision to install thermal insualation was taken too.What type and where from was a small problem,the aft cabin has 20mm polyurethane foam sheeting,it works well but does require cutting and makes a bit of a mess,it also needs a full coating of contact glue,so a lot of work. A chance conversation on the subject with Andre,one of our valued customers, had him deliver 4m2 of Alububble insulation to me to try out,he had bought an entire roll for his Sadler 32 new boat fit out.

Using this product is a great experiance,its easy to use,cuts with a Stanley knife,makes no mess and requires just a narrow application of contact glue around the edges only.Being just 3mm thick I was able to use the headliner as my template,cut and glue,then screw back in place,what a nice product,recomended!

With all head liners back in place and most of the teakwood trims screwed back as well we are nearly finished,I sense a nicer audio sound from those two Pioneer radio speakers too.

Left click any picture to view full size on your screen

We can make these hatch trims to order,either just the corners and you make your own frame,or completed and ready to fit,we stock round air vent trim rings in teak wood too.

Look closely,you can just see the edge of the insulation material on top of the plywood headliner,the air space is an important part of why it works by the way,always install with the silver foil upwards.

The silver side up,this panel is glued and ready to install.
Warning,if using contact glues or similar,always have lots of ventilation available,with no naked flame or smoking allowed.




Technical and Thermal Benefits of Alububble
Clean, strong, light and flexible


Odourless, non-carcinogenic, non-toxic, non-allergic


Vermin and insect resistant, inert, waterproof, excellent tear resistance


Irritant free - no loose fibres to irritate skin, eyes, nose or lungs


Energy efficient, insulation & vapour barrier in one


Heat stabilized for durability & effective in temperature range of – 20 C° to 80 C°


Quick and easy to install


Extremely cost effective


Alububble has been tested for fire resistance and classification in accordance wit SANS 10177


Special lengths on request


UV Protected


Choice of Colour

Sigmacover 525 tie coat application

What started out for me as a very large problem became a walk in the park when a proffesional team was assigned to me for the day,the idea was to get UHP water blasting known about In Hout Bay,for which CKD Boats are now your contact agents but the company who do this work can and do travel country wide,in fact the entire southern africa,so if you need a quality job please contact me at roy@ckdboats.com or Cape Town phone number 021 510-7206 for more information.

Sigmacover 525 tie coat can be overcoated in twelve hours up to a maximum of fourteen days,it has properties that bond with the next coat,which in my case was to be antifoul.
Left click all pictures to view full size and see the full details.

With a second coat applied we have the perfect finish,in twelve hours we can apply the antifouls.

The first coat will not give a full cover,the second coat does that with ease.


Using a fine mo-hair roller I applied the first coat of Sigmacover 525,its really important to get a 100% cover,no pin holes,nothing is allowed.

The suppliers of the paint told me that even after a 12 hour period had elapsed,even fresh paint needs a good hand wash with soapy water to remove 'contaminates' or airbourne dust and salts that may have blown in,we used a small amount of Teepol in fresh water,do not use washing up liquid,its additives could cause bother themselves.When washd,hose off ,then allow to dry fully before continuing the paint process.

At this stage we (me) have applied two full coats of Sigma etch primer,the cure period is a full 12 hours,so in my case the next day before overcoating with Sigmacover 525 tie coat was possible.

Sigma Primer on a UHP cleaned steel surface

If you want to blast your steel boat,keel or rudder with no mess other than water run off,read on.

The blasting process is beneath the blog on cruising in Saldhana,to follow is the overcoating with Sigmacover 525,then application of Interspeed antifouls,left click any picture to view full size and see more details.
The holes were cleaned out the following day and welded over,then a new coat of Sigma primer was applied over the new steel weld,prior to two coats of Sigmacover 525tie coat.

South African Cruising destinations

There are few places nicer than the Saldhana Yacht Club,its about 62 miles north of Cape Town.Thats baby Janet,with her mother Jean and Wally Hemmens having a chat early one morning.The boat is Ocean Planet,an Endurance 37 and our first yacht.

Flying Clouds steel keel box UHP water blasting

With such high pressure care must be taken to ensure safety,over blasting of other boats is not however a hazard,the water only has intense pressure up to about 40mm from the nozel tip,then it looses its high power very quickly.




A full technical team was sent to evaluate the job,nothing is left to chance,the Sigma primer paint was even applied by the same team.

The ultra high pressure pump,this uses only water and runs at a pressure of some 2000 bars,the job was to remove the paints and rust from my steel keel shoe,the job took about three and a half hours,thats about eleven coats of paints (ten years worth) plus any rust.

When a diver who was changing a propellor shaft anode said the keel anode is missing,we knew trouble was ahead,why the anode had gone is open to discussion,other boats have had bothers too,it may be an electrical thing.

Bruces Dixi Dinghy Build

Bruce has made fine progress on the build of our kit,its close to being ready to paint or varnish I think,the dixy dinghy is our most cost effective dinghy as it comes out of just two sheets of ockume marine grade 6mm ply,as a good load bearer its an ideal tender that can either row,motor or sail.
Left click the pictures to view full screen size.