Lotus Elan Dash Board and Glove Box fittings kit

This parts kit, is as far as I know complete, I say this as it was myself that removed it off the Lotus Elan glove box facia.

The key was not with the parts when I was given it.

The parts are originals, not a job lot made up from other cars, all came direct of a genuine Lotus Elan.The switch to the glove box light is included.

I was asked by a guy named Chris to do a new walnut dash covering to a Lotus Elan.

Veneercraft charged me about R960 to laminate the veneers to the dash, plus my labour etc etc.

The customer never paid me but I did keep the parts in the picture.

They should have value to the right person?

Contact me if your that person to discuss pricing, we can ship world wide.

Regards

Roy

Proteus 106 kit scarph making process.

The  pictures tell the story, this is the boat we shipped to Caracas, Venezuela.

Kit method of aligning splices etc, see attached.

Regards,

Angelo Lavranos.

The peg holes are pre drilled for you,all that is required is a suitable dowl fitted in place to line the panels up 100%

This is task is repeated as the hull and deck panels are assembled, it is not difficult work in anyway though.

Roy

A Proteus 106 looking back in Thailand

This is the view looking aft from the decks of Ricks Proteus 106 catamaran.

Rick had his boat built for him before the start of our production of supplying CNC cut kits, the builders built the longer way and from plans.

A sailing canoe kit?

This is out of the past and is an older design than the years I have lived, while its not a kit, if enough orders were placed I an sure we could copy it?

In our case all those meranti wood frames would become okoume plywood, saves a mass of weight and also the time to fabricate them.

Morning Roy,

Have you seen something like this before?


It is a canvas on frame sailing canoe. This one dates back to about 1939/1945. These canoes were sailed and raced on the Zwartkops River at Redhouse Yacht Club, Port Elizabeth.

The boats usually had a single lug sail although I have seen pictures of Bermudan rigs as well.
LOA 4.3 mts, B 1.150 mts.

What I have established is that this particular canoe was found abandoned in the mud on the River bank in the 1970's. It was then stored under cover minus the canvas skin, but still covered in saltwater and river mud at Redhouse Yacht Club. I have brought it home and started cleaning it up, stripping the old paint off etc. Once that's done, I plan to re varnish the frames and stringers. We are then going to hang the framework up as a display in the Club.

The frames seems to be high quality meranti, the stringers are Oregon pine and the centreboard case Masonite (hardboard). All in very sound condition after about 70 years. No doubt thanks to the salt water which was never washed off.

Regards,
Frans

My thanks to Frans for sending me the pictures and the history he knows of the craft.

Roy

DS 15 launched by Jim

This took not a long time, the designer Dudley Dix mentions just six months.

The words below are extracted from Dudleys own blog.

Didi Sport 15 (DS15) Launch

The long-awaited day arrived this weekend. Jim Foot, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, launched his self-built DS15 at Algoa Bay Yacht Club. He started with a pre-cut plywood kit supplied by CKD Boats in Cape Town and took approximately 6 months of his spare time from ..................

DS15 "Bateleur" about to get wet for the first time.

Despite the very light wind, they had good sailing and were impressed by performance. Jim's first comments are:-

She sails beautifully and she is fast. Beating into a chop in light wind this am going at about 3,7 kts felt happy. Then was told wind spd 4 kts by passing boat quite amazing.

Very well behaved. No balance issues. Save a bit of lee helm with the kite up. Loads of compliments from older sailors. Hunter Gall get on the water you dont know what you are missing. This is one good boat. Ps only sailed in bulb config at this stage.
A few changes to make. But not many. Congrats Dudley on a fantastic hull. Its a beaut

The Brigantine Eyola, information required please.

We know where the boat was built and also when the boat was finished,what we do not know is anything about those who built her and what became of them?

 Seen here in her glory days this was a super sight to witness, I have been asked to try and find out more about the boat, can anyone assist with information please.

Built in ferro cement and in Durban, South Africa,circa 1970 to 1977 I would think?

Below is a message from a yachtsman who is asking me about the boat, he knows where she is now.

Do you know W. A. Robinson and his book "To the great southern sea“? The „Eyola“ is clearly a replica of his Brigantine „Varua“. Designed by W. Starling Burgess. The rigging was designed by L. Francis Herreshoff. He wanted to combine two riggs: A Schooner-Rig for courses close to the wind and a square-rig for the trades. He did a great voyage through the southern ocean.

So I wonder how it came that „Eyola“ was built in South Africa. I would love to know a bit more about her History.

..............................

This boat will have sailed to Cape Town when I was either in Brasil on Brer Terrapin, or in the islands of the West Indies, USA, UK or later in the Sudan for a years work stint, so I would not have had the chance to view the boat.

http://portlandtribune.com/component/content/article?id=70219

There is a picture of Hennie Page and a story about himself and the boat in the link above, you may have to copy and paste it?

Johannes (Hennie) Page died on Sept. 2, at Signature Hospice. He was 78.
He was born in the town of Reitz in the Orange Free State, South Africa, on June 23, 1930.
At an early age he was destined to become an adventurer. After finishing school, he moved to the coastal city of Durban, where he became a lifeguard and loved to surf.
Mr. Page married Johanna Lotter in 1954.
During the 1960s and '70s, he and a partner owned one of the big clothing manufacturing companies in South Africa. His main love was for the sea and in the late '60s he fell in love with sailing and took part in numerous international sailing events.
In 1971 Mr. Page started building his boat the Eyola, a 90-foot brigantine yacht, which he completed in 1977.
Mr. Page set sail for the Caribbean in 1978. He spent many years there chartering among beautiful islands.
After many years in the Caribbean, he went on to Caracas, Venezuela, where he started a factory, building store displays.
In 1995 he left Venezuela with his then wife Shari, and moved to the United States, which he always felt was the greatest country in the world. He moved to Portland where he sold boats for a local company.

Portland Tribune report.

Angelo Lavranos was one of those I asked if he had ever seen the boat?

He lives in New Zealand now, we offer his Proteus 106 catamaran kit.

Hello Roy,

I saw a large Peter Strong boat in late stages of construction in Durban (near/ in the docks)  in  1977.  At that time she had a black hull.  I remember thinking the hull  had it’s “own” (Peter Strong) style.   Varua’s bow did not have as much  flare in the bow, and that feature is possibly  not “characteristic” of Burgess (eg Nina, Ranger, etc have spoon bows).   See attached photo.  “Off the cuff” I can’t find any drawings, except her predecessor from L Francis H’s book, see attached.  WA Robinson’s first boat, (Svaap) was an Alden design.

Regards,

Angelo

Roy

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