A book on self maintainace,servicing the Harken furler gear and the rest of your boat

This is not the first time a book of my interests has been suggested,Chuck of http://www.duckworthsmagazine.com/ said the same thing,he knew a publisher in Hong Kong but nothing else was heard. There are many new issues on servicing our boats,an old book remains just that,old and locked into the older type equipments and materials,just check on an old  yachting magazine and you will see what I mean.

So how about 'Small boat maintainace and other short stories'? the cost of the book will be saved on day one I guess.We now need a publisher..............

Servicing the Harken furler gear

Sounds like a big job and it is if dropping the genoa is a hard job to do,all thats required is a wash with fresh water it says in the handbook.

Doing this task twice a year ensures the bolt rope track stays free and cleans any dirt or salt out of the bearings,do it soon! Note the bearing at the head of the sail,that needs washing clean as well as the lower one on the rope drum.

A comment from a regular blog reader,do we have any willing publishers out there?

Hi Roy,

Not many people like you mate, it's your attention to maintenance detail that in the end has saved you thousands or pounds and kept all your possessions worth more than they would have been without that effort.

You should actually write a small book on the importance of maintenance and maybe even I would start doing what should be done. I don't think people realize how much their time is worth when its spent on themselves, they are quite prepared to spend loads of time talking crap on Twitter or Face book to people the hardly know but neglect their own stuff to their loss in the end.

It could make a very entertaining book by showing how a small effort could and has save pounds and maybe lives?

Alex.

Sailing with family

We took the calm weather as a chance to get out into the bay and run the engine,clean the hulls self polishing antifoul and generally have a nice time,we did all of that,had tea and snacks,saw the sea life and not a single other yacht,was it the whale?

Leone came for the ride,she picked a great day too.

Our sea dog Druma came too.

The return leg saw us wrap up a bit,the hard spray dodger was now really worth its effort,thats a kit set if anyone needs one?

Hout Bay in winter

This is just one of those places that offer the best of everything,sailing is just outside the harbour,the views are fantastic,the sea life is very active and in the time we were out in the bay we saw dolpins and a rather large whale.

We reached out in warm a NW breeze under genoa only,only to be met by a cold SW with fog in the distance,which you can see coming the nek from the Llandudno side.

Around the world with our boat plans and kits

The idea was to sell locally,which was the case,number one kit was a Didi 26,that went to Joburg,then came a request to supply a kit and build it,this was the Didi Mini Transat,then while that was being discussed a second order,then just as the dust was settling in our new premises,an export order to the next Didi 26 came in,that was later changed to a build as well.We were now boat builders as well it seemed.

This was about nine years back,my how the time flies and we have supplied materials or kits to some thirty two countries now (32) it seems like we may add a few more flags to our list soon,last week enquiries came from,New Zealand,Mayote,USA,Finland,France,Chille,England and Canada,there were others too but they never said where they were.

So whats this all about? well the first word must be service,without which we can not connect and without our long list of suppliers and forwarders we can not supply or ship.To me a fast response to an incoming mail often brings a favourable comment on the speed of reply,do some companies not do this?

So here we are,soon to be into a decade of selling and shipping boat kits and materials,I have lost count of the numbers long ago but a check of our plans files suggest we have at least thirty five boat designs on our books.Which start with the Optimist dinghy right up to a DH55 cruising catamaran,with anything else in between.It may be time to add your countries flag to our growing list?

The return of Henry,part two

Tuesday morning,about 10.30am Henry flew off,Jean had been in the garden with him,she came inside,when she returned he was gone.Last time he went awol it was an unissued 24 hour pass,which he extended some but was back within a day or so.

This second away from home trip was different,very different and after three and a half days we accepted that he had gone to find a mate of his own kind?

Then yesterday around 5pm I opened the front door and there he was,he more or less staggered in,back from the Namib Desert perhaps,for sure he had been in the wars,just look at his poor head.
Henry then ate seed for a whole half hour,then as is his norm,jumped down onto the floor and walked down the passage way to his room,then went to bed on his perch.

Welcome home Henry!

Hillman Imp disc brakes now in South Africa

With the first set now installed and a second set being on order,we are about to see some very modern looking and fast stopping Imps soon.

We tried making the sets locally but in the end placed our orders with a manufacturer overseas,even paying the import duty and freight,it was still no more expensive than trying to make them ourselves.

The calipers are Ford Ka,we can also use the Fiesta ones but the disc is smaller,Ford Ka discs will only fit inside 13" rims,which is what our project car has.

A South African first? it may well be,the quality is just tops!

Roy

Toylander drive time

Time to drive our Toylander but are the gears right,I would like to think so as I have driven up and down the workshop,forwards and backwards but the slope of the paved drive was too steep for the motor or was it the battery.

Its a one wheel drive car,factory cars all have two wheels driven,so two motors and two of everything else.

We have a simple bicycle chain  and sprocket connection,next we try a larger drive sprocket.

Time to recharge at our local filling station.

Lower bolts (4) only will not support the motor properly,this simple angle plate in plywood works fine.

Ready to drive and I did!

Roy

Whats in your garage?

Lots going on in this one,the Toylander had its drive motor and gears installed today and moved myself forward and reverse under its own motive power for the first time,progress indeed!

Yes,I can fit inside the Toylander,so can you.

The competition Hillman  Imp is now right side up,the turning rig removed and the car is on its four wheel dolly,a great bit of kit as it allows me to move the car around and have it exactly where I need it.The new front discs will be fitted soon,then the rear Monte Carlo road springs and the Supalite road wheels with Yokahama tyres.

The drive unit has a reduction box,as a safety item when the off,forward/reverse control is placed to off,the Toylander will stop and will not move,so all the driver needs to do is simply place the control knob in the center position to stop motion in either direction. 

Mike Storer Designs Goat Island Skiff

News today was the fact that the G.I.S (goat island skiff ) as a kit will cost the same as the Argie 15 kit,size and materials lists being quite similar.

Allow R7500 plus R700 to Mike Storers plans,plus any extra wetting out epoxies you may want as well.

Roy






This is a great boat,a good size and a good sailer,built correctly its the kind of thing that will last a lifetime and you can pass it on to your family!
We can sell you the plans only,or the plans and materials,we can do a CNC cut kit if required.The plans cost U$100 ( rands 700) plus our printing charge on the 86 A4 size pages,so allow R100 for that printed and bound as a volume,we can print and post given a day ot two,postal fees will depend on where you are?

Roy

phone and fax line @ 021 790-3859

Toylander,its the gear

Well its Toylander gears really,we now have them and will do a first assembly later today,speed being acceptable we can re produce now.

left click for more detail.

If this does not work,I think I shall just drop in the Hillman Imp engine seen at the back of the picture?

Roy

Hillman Imp race build progress

It looks like we actually made progress,time is not the only issue building a car like this,its finding the parts,importing them then often making them suit the final application,this is where we are today!

The bonnet is just loose right now,next we need to bolt those hinges in place and fit the support stay.

The genuine Singer Chamois Sport engine bay cover can only be closed once the turning rig is removed,the car will be placed back on its four wheel dolly to allow me to move the car around better,after which theSupalite wheels can be fitted.

Roy

Timber frame demountable structure kit

This easy to errect building can be made as a demountable kit set ,all the builder needs to install is the mount blocks on the ground,or they can even be stakes driven or drilled into the earth,which are cut off later when the building is removed.Supplied in treated pine wood with all bolts and plates required,it will ship easy enough.

We found this boat building structure up the Telford River in Gweek,seems to me it will beat the local Cape Town City councils rules on what a temporary structure should be,we need more space,this could be the answer!

Drumbeat Charters and other top companies promote themselves in Hout Bay

Looking at the crowds in the harbour the past two days,this advert/editorial worked,as they had long lines waiting for ice cream at Muriels even after 5pm yesterday and traffic contol to get us back out with our cars onto the road,it was more like christmas!

Fraser Hillman Imp racer 1967 wins at Silverstone

I found this on Ebay,memories of the mid to late sixties but similar cars are still being built and raced today.

Left click the picture,you should be able to read the words.

The place was Silverstone,the positions were 1st and 2nd for the 1000cc class,check the inside wheel lifting from the tarmac!

More on Irvin seat belts,the original options.

These are now for sale.

I am not sure how many options exist in total but checking out those from just three cars we have,all circa 1967 and in South Africa where they were fitted,here are some changes I have just noted.

Note the bolt in the center and its logo on the head,this is a stepped bolt,which may be used on the rear belt going back to the side of the car behind the wearer?

Left click for a larger view.

Note the name but no logo on this bolt head,the shoulder of which is much deeper and better suited to fit on a carpeted floor,the metal plate is wide on this option,suited for adjustments?

The same type of bolt with the Irvin name but note the end plate,its smaller and had a sewn termination end on it,suited to go behind the wearer or in this case on the short belt to the floor (remind me to vacume it)

Here we see another name plate,this one also has the logo as well.

Yet another name plate,this one clearly shows the SABS approval logo as well.

Note,the original belts were in a pale grey,I had new webbing sewn in and changed this to black,I still have the original webbing if anyone wants to copy them,sizes etc?

This is the keeper or house that the part with the logo goes into,its kept closed by positive tension and will fall loose if you slacken the belt off,so be aware of this.The side this part goes on is the longer webbing,floor to the rear of the cars inside.

Tail piece,the ends:

The tails were folded double & sewn mainly but some had the grey plastic or chrome ends on them,even the grey plastic end has the name Irvin on it,the top loop just held the loose tails togther.

Irvin seat belts original end terminal.
Other ends? our Singer Chamois (1967) came to us with the belts having the same ends on,these I have changed at the floor but retained at the rear strap position,as it misses the wood trim better,a large metal buckle will certainally damage the wood trim otherwise.

The original Irwin ends,now ready for replating and a latter re fit on some other classic car rebuild.
Roy