A new product, Deluxe Light Ply

This was a product we had made up for boat builders some time back, part of an on going
process of development. The product has just been through another phase and now meets some very high standards.

Its a five veneer layup on the 6mm, making it a stiff but light panel, the glue line is phenolic, so fully waterproof, boiling tests for 10 hours show no defects. The manufacturing factory meets very high emmision standards and their panels are CE approoved, the wood species used is also from a renewable source.

The picture shows a 6mm and 12mm panel, weight wise its about half the weight of okoume marine ply and while not as light as balsa wood its very much stronger.

Click on the pictures to enlarge the image.

Check the layup, balanced veneers and the 6mm panel is also a five ply, so very strong for its weight.

Roy

That old Seagull engine you have, can it be fixed when its seized solid ?

This was one of two requests for Seagull information and on the same day.

Dear Roy, Stubbornly I cling to this old British Seagull Motor I have which does not work.  The most likely explanation is that the magnets for generating a spark are too worn.  But we don't know that.  I could not figure out how to take the top off in order to get at the magnet. 

 Is there any kind of manual or other instructions for disassembling the motor?

 All the best,

Cort Wrotnowski

Greenwich, Connecticut, USA

Here is my reply and as yet not replied to.

Cort,

Thanks on your mail!

Please do not take the flywheel off, this is not recomended, you can take the top cover to service the points though.

The points and spark plug gaps are important of course, so start with them, if there is no spark at all, try a power drill to the

Flywheel and spin it up, this will normally re generate a magnet and thats it done?

May I have a picture of your motor  and the engine number please.

Johns site will date your motor by the way.

 Regards

 Roy
Cape Town

www.ckdboats.com

The other Seagull engine was brought to me for a look over, all in all it was a very good buy and with just one part missing, which was the plastic bracket that holds the rear drive tube in place, this needs to be there!

I advised the new owner to take the parts of like fuel pipe and carb, clean them and the fuel tank, plus the two in line filters before trying to start it. The engine is now a runner and we got a phone call asking how to stop it!

That is easy, just place your hand over the air intake.

 The engine number dates this as a 1975 forty plus motor and with a 2 to 3 HP output.

This motor is in fine condition for its age. The forty plus will run on a 20:1 fuel petrol mix, you may need a new carburettor needle to be able to do this.

How do you stop a Seagull?  just place your hand over the air intake.

How easy is that!

Roy


Andrew in the UK sent me this link and info today , many thanks.

http://youtu.be/5rvKAm6XvVw

Have uploaded a video showing how to free up a seized seagull 40 motor, along with stripping down and replacing other parts. Hope this is of use to someone. Please feel free to share it as I am sure it will encourage more people to buy more spares and save a few more from the scrap heap.

Kind regards    Andrew

 Please be careful using a blow lamp, lump hammer and an impact tool!

Roy

 

Frans Loots has the answer

This was my last hope, Frans was in the South African Navy and in Simonstown, could he show
some light on the mainsail with the SA1 on it I wondered?

Morning Roy,

Thanks for the e-mail.

Yep, I saw your blog.

The sail in question comes from a boat which was built by Fred Raas on Vaaldam way back in the early 1970's. The design is a Waarschip, a Dutch design. Fred Raas called it a Trident to give it a South African feel. The SA 1 was obviously it's class sail number. It was a 7.25 meter plywood boat. There is a picture and a design spec on the boat In "Yachting in Southern Africa". I recall seeing the boat in Port Elizabeth when I was still at school there. Fred Raas was the designer of the Mistral keelboat.

The person who has this sail was asking was this off the SA Navy yacht Voortrekker? was it from the mizzen she asked?

Her thinking made sense to me excepting this class logo, what was it from and why would it be on Voortrekker? Thanks to Frans we now know that The design logo is from a Waarschip, not only that but from the very first boat!
 
Of course that logo is the Greek letter “Psi” so perhaps the Class was called PSI ?  Angelo Lavranos.

This was indeed Voortrekkers number SA1 but in this case Frans suggests its the  Waarschip class number only.

 The sails dimensions are Luff 6.70 mtrs and Foot 2.30 mtrs. there are three quite long batten pockets and
what look like 3/4" sail slides on the Luff. There is no sail makers logo but we know that Fred Raas was building the boat and its possible his wife also made the sail?

Regarding the mizzen of Voortrekker.

I did my national service in Simonstown and Bertie Reed was then my Chief Petty Officer at the boatshed.

The entire mizzen rig of Voortrekker was hanging in the loft. When the Navy got a little Flamenca we took the old mizzen sail as a heavy weather sail to use on the Flammy if it was blowing a South Easterly gale (always) in False Bay. Let me tell you, that mizzen was TINY. It was smaller than a reefed Flamenca mainsail. And yes, it had no number on it.

Bertie told me that the original mast of Voortrekker ( from the ketch rig) was given to General Botha Accademy and was stepped as a mizzen for the Howard Davies sailtraining yacht. Trekker was converted to a sloop and stepped a much taller rig than when Dalling sailed her. Bertie always told me that Bruce Dalling was given a under canvassed boat.

The John Goodwin Anna Woolf refers to is THE John Goodwin. He was on the short list for skippering Voortrekker in the 1968 OSTAR. Like Bruce Dalling he had done many miles solo with  a Vertue called Speedwell of Honkong. He later built Speedwell of Goodhope and set off to circumnavigate. I bumped into them at St Helena and many months later in Gibraltar. Happy days way back in 1986.

Regards,

Frans.


South African boat builder history on Fred Rass,  what a fascinating story!

Open the link below, then scroll down to page 19 and 21 some great history on the Mistral class here by Lex Raas. you will find a mention to the Waarschip and also to the fact they were making sails themselves.

My thanks to Sail Power SA.

http://www.sailpowersa.co.za/December_Lores.pdf


News in from Angelo Lavranos.

Hello Roy,

 

The Waarschip was a great little boat designed by  Dick Zaal ( long time employee of Van Der Stadt and later designer in his own right) . ¼ tonner in strip ply or “clinker ply”. There were later half and mini ton versions. They were popular “home build” kits.   Very ingenious since it had all the advantages of traditional clinker (a light way to build) without the worst disadvantages which were traditionally  the strakes would fail along the line of (copper rivet fastenings).  With plywood the laminated opposing grains avoided that, and the laps were glued.  Really a great old tech/ new tech for the early sixties.   Viva waterproof glue !

 

Cheers,

Angelo

 

Lavranos Marine Design Ltd
40A Seaview Ave, Northcote
Auckland 0627 New Zealand
Ph + 64 9 4802232
Mob 0226059735
email  lavranos@ihug.co.nz
web  www.lavranosyachtdesign.co.nz

 

Hout Bay, South Africa, B&B accomodation and places to stay

This was suggested to me by a regular reader in the UK, what do I know about the bed and breakfast industry you may ask?

Why not I thought, its that time of the year when seasonal holidays are being planed, I will expand this thread over the next few days. It will highlight what Hout Bay and the places near it are like.

It just happens that a fellow classic car restorer and local B&B association chairman who lives close by knows lots, so if you want advice and some help to make a booking, send me a mail and I will see what can be done?

Its whale watching season in the cape right now,this will continue for some months and we spotted one on our way back to harbour.

Cape Point and not that many miles south of where I took the picture above from, we live in one of the 
worlds favorite tourist destinations.


Roy

Mail just in from a regular blog reader:

 

Good Day Roy,

Like many ex-Cape Town residents, I have been reading your blog for many years as even after 19 years of living in the UK we still get very homesick for Cape Town, the best place we ever lived.

After leaving the UK for a better life in 1966 we as a family spent over 27 years in South Africa, most of these in Cape Town where we brought up three children, two of them made in SA and one made in England, all three are still living there. Foolishly, we decided to go looking for a better place to live on our yacht Jacana but I have to be honest after cruising for over 16000-miles we never did find it, though the grass is certainly greener in the UK it comes at a very high price, in the form of lots of rain and snow.

I see that you have now entered the holidays section and we wish you all the best in this new venture and feel sure that with your knowledge of the sea around the Cape as well as the best places to visit  and contact with the local B&B association, you could certainly offer a wealth of tourist information to anyone who wants the holiday of a life time that is not going to cost the earth.

I wonder if your readers will know that you also have some amazing contacts for sailing around the Cape.

Good luck.

Al & Soni Noteman.

Al is a sailor and navigator, also an author.

The view from East Fort and looking towards The Sentinal on the far side, below and on the seaward side the Seal Island (duiker island) boat trips run daily and around every hour.

Just one of the places to stay, the sea views and sunsets can be quite something, contact me for the
phone number and to place a booking.

Its overcast today but once the cold front moves through this bay will be bathed in sunshine.

The bronze statue of a Leopard  has watched out over Hout Bay for decades, come and see it for yourself. Check the story and a really fine picture here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hilton-t/5396489712/

The statue was made by Ivan Milton-Barberton.  I think it was stolen once?

The surf is rarely large and suitable for body boarding and surf board training.

With the school holidays now on this is a popular spot for the kids to try to learn surfing.

You may wonder what we have close by and near enough to take a short drive to?

The Kirstenbosch Garden is certainally one of those places, its just 12 kilometres from the center of Hout bay and should take around 15 minutes to drive there.

The roads are good and its an interesting drive through some forests.

If you need some B&B booking contacts send me an email.

roy@ckdboats(dot)com   remove the word dot and replace with a real dot!

Roy

There is some history about Hout Bay in this link

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2009/04/hout-bays-past.html

The best venue for a sundowner will be the Hout Bay Yacht Club, which is open to non members.

Try www.hbyc.co.za for full details and a map of the bay.

Check the link to see the club house and on a day when flea market is hosted.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-hout-bay-yacht-clubs-market-day.html

For snacks, breakfast and lunch, plus ice creams try Murials Munchies, its right next to the yacht club and a short walk from the beach.

 Yes we are still having a little winter rain here but it will be gone in a week or so!

What else can Hout Bay offer you,  well how about a boat trip in the bay?

http://www.drumbeatcharters.co.za/Home.html

Where to buy gifts and food?

Lots and lots of such places and one that is well worth a look is the Bay Harbour Market.

http://www.bayharbour.co.za/#ad-image-1

BOKKE & BLOMME

The Market’s ideal of “Local is Lekker” finds perfect solace in Bokke & Blomme; a business quite literally inspired by words. 

Janet Ormond's beautifully-rendered text carvings in a variety of fonts are perfect for every mood and environment and serve as a fantastic wooden wordsfor every room.

Patriotic South Africans find colloquial slang a particular darling, with “Howzit” being a favourite for entrance halls and bar walls alike. 

Whether “Dream” finds a place above your bed, or “Yummy” adjacent to the fridge, all and sundry will have a perfect setting to incorporate the written word into daily life.

Both functional and fun, Bokke & Blomme can do custom designs, or simply browse the locally produced array on offer. 

The English language has so many gems that have such an uplifting impact, even Mother Theresa said “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly

endless.”

Hout Bay Heritage Day bay trip

This seemed like a good idea and so it was but why were we the only sailing boat out that day?
With a very light NW breeze, sailing would have been slow progress going out, I guess having a Dix Designed yacht we would have sailed back in ok of course.

Not that we carried any sail ourselves, it was on a rising tide and the SW swell was lifting, a mile or so out and the waves were a little confused.

As you can see, it was not so warm out there yesterday but what the heck,we had a nice time.


 Was the presence of a large whale an attraction?

Jean later asked me what type it was, she got my standard reply.

It was a large black one.

Roy

Captain Flea bakes some bread

September 24th is our national Heritage Day in South Africa, so I thought this posting may be suitable?

Roy

Not only did our Captain Flea bake some bread on Sunday, he was trying out his cut down and converted 030 Taylors stove oven for the very first time.

The cut down 030 Taylors paraffin stove, which was a hand me down has been converted to LPG (gas)
The top burners  will be installed later.

This is quite an early stove? If you send the stoves number to the retailers in the UK they should be able to give you the date of manufacture as they did for the 030 L Taylors stove I have for sale. You can do a gas conversion on it also?

Click on the picture and check the gas burner at the bottom of the oven. I would suggest fitting flame safe types which turn off when the gas fails?

Captain Flea ( Lourens) shows off his very first bread bake!

Wow! this looks good ( and it was)

We were invited for a tasting session , Anna does the bread slicing.

 Now this looks just perfect, note the raisins, there were nuts too.

Cooked for some 40 minutes it was thought that possibly a shorter time would be better.

The crust was really nice, as was the center of the loaf, it was eaten in no time at all!

Roy

A small boats main sail SA1 with a trident logo?

This one has me stumped, it was being measured then folded for storage yesterday, there was no sail makers lable on the sail and this far no one recognises the red sort of trident logo, do you?

SA I was of course the sail number given to Voortrekker but this sail is far too small for a 50ft yacht, even when she had the mizzen and was yawl rigged.

SA1 such a famous number but why is it on this small sail?

What class of yacht does this represent?

Does anyone know?

Roy

There was much interest in this topic but  I was not able to find an answer until an email arrived, check the link. http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2013/09/frans-loots-has-answer.html

Of course that logo is the Greek letter “Psi” so perhaps the Class was called PSI ? 

Angelo Lavranos.

Alloy yacht kit set yacht ready to cut

Contact me for more information, there is a 9.9mtr chined monohull sail boat and a  13.80 sailing catamaran.

We can offer either as a CNC kit set in alloy.

From the designer.

Roy if you remember I asked whether you were prepared to offer aluminium CNC kits, whether you could adapt your cutter to do so?  In this country we do it on 6.10m x 1.830 sheets.  

I have two stock “cut file” designs ready to roll. One is a 10m hard chine alloy cruiser ( a “minimum” high latitude “go anywhere” boat), developed from my Seashirl/Isabella steel 31 footer for serious ocean cruising and the other is an aluminium cat similar to the Proteus 106.

Kind Regards,

Angelo

DESIGN 0322    NOTES                                                                                                                    26/06/12

13.80 METER ALUMINIUM CNC KIT SET  SAILING CATAMARAN
DESIGN BY                LAVRANOS MARINE DESIGN

A lot of family cruising people like the superior space, better live aboard features,  and excellent (trade wind) reaching performance of catamarans, but would like a more damage tolerant  aluminium boat, as opposed to a relatively delicate GRP sandwich which is the norm. With careful design, it is possible to avoid increased weight and reduced performance, using aluminium, while still being compliant with classification society structural criteria.  Additionally this design can be assembled by a relatively inexpensive commercial aluminium fabricator, having simple conic “wrap-able” curvature, multi chine, using  a complete CNC  cut “kitset”.  This brings the cost quite close to that of a GRP production hull/deck.  The hull form is similar to my successful smaller kit set “Proteus” design.  This boat represents the optimum point where the boat is big enough to be “light” even though built in aluminium, but small enough to be easily handled two up, as a family boat. She is also the minimum size for a true “live aboard” cruiser.  At present the design has a four cabin “charter” layout, but other layouts are possible.  Also very shallow draft dagger boards are incorporated, but fixed mini keels is also an available alternative.

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS
LOA                                  13.82                meters
DWL                                 12.40                meters
BEAM (max)                    7.18                 meters
DRAFT                             0.75 – 2.50      meters   (daggerboard up/down)
DRAFT                              1.25                  meters    (mini keel version )
DISPLACEMENT            11800                  kilograms    DWL   (half load)
FRESH WATER               1000                    liters
FUEL                                  800                    liters
Mainsail                             80                     sq meters
Roller Jib                           45                      sq meters
Genneker                         76                      sq meters
Engines                    2 x   Yanmar     3YM30 +  SD 20  sail drives

The Smoke that Thunders

This of course can only mean one place, Victoria Falls, Zambia in Africa, that's where the JoLon Imp, with drivers Terence and Geoff were.

Terence is writing a book on their trip, below is a short part of that book, if we pre order I wonder can we get signed copies?

Roy

 Our relative easy drive to Livingstone got us to the SMOKE THAT THUNDERS (Victoria Falls) early afternoon and we immediately scooted off up a dirt road following signs to the promise of a camp site where we planned to spend the night.

At first the road was wide dry and gravelly, narrowing as we progressed up the ever steepening climb. Within a few short kilometers the gravel turned to menacingly sharp rock formations that became frightfully uneven making the driving extremely challenging to put it mildly. I had frightful thoughts of having one or more of our tyres slash burst by the razor sharp track surface or worse, a wrecked spring that would surely have rudely halted our progress!

Typically whenever I began to worry about any aspect of the trip I would rub the side of my head continuously as I drove. In this instance however it was a severe case of nil head massage as I kept both mitts firmly on the wheel with full concentration on the job at hand. I was not sure what was going through Geoff’s mind at this stage but I was seriously super worried about the condition of the track we were negotiating. My mouth had become bone dry and my heart was ribcage rattle thumping until I actually pulled up on a particularly challenging sequence of rock formations that we needed to traverse.

“What’s the matter”? was Geoff’s gentle enquiry.

“I don’t know” I gingerly replied.

“I’m not sure if i like this track too much”.

Do you think we should turn back Geoff asked!

Well was i delighted he even suggested the idea and before another sweat bead could drop from my sopping wet forehead I immediately started to drive up the steep and rocky track pulling the Imp to the side of the narrow track so that we could engineer a three point (or as it turned out, a seven point) turn. Remember this was executed without reverse gear! The Imp had to be manhandled by both of us and all the time petrol was liberally spilling out of our overflow pipes due the acute angle of the car and the extreme heat of the fuel tanks due to the front radiator pumping serious heat onto them from early morning until bedtime each day!

It must have taken us a good fifteen minutes, a lot of jumping in and out of the car and more huffing and puffing than any three little piggies’ big bad wolf had ever employed to actually get the Imp facing down this treacherous and uneven rocky incline. Then of course we had to again pass over the horrible surface that had scricked me in the first place! At least the surface got better as we descended and we were again in the hands of an accomplished off-road driver in Geoff. I was a bundle of nerves for fear of damaging the car and that we had no spare cash to repair it if it needed fixing nor the time in our pockets to hang around fixing either.

Shortly and happily we got back to the tar roads of Livingstone where we again went in search of a campsite for the night.

Little did we know that the dirt track experience was just a tiny titbit of the real deal that would finally unfold in Kenya with the added conundrum of unseasonably heavy rains and road conditions that made the Livingstone dirt road experience seem like a walk in the park by comparison. The only difference however, a massive difference was that in the Kenyan situation there was no opportunity to backtrack!

TT

We are now into the very last week of the Classic Car of the Year voting period, if you have not yet placed your vote please follow the link below and then vote for the JoLon Imp.


Roy,

 I would love if all my friends and all my friend's friends and all their friend's friend's friends could pleeeez vote for my Hillman Imp that we drove from Joburg to England to celebrate its 50 birthday. its easy, just follow this link and it takes only 2 minutes. http://www.ccoty.co.uk/bgbt_voting.php (4 photos)

TT

Vote for the JoLon Imp please.

Click on the picture to view full size! a Steve White supplied picture.


This came in from the company running the competition, looks like we still have some waiting to do.

Roy

Hi Terence

Voting closes on Friday 27^th September so the Top 5 will be informed over the next couple of weeks.

Hope that helps!

Kind Regards

Nikki

Nikki Lambie Commercial Support Manager

The JoLon Imp arrives in Coventry in time for breakfast

The Imp Clubs four day event to mark fifty years since the Imps production was to end on a holiday Monday and at 12.00 Noon.

The guys made the event at 6.20am and were in time for breakfast!

They were long expected but would they arrive in time?

 

Richard, Terence, Geoff and Graham the Imp Clubs chairman.

Click on the image for a larger view.

 

There were only 14 copies of this signed print produced, four are now in Africa, the others were made to special order and under the guidance of Richard Sozanski of the Imp Club.

 

The original painter of the print, David Shepherd, numbered and signed each copy.

 

Roy

 

 

 

 

The Classic Car of the Year 2013 votes close next week

Folks, please cast your vote for the JoLon Imp, the car is already in the last 30 chosen and now needs votes to ensure it makes the last 5 to get to the NEC in Birmingham, UK.

Roy

 

 

The Jolon Imp arrives in Coventy, England on the last day of the Imp Clubs event to mark 50 years of the Hillman Imp.

With just 6 more days left for voting in the Classic Car Of The Year of Britain competition, i would love if all my friends and all my friend's friends and all their friend's friend's friends could pleeeez vote for my Hillman Imp that we drove from Joburg to England to celebrate its 50 birthday. its easy, just follow this link and it takes only 2 minutes. http://www.ccoty.co.uk/bgbt_voting.php (4 photos)

TT

The JoLon guys will be on TV tommorrow morning

Words by TT better known as Terence Tracey who with Geoff Biermann drove a 41 year old Hillman Imp from JoBurg, South Africa to Coventry in just 29 days, that's all 14,000 kilometres by the way. plus a few thousand more on various ferries. They went across three continents, traveled in around 19 countries, some of which they never even stopped in!

The engine in that car was an old Mk1 unit he had lying round, seems its 49 to 50 years old?

Can I tune my TV to that station while in Cape Town is the question?

Roy

A Steve White picture, click on it to view in a larger size and really grasp the conditions!

BETTER GET ON HOME TO SLEEP, AM UP IN JUST FOUR HOURS FOR A TV INTERVIEW CONCERNING MY TRIP FROM JOBURG TO COVENTRY ON ANN7 TOMORROW MORNING STARTING AT 05H30. - IS ANYBODY AWAKE AT THAT TIME??? -

The SA Yacht blog speaks about the Proteus 106

Which means Justin Phillips of course, check out what he sees and thinks about this design.

http://sayachts.blogspot.com/2013/09/proteus-106.html

One of our kits under construction in Venezuela, note the way its built the right way up, that's a pleasure to work on and in.

Justins SA BlogSpot is now finding use when prospective buyers of South African built boats are finding new owners. I have just used it myself and for a buyer who asks about the Didi 34, try
it and see for yourself.

http://sayachts.blogspot.com/2011/01/didi-34.html


Roy

A new Newel post wanted anyone?

I have been wanting to install a balustrade and lower newel post for ages, the thing never got off the ground as Jean does not want them.

Yesterday she changed her mind and this is what she wants.

Does anyone want to buy my imported newel post and turned rails?

Roy

In historic homes, it is believed that the house plans were placed in the newel upon completion of the house before the newel was capped.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newel