Learning skills for todays youth?

The heading could mean lots of things but I did see on Sky TV the other day that the British Government (was it Labour) now want to stop free hand outs to youth who  are not learning a trade or skill?

This came in from my good friend Joe yesterday, seems to make a point?

Read it and if you agree maybe its time to build that boat you have been thinking about!
Joes letter can be found posted in blue below my own entries.

Roy

Doing things for ourselves, it was Joe who assisted with my 998cc Hillman Imp engine back in the early 1970s, he found a company named Bremco to do the engineering work. That was to bore out the old 875cc piston liners and then re bore and fit a set of steel 998cc liners similar to the set in this picture.

Like Joe and a few other like minded guys, learning new skills was a part of the challenge.

We need to invent some tools to get the job done better, this is now the second Hillman Imp based car to use the same turning jig.

I think the real problem with boating of all types are a number of things that these days make the door to entry into that world a really tiny one.

Just like DIY, repairing cars is a thing not done by many anymore, with the result that their children do not learn any mechanical skills and often leave school unable to add a plug to the end of an electric wire, so those who mess about with the sea are becoming fewer and fewer.

I think it is the inability to just go ahead and risk your life in a tin canoe made from a sheet of corrugated iron flattened by a steam-roller, as I did when I was very young, to the stringent safety rules and regulations, coupled with the expense that, relative to other pursuits, make it less attractive to the amateur, leaving only those with real passion or who have grown up gaining some experience to want to be involved. If you just look at fishing you can also see how that has fewer participants today because of our lifestyle.

I was at dinner with my brother a few years ago when he remarked that we had an absolutely idyllic childhood.

No over-crowding, no inflation, minimal crime, and a freedom to go anywhere at any time and to experiment with every possible thing imaginable, in what was relative to today a very simple world, all of which the current generation do not have. We never had any money yet we never really lacked for money either.

From the little I know it seems you have had a good life, and for that I am glad.

The Eureka canoe by Mike Storer

This canoe just looks right, its a load carrier and stable, easy to assemble and a joy to look at, even when upside down it seems?

This is our test boat and put together to check the CNC cut files we made, as you can see they worked
out well.

We can supply the plys pre cut for easy assembly, the epoxy and glass tapes, micro balloons and fumed silica to make filler pastes from.

Easy to build!

We have the plans on a PDF so you can have them quckly.

Roy

Proteus 106 Coachroof jig

This is supplied made from removable 16mm MDF board.

The roof is then made from 4mm okoume marine ply top and bottom and a suitable 25mm foam core making a structure that is strong enough to walk on.
 

Andy Mitchell

My friend of very many years, Andy Mitchell is no longer with us, my best respects to the family and all of his many friends.

 

http://www.andymitchellwines.com/OurStory.html

Farewell my friend.

Roy

Hillman Imp transaxle servicing

This is not one of the usual items that I get involved in but as the 1971 Hillman Imp Deluxe has an oil leak in the joint of the alloy casing, its time to open it up and do the repair.

This is the early Mk1 input shaft gear cluster and with the baulk rings removed.

The bearing will be replaced, part #  6204 2RS C3 

A selection of Imp transaxle spares from the parts shelf, there is nearly enough for two transaxle input shafts here. The brass baulk rings fit on the output shaft,the upper four are  new, the lower three are used but servicable.

input shaft needle bearings, one only per transaxle is required, the baulk rings suit the earlier transaxles.

New seals and SKF bearings which are the prefered choice.

Roy

A happy Fathers Day to you!

In South Africa today is Fathers Day and tomorrow is a public holiday and Youth Day being June 16th.

 

Art work is by Jean.

All the best to those fathers out there!

Roy

A Sadler 26 new rudder in production

This one will be fitted to a brand new old stock Sadler 26 hull and deck that was never fitted out.
The customer had no rudder and also no plans with correct dimensions, what he did have was in a 1:20 scale and that prooved to be incorrect.

The rudder blank will be made from four layers of okoume marine ply to BS1088 grade.

The wall bench was first used for making birdsmouth masts on, its over five meters long and quite flat, just the thing to glue this rudder up on.

The correct glue is vital, this is phenolic or resorcinol which we have packed specially for us.

We have now accessed the dimensions and will enter them into the CNC machine for future reference,we can make a new rudder blank in days then, shaping and glassing will take a little longer!

 

Application and to both sides to be bonded is important.

 

Screwed and clamped the rudder blank was released the next day and will be sent to the CNC shop next for profiling. This size of rudder can be sent by courier, either as a CNC blank or finished in etch primer to most places.

Roy

Proteus 106, cutting out the bulkheads

This was a few trial panels, you can see the tool required to cut the marine plywood free with.

The water line is marked on each bulkhead, the small holes are to enable you to line up the next panel
when a scarph joint is made, a small tight fitting dowel then keeps the panels in line.

Use the inside of the delta to find the exact position of the waterline.

Simple? we try to make it so!

Roy

Ice cream sales in Hout Bay?

The picture tells a story, we are in winter and its so cold outside that I suspect there is snow on top of Table Mountain again?

The car is our 1967 Singer Chamois with a part sport specification and lowered suspension.
Still on an original 875cc engine bore, the car is a delight to drive, which I do often!

It as good as it gets.

Roy

Barrys Proteus 106 plys kit arrives

Packed and collected on monday, Barry had his plys and epoxies kit order at his place by thursday!

Hi Roy

The kit arrived yesterday late afternoon - all intact and no apparent damage. I haven’t unpacked and checked everything yet.

Many thanks

Barry.

This collection was arranged by Barry, it went by road about 500 miles North East of Cape Town. We can handle this if your not sure about the logistics.

We would certainally pack this size order in at least two if not in three purpose made steel banded  crates for export.

Roy

The Argie 15 kit build

This came in from Andreas last week.

Hi Roy

Some foto’s

In this case we sold the Dix Design Argie 15 plans to Andreas and he did his own setting out.

The design comes out of six sheets of 6mm okoume marine plywood, so a lot of setting out and electric jigsaw work, you get there in the end though.

Check the assembly and the drawings, they take you through each stage, step by step.

Argie 15 plans or a kit and related materials can be bought direct from CKD Boats cc, they are all cheaper than you would think!

 

We have placed the order for the complete North Sails and Ronstan deck gear package for this boat and will send to Andreas when they are ready.

http://sayachts.blogspot.com/2014/06/argie-15.html

Check the design on the SA Yacht Blog

 

Roy

The boat in the picture was built from one of our CNC cut kits.

Packing the Didi Mini Transat Mk3

The export orders always go into a purpose made crate, the norm is using 16mm chipboard, cut to size to give just enough space to allow the plys and in this case the CNC shaped rudders to fit.

Due to the space such a crate takes, we had the plys loaded with the crate against the wall pending on collection day.

 

The rudders were laminated and CNC cut to shape so that the customer could do final shaping himself. The envelope is a Lucky Packet of odds and bobs we send with most kits.

 

 

Steel band strapped, our crated kits have shipped world wide like this for over a decade and allow

safe handling and when the customer receives his kit boat order it is in the same condition we sent it in.

 

The shipping lable was attatched later, this order will go to Dubai, UAE, country number 35 we have exported to I think.

 

Roy

 

A view of Hout Bays weather today

The weather is typical wintery stuff, changeable, wind and rain with heavy hail and thunder at times but
otherwise really nice when the sun comes out.

Same 1600i Ford Bantam, same wonderful view and on the way back from another boat kit delivery and back to office to check mails.

Nice job? well no complaints!

Roy

How to move a Proteus 106 sail boat by road

In this case its a larger version and with the extended transom, built in Thailand for Rick
it looks like moving was not too difficult and I think they launched off the beach?

As our plys and MDF stations kit weighs some 2600 kgs, the epoxy 150 kgs, all up and when complete this will  still be a light displacement boat, good for sailing of course.

The need to move such a load on a national highway will require a road legal wide bed trailer and licenced rig driver.

Roy

Proteus 106 kit packing

Monday morning:

This is to a local order for a customer on the South African East Coast, for all exports we pack in purpose made crates and this size order would need at least two such crates.

The trick is to pack what can be lifted by the Hyster, at over 2000 kgs this size Hyster would have none of this and just would not lift the order.

A plan was made for a larger Hyster and we then steel band the order to ensure it stayed as one pack lot and arrived in good condition.

The odd shapes in between are 16mm MDF cut outs which are removable bulkhead stations.

The load weighs about 2600 kgs? we supplied 150 kgs of epoxy with this order as well.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2010/01/erminios-proteus-106-catamaran-build.html

This large catamaran is built the right way up and then becomes an easy build with no later worry about turning it over at a later stage.

Roy

News in by thursday:

Hi Roy

The kit arrived yesterday late afternoon - all intact and no apparent damage. I haven’t unpacked and checked everything yet.

Many thanks

Barry