The Dabchick dinghy as a kit?

The Dabchick dinghy is mentioned in the April copy of Sailing (SA) magazine.

We have been asked to consider building one and if that was to happen we would produce a Dabchick kit.

The design is coming up for sixty years old now and depending who you ask has seen some 3000 to 5000 built to date.

Please contact me for more information on a kit.

There is lots more info on the Dabchick design in the link

http://sayachts.blogspot.co.za/2013/10/dabchick.html

Roy

Another shipment to Switzerland arrives safely

Packing is a very important part of the sales and service side of what we can offer.

Is this Heinrich I wonder?

We do of course charge for the packing crate, basically the cost to the materials and some labour to cover our costs.

The crate was specially made to hold three dinghy kits, two Optimists and one Argie 15, plus the meranti wood, North Sails and Harken deck gear.

We supplied the plans and the builders guides also.

 

One of the five steel band straps we fitted is missing, the others look good.

 

Roy

 

The Mirror dnghy class fitout parts guide

Have you ever tried to find the parts list for the Mirror dinghy?

I tried and failed then asked one of our better parts suppliers to track the list down, this he has done and in twenty four hours.

We will have the pricing in this week I hope.

Mirror CNC cut kits are available ex stock and at the same price as in 2014, we can supply any time.

Shipping world wide is not an issue.

Roy

Inside a British Seagull gear box

Most Seagull gearbox openings produce a mess of rust and rubbish from years of running dry, only water does the lubrication and cooling?

For a change the last two that were stripped actually had some oil in them, both were leaking due to over filling, plus the wrong grade of oil being used.

 

These Seagull gearboxes need part filling only and with a 140 grade of oil which we have in stock.

 

The gear box is filled via a plastic screw in plug and when the engine is upright, not when it is lying down, so the box is then just half full.

 

 

This 102 series gearbox is some sixty years old, it has survived well internally but has a bent drive shaft, a spare shaft and gear was used to replace the one in the picture.

 

 

Roy

 

British Seagull engines, assembled and in parts

With the two 102 series engines well on the way to completion, I have today stripped a customers 2hp motor.

The Forty series engine power head is next to the down leg of the 102 series motor, the parts to the stripped motor are in the box.

Roy

British Seagull 102 series engine, a long or a short shaft?

We have the parts to make either the short or the long shaft so conversion of your own engine should be possible?

The long shaft tubes are laid out at the back of the engine.

This model has the clutch, which is really a fork which disconnects the gear box crown wheel from the drive gear, it works very well I must add.

We stock the correct grade of Castrol 140 gear oil for these gear boxes.

An assembly job that is nearly complete.

Roy

British Seagull outboard restoration.

We can supply ex our engine stock, or rebuild your own, prices will start at R10,000 for the smaller versions, the larger one in the picture is a 102 series and has labour only costs of R15,000.

Parts and this includes a new Villiers type coil can be supplied to each Seagull outboard engine rebuild.

A spare engine which is the102 series is ready to build into what ever is required. This is a larger sized engine that will push quite a large work boat or smaller sized yacht. with the points checked the Villiers coil is giving a decent spark.

Note, the coils are all well past their sell by date and using a new one is recommended.

This engine has been fitted with the shorter chrome tubes which make it a short shaft version, for a work boat we can fit the long shaft tubes which are in stock.

Roy 

British Seagull 2 to 3hp rebuild

Another Seagull engine restoration order came in yesterday.

This follows the larger 102 series engine which is now re assembled and requires just the petrol tank and the carburetor to fit.

The second engine is the new order.

There is also another 102 series engine in the process, at this stage it is in parts.
It can be supplied as a short or long shaft version of the British Seagull, depending on the intended use.

We have the parts to make either type.

There is also another 2 to 3hp engine and a 3hp one as well, both can be restored to your order on request.

Contact me for pricing etc.

Roy

British Seagull restoration

This is a job that comes along every few months, its not a quick fix due to all sorts of outside influences.

There is a large stock of parts, used mainly and including engines, most parts are imported for each new job.

The parts in the picture hav been upgraded with new paints, chrome and nickle plating.

This engine is about fifty years old?

Roy

The Hillman Imp Californian in South Africa

Todays pictures and ahead of the long weekend holidays .

This is one of the many Hillman Imp restorations I have been involved with.

I stopped due to the Optimist on the trailer.

Here to sail in a local regatta I expect?

The car was made in Scotland in 1967 then restored in South Africa over the last 21 months.

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian rebuild in South Africa

The story continues, some say there are only sixty four left of the original production and only around half of those are still on the road?

This one dates back to February 3rd 1967 and was the export version, it had Mozambique plates on it once and was possibly exported there out of South Africa?

The Rostyle 13" diameter x 6" J rims are not original, I had them made specially for the car.

The car still has its original engine block, pistons and crank bearings in it, with new piston rinngs being fitted some years back. With a Sport conversion cylinder head and Stromberg carbs, the car is faster than it was when standard, a nine row oil cooler was fitted when the Sport upgrade was done.

The car is still requiring a new head liner and carpets but otherwise it is almost finished.

Roy

Roys dinghy

This is now the only little ship that I own.

Its quite special to my family as we have owned it over thirty years and have used it on all of our yachts, we even took it to St Helena isle, Brasil, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and of course all the way back to Hout Bay near  Cape Town.

A kit based on the general shape could be produced.

Roy

The Optimist dinghy kit from CKD Boats cc

One of the kits we developed ourselves and by building the first one dry four times before we built it the fifth time and glued together.

We have had a lot of orders for this classic of classic dinghy classes  and have sent them to many countries over the past ten years or so.

This is the first Optimist dinghy we sent to a customer in Switzerland, he has since ordered two more and we shipped them to him earlier this month.

We can also supply the North Sail and the Harken deck gear package.

This is a nice way to finish the Optimist kit, painted on the outside and clear varnished on the inside.

We supply an International Paints guide with each order.

Roy

The CKD Boats cc factory

We rationalised things and moved to a full out works company some time back.

For over ten years we used the premises on the left of this picture.

Now things are in more control and we can keep our prices at a lower rate.

This must still be finding favour as recently we have exported three times, the exchange rate helps of course.

Roy

Marine plywood water tanks in a boat

After some eighteen (18) years in service I decided to remove the boats six water tanks and see what they look like inside?

Yes, this boat is in the water and yes the bilge really is that clean and dry.

This was a big job but as I was not under any pressure to complete the work, I took my time and fitted them back in the last few days.

The tanks were fine and clean enough inside not to worry about anything, drinking the water is at least as nice as the domestic water from our taps back home.

Each tank was pre tested prior to re fitting in the boat.

There is a carbon filter but I wonder just what it does as the water is always clean and there is never ever any sediment or bad taste in the water.

This time I removed the tanks inspection covers, bonded them over and also bonded in the brass nipples for the access and vent pipes, so there is nothing to worry about now.

Roy