Guest Posting: Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology

Ed: Following is a guest posting from Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology. Many people reading this website will have some interest in Yacht design, and certainly Westlawn is one of the leading academies for yacht and boat design worldwide. Their list of Students and Alumni is most impressive. For example, see this very interesting article about Westlawn Graduate Bob Buck who designed a brilliant 51 footer for himself...

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Westlawn's "Elements" Program Helps Bring Creativity to the Boating Lifestyle

You love the freedom and sense of adventure that comes with boating, but have you ever dreamed of sailing on a boat of your own design? Designing your own boat is more achievable than you might imagine, and we’d like to introduce you to the “Elements of Technical Boat Design” program from the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology. This school allows those with a love for boating to turn their fantasy of sailing on a vessel of their own design into reality.

If you're interested in getting your feet wet in the world of boat design and want to gain the skills of a professional boat designer, you should take a closer look at the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology. Since 1930 the school has provided the steppingstones for anyone looking to attain the knowledge and skills of a professional boat designer, and caters to a new class of boat owner; one who wants a more hands on approach to the look, feel and design of their boat.

Design by Westlawn Student Bruno N. Ancic

Westlawn's introductory "Elements of Technical Boat Design" program is a carefully crafted curriculum for those who would like to understand the basics of design but don't intend to become professional small-craft designers. The program can be completed in just a matter of months and gives students a working knowledge of the principles that affect yacht design, including fiberglass design, hull lines, as well as stability and resistance.

This effective and comprehensive program will give students an appreciation of the problems faced by a small-craft designer when developing a successful design. The course includes basic-level drafting and manual drawing, which is done to determine a student's understanding of the subject matter.

Design by Dave Gerr, Westlawn CEO

Westlawn students receive practical, timely, and relevant training. Throughout their time at Westlawn, students will create portfolios to showcase their best and most creative designs.

As a distance learning school, Westlawn is able to offer greater flexibility to its students in that you can study from anywhere and the education is convenient to your busy schedule. You can stay connected as well as discuss ideas and issues with faculty members and fellow students in the school's online forum or via email. Faculty members are always available to answer questions and offer feedback to students.

Design By Westlawn Alumni member Dudley Dix, DiDi 34

If you’re enthusiastic about boating and the industry, and want to bring your creative visions to life, you should consider learning about boat design at the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology. If you would like more information about how the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology can make you more knowledgeable in yacht design, please call 207-853-6600 or visit the website at www.westlawn.edu.

Argie 15

I have always admired the Argie 15 - its absolutely beautiful to look at, besides being very versatile and practical. However it wasn't until my friend Nick decided to build one that it really struck me what an amazing boat this is. On first sight - it seemed a lot larger than I had expected and far more beautiful as well. It is after all a hard-chine stitch and glue boat. It has very traditional lines - and the spacious cockpit and high gunwales give it all the sea-cred of a commercial lobster boat. Ample seating and storage - all with a very robust look about it. It looks like more than a dinghy - it really shouts day-sailer or camp-cruiser.....

Short Video Clip of the maiden voyage.

Then come the surprising bits! This boat is amazingly light! Despite its ample size, the 15' hull weighs only 60 Kgs (light weight), compared with say a Sonnet (14'3) at 70 kgs. The Argie 15 is a much more substantial hull than the Sonnet and also more robust - thanks to its frameless stitch-and-glue construction. The other surprising part is how fast it is! Well I suppose it shouldn't be that surprising as it has a powerful rig, good waterline length, a flattish planing stern and low mass..... another example of Dudley's ability to put modern thinking in a traditional package. Admittedly it can never be a high-performance skiff like the Paper Jet - for that it would need suitable sides for hiking out, trapeze, and an open transom. But in moderate conditions it will surprise many other contemporary dinghies, and in skilled hands it can reach amazing speeds.

Spacious hull and sailing cockpit.
This example has the side seats fitted, and the daggerboard option

Versatility is excellent. Its a great sailboat, a comfortable boat to row or motor, and a great picnic boat with its ample and high seating. It moves very easily under a 4Hp auxiliary no matter how laden.

The example shown above has the side seat option - which were added later to the design to make for comfortable sailing. Without the side-seats, the floor below can be covered with a slatted cockpit sole which offers plenty of space for sleeping and camp-cruising. Plenty of stowage in the bow too.

Lovely sharp bow, a bit like a fishing "Panga"!
Seakindly and smooth. Hull works well whilst level or inclined.
The high, flared bow with overlapping gunwales makes it a nice dry boat in a chop.

The Argie boats were originally commissioned by our local newspaper - the Cape Argus. The first one was built by David Biggs - a very well known reporter and columnist on the staff. A man with a well known propensity for good wine, the outdoors, classic motorbikes (and scooters) and good humour! Somehow the brands seem very compatible! 

This was not unlike the case of the Mirror dinghy, conceived by the Daily Mirror in the UK in the early 1960s. Although the orginal Mirror Dinghy is significantly smaller than the Argie 15, the boats share a number of similarities - both are uncomplicated traditional boats intended for home-building in plywood. Both offer the option to store the entire mast within the hull whilst trailering. Both are very easily built using stitch and glue construction - in fact the Mirror was the pioneering design of this method for sailing dinghies  as I recall. The Argie 15 is a much more capable boat in every way and far better looking, although the Mirror dinghy class is by now one of the largest in the world now and has a very active racing fleet. Both have been extraordinarily successful concepts. I suspect the Argie would be easier to build in fact despite its larger size, and Roy (of CKD Boats) tells me it is in fact quite a bit cheaper too. CKD Boats do a very good and affordable kit in Cape Town, although many other suppliers are listed on www.dixdesign.com.  

Dudley has full details of the design on his website here.

There is a decent skeg running back to the transom which adds strength,
aids tracking, and makes it easy to beach the hull.
There are two additional runners abeam the skeg which serve the same purposes,
but in addition will allow the boat to sit level on a beach without rocking.
Important for a camp-cruiser!

Transom is fairly high, with space and provision for a small outboard next to the rudder.
Hull is amazingly light and easy to lift on/off a small trailer.

Stability is quite acceptable!
(before someone asks about PFDs this was next to the shore!)

For myself - this will be my next dinghy when time allows. I have already acquired the rig and a small outboard! 

STOP PRESS: Dudley has just now (8 June 2014) added a great article on the Argie 15 on his blog. This contains a fair bit of the history of this boat.

Thanks to John Ryall for this superb write-up of the Hobie Event!

Hobies Back in Hout Bay after 20 Years

When an event ends with no results it is not often deemed a success – although lacking in results the Hout Bay Long Haul was an unqualified success! For some reason I was given a bottle of wine at the prize giving and when I turned round it really hit me how many people were there and who had been enticed out of the woodwork for the event, and it was not just looking full because we were sharing the event with the Keel Boat Sailors sailing in the Admirals Cup Regatta being run concurrently with ours.

Seen on the beach were Eddie Scarper – who worked with John Whitmore I understand. Alison Ball, looking as fabulous and if anything fitter than ever, came looking for a sail if one was available. We had Zac and Cody Wessels first time out on a Hobie 16 together – good to see you Zac – William – Cody is the ideal Tiger Crew for you. Stewart Walker had yet another good looking crew in the form of Megan Bagshaw while Sue crewed for Andrew on the Tiger – brave girl. The Du Plessis family eventually found the road out of Langebaan and made it to Cape Town although only Jaco and Shannon sailed. Martin Fine crewed for son Robert on his 16 - now with nicely refurbished carbon rudders. By design Belinda had Perry Harrison-Hyde of Laser fame on the foredeck – Belinda take him out in 20knots at Fishhoek and make him look under the tramp on the trapeze like Shaun if you really want to show him ! It was great to see our esteemed sponsor Simon van Nimwegen sailing with John Gilberg – we hope to see more of you both - thank you for the very generous sponsorship. Ian Dunt turned the clock back pitching up with Sarah Wallace and yet another Hobie 16 from his fleet of boats. Klaas (Old Sea Dog) de Rooy thought he could see his boat and car on the 1988 poster advertising the event – it seems he has always liked brightly coloured sails. The Wijtenburg Clan stayed down in CT after the Tiger Nationals, Mark sailing the Tiger with Andrew Fourie (we think it was Andrew – hard to tell) while Brandon and Todd practised for the youth Worlds. Petrol on the N1 was at a premium when they went home on Tuesday  – towing a Tiger with a 16 on top behind 5.5 litres of Mercedes makes your eyes water at the thought of the fuel bill. It was great to see Andre and Michele Diener on the water – more please next year and Andrew Hulsman sailing with Marijke Honig was another Hobie sailor we would love to see more of. Mike and Emma Roberts were a welcome addition – we have not met them before I believe. Martin (goes sailing) was the lone Mosquito. The Obree’s Mark and Sarah and Matthew Whitehead represented Hobie 16 sailors normally seen on the Grand Slam circuit. Well done to Andrew Walker and Jeremy Nel for getting such an eclectic line up.

Hout Bay was at its capricious best in the weather department – fog, NW wind, dead calm, SW wind and dead calm again. The race officer, Vice Admiral (accent on the Vice) Chrome Hunter confused us all at the skippers briefing by asking at 9.40 who could make a 10.30 start and upon receiving the negative from most sailors then said the start would be at 11 or 12 please could we be on the water by 10am ! Course cards gave GPS coordinates of the marks, all bar the last to be left to starboard but checking these at sea proved to be difficult on a Hobie – next time buoys all round please. Simon Russell could not sail but sent the attached newspaper front page from 1988 showing both the weather and political climate have calmed down.

For professional photos of the event go to Trevor Wilkin’s Photo’s at – some amateur ones above.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117086593120942909819/albums/6009488283225148705

Although there were no results and the organizers were largely unaware of it there were several competitions within the competition – just like a cycling or trial running race there were courses to suit all - Seb. Perhaps if we had a trail run to the start we could even get Richard Ayres to sail. The first competition was a sort of ‘Top Gear challenge’ – drive from Hout Bay to Fishhoek and back to collect your missing sails before the fleet leave the beach. There was just one team entered in this – Carolyn Fulton and Andy Nixon – Andy was first home sailing an Audi I understand, having received an additional challenge at FHBSC finding the garage was locked. Score - Hobies 1, Car 0. Colin Whitehead and Josh Selig won the short course home – turning at the blinder below Chapman’s Peak due to some confusion in the shorten course procedure. They sailed back out to try to go around again in the light airs (I am being diplomatic – it was mostly ‘bobbing’) Klaas (Old Sea Dog) De Rooy and Suzanne Morton won the long course going around the blinder, up to one of the Keel boat marks past our turning mark before Kommetjie, back to the blinder, back to the Hobie mark and then back into Hout Bay beating almost every one back to the beach. Iain Park-Ross scared the hell out of his new crew Tracy Pels by sailing over the blinder – Iain not the way to treat a new crew ! With all boats drifting back to the finish and beach by 1.30pm Chrome (Vice Admiral) Hunter started a 2^nd race over near the Chapman’s Drive shore in the hope of more wind but even there it was not to be. The only highlight was a Hobie 14 beating all but one Tiger to the weather mark.

The generous prizes were given out as lucky draw prizes choreographed by Zac Wessels. Nic Ryall had a great surprise when he won R 500 donated by Dave Power for the first Hobie 14 home. Jeremy Nel, Andrew Walker, Sue Walker & the ever present Marijke Klaver - Registration, Chrome – race officer, Taffy and Shirley Bowen (who came back especially from their world cruise of 14 years) to help and feed, Jurgen Duncker Beach Control and finally Jerry Rogers who had the unenviable task of directing traffic through the dunes – thank you all. Finally the last word to Rob Selig – who else always has the last word ? – ‘that if he saw Caroline R at the 3^rd Hobie Regatta in a row it would rain’ and you all know what happened on Sunday !

We will be shortly sending out a details of events during the offseason including the WCHCA prize giving and Grand Slam Series Winners and the proposed calendar for 2014~2015 – please no weddings on regatta weekends this next year.

John Ryall WCHCA

083 265 2036

Admirals Regatta Pics!

Admirals Regatta made a welcome return to the calendar in 2014. 

More details at www.hbyc.co.za

See the full album at Admirals 2014 Pics on Picasa

A few samples:

Cape to Rio 2014

Four days after the start, this most recent Cape to Rio 2014 is already being talked about on the same terms as the Fastnet race of 1979, the Sydney Hobart of 1998 and the Vasco da Gama Race of 1984. To be fair, the weather wasn't quite as extreme, but conditions did result in sustained Force 8 Winds and 6m seas, resulting in a quarter of competitors (9/36) retiring in the first few days. Widespread damage was reported across the fleet. One crewman tragically died onboard SV Bille (Bavaria 54) during their dismasting. Rescues were mounted by naval frigate SA Islandwana, Tug Miriam Makeba, NSRI Station 3, and several fellow competitors.

Start of Cape to Rio 2014

Picture credited to my friend Louis Louw

Notable casualties included:

Black Cat: Suffered a major capsize in heavy seas, loss of rudder, followed by a subsequent complete roll in a giant wave that collapsed on them, and fair mayhem in the boat. Despite a remarkable recovery from the experienced crew they were unable to continue and started making their way to Saldanha slowly. NSRI 3 later assisted with a tow back to Cape Town. Besides sprains and bruises, they are all ok, and the boat is easily repairable. Watch this one in subsequent races as she was looking extremely quick until the crash. See Dudley Dix's account on his blog (skipper, designer, original builder of the vessel). The official race report said "BLACK CAT has reported a broken rudder and is proceeding back to Cape Town, one crew has a sprained ankle and all are well." Can't accuse them of being verbose I suppose!!

See Black cat tell their story courtesy of Steve Searle's video. This is a must see!

Bille:  Bille is a 54' Bavaria with Angolan Crew and flag (along with Mussulo III, she was one two Angolan Bavaria 54's in the race). Sadly she seems to have suffered the worst damage with a dismasting and loss of a crew member, plus a M.O.B. situation. All remaining crew (including the deceased) were evacuated by the Frigate SA Isandlwana, and are now safe.

Ava: A Miura 31 sailed by father and daughter team Colin and Belinda Horton, suffered damage and flooding (details unclear to me at this stage). They lost electrical power and all comms for a day or two, causing widespread concern, especially after an EPIRB signal was received from them. Their track log looked equally curious during this time and the worst was feared. Competitor yacht SV DODO (Fortuna 37) diverted to look for them. They were eventually spotted by the Frigate who found them in good shape, besides the lack of systems. AVA made it back into Saldanha Bay unassisted a day or so later, I was able to hear their comms and Channel 16 from the South of Cape Town 100 kms away, so I guess they managed to regain at least the main VHF. Well done Ava, and viva la Miura!

Peekay: A Beneteau 51, suffered a variety of sail problems (probably more detail we don't yet have) and limped back to Saldanha Bay. The skipper has decided to leave the boat and is looking for a replacement, according to some reports.

Isla: A large Wilderness Cat, lost both engines and had some flooding in one engine compartment. Container vessel "Bosun" standing by for them, followed by tug Smit Madura, which may tow them home to Cape Town. I am not clear what eventually transpired , but Isla tracker shows her back in Cape Town at time of writing. (Update: she was towed in, the last bit by NSRI). A PAN-PAN was issued by Isla at some stage and received by Peekay. I see two of my HBYC clubmates were aboard, Rian Turner and Dave Mills.

Avocet: A Beneteau 45, disappeared from the track log for a while, she appears to also have lost comms for a day or so. She did however make it back to Cape Town somehow without serious injury, as far as I can tell at this stage.

Indaba: Stadt 34, skippered by the very experienced John Levin, and with Angelo Lavranos aboard, has had to return to Saldanha bay with an injured crewman. They arrived safely last night sometime.

EXPLORA: An Open 60, reported engine flooding but were able to continue and are doing very well in the continuing race.

Dodo: Fortuna 37, despite standing by for AVA, also suffered loss of steering and engine. They have made it back to Saldanha Bay unassisted, and appear to be tied up at Club Mykonos according to the tracker, no doubt swopping tales with Indaba.

FTI Flyer: A Charger 33, well known campaigner in our local club races and veteran of the Rio Race, adopted a unique and very northerly route for reasons I am not clear on (possibly to avoid worst weather and be close to shore). They headed back after two days and made it safely into Cape Town unassisted. I hope to get the story from skipper Keith Mattison at some stage.

Avanti: A Vickers 41, also returned to Saldanha Bay, and is tied up at Club Mykonos, after apparently spending some time at Kraal Bay if the tracker is to be believed? Avanti's story still unknown to me at this stage, but bots like this don't give up this kind of race without extremely good reasons...

Anecdotally, services from the SA Navyand the NSRI have been very commendable, as has the seamanship of fellow competitors and even passing commercial traffic.

The satellite weather image of Sunday 6 Jan 2014

Links:

• Cape to Rio official race website here
• Cape to Rio race live online tracker.
• RCYC Facebook group on the Rio Race
• Blog of Yolo SA6130 Sunfast 3200
• Blog of CiaoBella (Simonis 35 with family Robinson)

I would be grateful for all and any further info, or race accounts, or corrections for inclusion here. Please email me here. Contributions and accounts from competitors especially will be appreciated. Many thanks!

Commentary:
The outcome of this storm could have been significantly worse. It is a huge credit to the crews and vessels that nearly all boats survived or were able to get back unassisted, despite loss of sails, rudders, engines and electronics. It should be noted that these vessels are all very seaworthy and well scrutineered for a race of this nature. Many of these vessels are well accustomed to the very challenging conditions of the Cape waters. Many of the crew are veterans of ocean racing and several have done this race multiple times. Normally, the Cape to Rio race is thought of as a Trade Wind "milk run", but long races always bring suprises, and Cape Waters bring them all too frequently. These boats and crews have shown extreme seamanship, and there will not be need for any kind of review into "what went wrong". This was all well done. That's what ocean racing is all about.....

I will add detail and stories as they become available. 

Praise for Legacy Yacht Sales!

Malcolm McRobert of Legacy Yacht Sales

When I recently decided to sell my little Flamenca "Quest", I elected to use Legacy Yacht Sales. For no particular reason than I bought her from Carl Olivier who started this company, and he turned out to be a good guy. Subsequently, Carl sold the business to Malcolm McRobert, with whom I had had some email exchanges on boat details previously. Malcolm seemed like a very decent bloke although I had never met him personally. I was keen to use a broker because they serve a very useful role as intermediary in the transaction, which makes it objective, safe and efficient. And so it was....

Due to the market being very low, and despite a steady stream of nibbles via the website etc, it was clear we would have to drop the price somewhat. We did eventually sell her (Quest) at about 20% less than the asking price. On account of this, Malcolm was very conciliatory regarding the commission - I won't spell it out in case someone thinks its a precedent! - but on account of the great service I insisted we stick to the original terms at 10%. Now even at 10% on such a small boat, its a lot of work for a broker. Paperwork was efficiently handled thanks to email and scanners etc. It was a dead-easy experience for me.

The proceeds of the sale were transferred promptly and in fact Malcolm even arranged to skipper the delivery of the boat up to Saldanha himself. That's 120% service as I see it. I am sure the buyer would offer similar views.

I must add I have no reason to doubt the service of the other brokers in town, but in this case I just happened to use Legacy, and would gladly use them again. 

Malcolm's email.
Legacy Yacht Sales website.

Dabchick

Thanks to Mossel Bay Yacht Club for all these pics,

and to Tracy London for bringing them to my attention!

Its often said that many of the greatest racing drivers started with Mini-Coopers, and the same is often said of sailors and Dabbies. The Dabchick turned out to be one of the best sail training boats ever. This is the purest sailing you can imagine, although it helps if you have warm water! They are very sensitive boats and equally rewarding. Anyone sailing a Dabby develops strong instincts for the key elements of sailing viz. boat balance, sail trim, concentrating on the helm, anticipating the waves, weight distribution aboard etc - and a sense of how these can make you go faster or not. I think the element of single-handing comes into it as well, which in turns brings a level of resourcefulness and self reliance that is natural to Dabbie sailors. People who learn sailing on keel-boats often don't get this experience easily.

Dabbies perform uniquely well, especially in fresh winds. Their flat scow shape makes them quite controllable when planing at speed, and their well-balanced rig - main and jib - is fairly predictable and orthodox. Off the wind, they go like blazes, easily planing, and bouncing over the back of the waves as you surf over them.  When beating, they can be heeled over to an extreme angle - ride on the vertical gunwales - although this isn't the right way to go fast it did seem like fun at the time! Dead downwind - they can bury their bows and submarine while lifting the rudder out of the water if one had a fair load on board.

Dabbies are about the simplest boats to build and were very cheap then ... made of three sheets of ply, a few bits of meranti, Aerolite epoxy glue, a strip of fibreglass on the keelson, decent paint, and brass screws. No power-tools used. By comparison they seem quite high-tech now. My first Dabby had no bought components besides the mainsheet blocks and the stay wires, excluding the chainplates. All other fittings were simply fabricated from stainless steel off-cuts. The mast was wooden, with a track routed into each of  the meranti halves. The sails were "K" sails - made in Dacron by Jack Koper (well I seem to think his wife made the sails). The whole effort cost less than R100 in 1967.

Besides the low cost - the simplicity of Dabbies made them so attractive. The flat topped hull was light and easy to move and lift - making them manageable for even quite young children. Lifting onto car tops, storing in garage etc was also easier. Not to mention that the hull can't hold water - they were also relatively safe in that respect. 

The hull-design of scow dinghies is another fascinating point. Every boat needs a fine bow to soften the waves it hits. The bow can be soft in plan view or in the side elevation - i.e. pointy when viewed from above, or flat and tapered when viewed from the side... They each have pros and cons. For keelboats and displacement vessels, the pointy (plumb) bows seem attractive because they offer a longer waterline length, and create smooth lines to deep wineglass hulls. They usually track well. If waterline length isn't the key factor as in planing boats - then broad bows are good because they create a smooth run for water under the hull plus no sharp bends near the bow. When a V-bottom scow dinghy heels slightly - it is running on a flat underside which offers maximum lift and minimum wetted area. 

Key measurements:

• LOA 3.6m
• Beam: 1.2m   
• Dry Weight 38.6 Kgs
• Sail Area 5.6 sq.m

Note the length is exactly 1.5x a standard sheet of ply, and the width exactly equal to one sheet. No wastage here!

It is fantastic to see how the class is thriving in at least Cape Town, Hermanus and Mossel Bay at least - though I understand there are active classes all over the country and in fact many Dabchicks around the world now. Total numbers over 5000.

There can't really be a better boat for kids to learn sailing on....

See also the Sonnet reviewed elsewhere in this blog - also from the pen of Jack Koper. The Tempo has not been covered yet however.

Dabchick Class Association http://www.dabchick.za.net/
See also http://www.classicboat.co.uk/class-notes/dabchick/

Fast 42

SA Navy Entry "MTU Fascination of Power" under Chapman's Peak in Hout Bay.

Skipper was John Martin, Admirals Regatta about 2006.

Photograph by Brenton Geach.

Fast 42s have had a prominent place in the South African Racing circuit, both offshore and around the cans. In many ways they are quite remarkable boats - fast, nice to look at, and very well laid out for serious sailing...

Regrettably I don't have much technical data for these boats - but their principle dimensions show:

LOA: 41' 4" 

Beam: 12' 7"
Displacement: 6600 kilograms
Max Draft: 7' 10"
Ballast: 2400 kilograms

Designer Simonis-Voogd - they have done loads of work in SA and reside here quite a lot. Their stable is well known - including the famous "Broomstick", "Nicorette" and many others.

That's a pretty light boat at 42'. Note the ballast ratio is 36% - thanks to a very deep keel bulb. They are high-aspect boats in every sense - keel, rudder and huge rig. Yet they are as sensitive as dinghies as long as they keep moving. 

From the outside - the impression is thoroughbred racer. The sleek lines, neat cabin top, dual wheels, large racing cockpit, wide traveller etc all look the business, and one might be forgiven for expecting a bare-bones racing interior.

In fact its quite the opposite! The interior is functional quite plush, simple and well laid out. From inside you might forget you were in a racing boat. Nice galley, saloon, chart table, decent cabins, and even hot shower. This is a boat for the Cape-Rio! My friend James who owned one of these called it "Enigma" - I never asked him why... 

Well laid out and spacious cockpit. Not exactly sheltered but great for sailing!

Double-handing is easy, but single-handing is a bit tricky because the helmsman can't reach the traveller or mainsheet from behind the wheel, unless autopilot is engaged.

Fitting, quality and layout do vary somewhat from model to model. The very early ones were built by Robertson and Caine in Cape Town, before production rights were taken over by Fast Yachts in Durban, where the majority were subsequently built. I am aware of some controversy over one or two builds, but the majority are quite sound. Skebanga, in Hout Bay, was one of the the last off the line as I remember, and she is particularly well put together and in great condition.

How do they sail? These aren't called Fast boats for nothing. They move impressively well as long as there is some reasonable wind, say 10 kts plus. For some reason I don't really fathom they do seem a bit sluggish in lighter winds, but as the pressure picks up they really cook - on all points of sail. I had the pleasure of skippering one of these in a club race one Sunday - it was the first time I'd sailed one, and the expected crew didn't pitch. We went out double-handed and completely new to the boat. I must say it was setup as a sailing school boat and was amazingly easy to handle. Roller-reefed jib, main in a stack-pack, batcars on the mast, a simple autopilot, and nice engine controls - it was an absolute pleasure. I was very impressed with the setup of that boat - being so easy to handle made it possible to simply enjoy the sail, think about tactics and still push it quite hard. With just the two of us, we were able to tack fast and effectively in 15 knots or so, and no troubles to speak of. Only I wasn't used to helming on a wheel for racing round the cans, don't know if I'll ever get that worked out properly, I still like a tiller! But it is fantastic for long-distance sailing...

Can't imagine what this poor bloke on the bow was up to. 

Perhaps the heads were blocked...

One Wednesday evening the wind was too strong for racing in our bay - 35 kts +. We were just settled in the club bar when the hooligans went out - James and Rian - sorry chaps - the names just slipped out! - plus a few unsuspecting crew who should have known better. They fought their way up to Chappies, complete with wild katabatic twisters and plenty of spray, and then turned around. Next thing the bag went up! Crikey - the boat zig-zagged on its ear for about 30s before regaining some sort of composure, and then shot off towards the club at about 20 knots. As luck would have it, I had a camcorder with a decent zoom on hand - will see if I can dig it up soon and place it on youtube. What a spectacle. That's the kind of boat a Fast-42 is - wild as the wind and still quite manageable, but also a civilised boat when the occasion demands!

All in all - they are best suited for offshore racing. Certainly not what I would chose as a cruiser, but a good choice for Cape-Rio or Governors Cup! You can have a load of fun with one of these.

Proteus 106

First Proteus 106 off the beach in Thailand

I don't often write about boats I haven't seen in the flesh, or actually sailed. But this is one where the design strikes me as quite unique, has strong local connections, and really deserves to be known. It's attractive as a cruiser, a racer or a dayboat....and unique in the value it offers.

Certainly Angelo needs no introduction - he has drawn more good  boats than one can count, and I keep discovering new boats from his pen. They are all well thought out and very interesting.

Plan and side elevation.

Functional simplicity at its best...
(click to expand)

When I look at this design, it really strikes me as a modern "Wharram Cat" - in that its very functional, simple and seaworthy. Although that doesn't do it justice - its really quite a high-tech design using simple materials if you see what I mean. And very good looking. Besides the low-profile cabin top, here are two very sound seaworthy hulls with not much windage. It boasts an efficient modern rig with a full roach main and a manageable genoa, with standard back-swept shrouds. Dagger boards are a nice option on the "racing" version.  This is a boat that really can sail - it's light and is setup for real sailing. 8 kts round the course, and 15+ off the wind if you have the nerve! The daggerboards don't really impinge on space below.

Note the simple layout below. The cabin top is fully allocated to the saloon - this is the main reason for having a cat if you ask me - a nice saloon and living space from which you can see out - a feature not common on monohulls. One hull hosts the (large) galley, the other the (large) heads. This is a sensible arrangement as it allows decent facilities for these functions, while not crowding the bridge deck. So you get 85% of what big cats offer in a far smaller package.

The rudders are transom-hung - making for easy maintenance and repair if necessary. By the drawing - these are controlled with tillers rather than a wheel - you could have both or either I suppose. I quite like the tiller option as it means you could attach a simple tiller pilot rather than an elaborate auto-helm thing, plus there's nothing wrong with steering by tiller and its quite a bit cheaper.

Daggerboards will give her good sailing, but for cruising the fixed "keels" may be attractive - for beaching, and simplicity, and to protect the saildrives, which may be the preferred option for cruisers. Along with kickup rudders, this is a boat you could take right up to the beach on occasion, and clean the hulls without lifting out. 

"Before the Mast!" 

Note the clean decks and flat tops to walk on.

Nice motorcat too....

Engine comes in two options - a 20Hp 4-stroke - e.g. Honda - mounted midships on a nacelle, or two small inboards. I think this offers the best of both worlds - cruising or racing. For cruising purposes I think inboards would be the way to go - long distance motoring with diesel, manouverabilty in marinas, fuel-economy and no petrol onboard. For racing, and sailing from a home port, the outboard would be ideal - very light, no prop to drag, very quiet and out of the boat, while still reliable and effective... your dinghy engine could be a backup I suppose. And very good value...

Construction is from a plywood kit. Not very complicated, but it is a fair bit of work. The hull is sheathed in GRP - makes it scratch-resistant and strong. There are no expensive items here - everything is simple and can be achieved with low-tech kit and options. I would indulge in two nice self-tailers for the primaries, a stack pack for the main and a roller-furler for the headsail. Plus a traveller for the main. That's not a lot of money.

The boat is designed to be light. Keeping it light will keep it safe, buoyant, responsive and fast. However, you could load it if you need to, as long as you don't press too hard. Another rather nice thing about cats - most of 'em - is that they don't sink - certainly this one won't...

I think its an ideal design for local and offshore racing - Cape-Rio, Governors Cup and Mykonos, or a cruiser for a small family. It won't break the bank, but it offers very safe and comfortable sailing with impressive performance. And a nice live-aboard option. Did I mention parties and day sails?

Also a damn nice motor-cat if you look at it like that.....

See Angelo's notes below:
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10.6  METER  MULTICHINE  PLYWOOD/GRP   SAILING CATAMARAN 

This project has been “gestating” on a personal level  for the last 10 years.  My aim is the smallest  family ocean cruising cat, that is to say with sufficient load carrying capacity to do an ocean crossing with a family, of minimum cost, and capable of amateur construction with the minimum of labour and skill. She is also aimed at being a fast, practical & enjoyable boat for local use. She is small enough for easy shorthanded use.  The hull structure is “pre cut” by a CNC cutter as a kitset, or can be cut to plotted templates as a cheaper option if preferred. The Kitset is available from CKD Boats in Cape Town. Their quality is A1 and different ply type options are available. Since wastage is minimised (much less than hand cutting), and CKD buy much more cheaply than private buyers, one generally finds that the kit costs hardly more than buying the raw material, and then you save hundreds of hours in labour. The boat is set up on ply bulkheads and stringers and the skin is glass taped with epoxy resin along the chines, inside and out, there are no chine logs. The hull & deck is mostly 9mm ply with 12mm in the forward wingdeck and hull bottom forward. The outside is GRP/epoxy sheathed. She is simple, strong, fast, comfortable, cheap and “unsinkable”. 

The interior consists of four berths (two doubles + 2 singles), a saloon  settee,  a practical galley with icebox, and a toilet compartment,  all with standing headroom (1820 under deckstringers) . She is totally functional, and all that is needed for comfort at sea. She is configured with two machinery and keel variations:  A 4 stroke 20HP outboard on a hinging nacelle is fitted for economy, as is tiller steering, with “kick up” rudders. If the motor starts to make trouble it is easily replaced.  I haven’t worked out how many times you can relace it to equal the cost of diesels. Other “choices” in the “gilded lily” approach stretch to installed water tank versus fitted 20 lit container storage. However with the outboard and daggerboard combination, and simplest accommodation gear, we have the fastest boat AND the shallowest draught for the smallest outlay. People lose sight of the fact that comfort at sea revolves round some very simple “basics”, a dry bunk with good ventilation, a place to prepare hot food, a place to sit out of the sun & elements, a private toilet, standing headroom. The rest is “bells & whistles” which all come at a price of increased cost, maintanance, and degrading performance. 

The rig is the simplest possible, with a pair of cap shrouds and headstay triangulated, single diamond.  The sail inventory is essentially a mainsail, a roller furler jib, and a storm jib. Optional:  Genneker.

A  first class builder estimates 1600 hours, professional hours in a set up boatshop, to unfaired and unpainted hull, deck, joinery stage.  CNC cut kits from CKD Boats in Cape Town, a very experienced company, is available at a really competitive price. Email Roy Mc Bride (roy@comlumber.com ) . Most likely you will find the cost of the CNC kit ( including shipping) is less than a private person is likely to buy  the raw materials, so that the huge labour saving is more or less “free”!

Wing deck clearance to DWL (@ displ 3800 kg) is 680mm amidships and 1100mm under the cockpit. The windeck does not extend forward which is most important. Top speed broad reaching in flat water and high wind can be around 18 knots (depending more on one's nerve than anything.) and can average 8 knots on an olympic triangle, powered up in 16-18 knots breeze.  Payload of crew, fuel, water, provisions in addition to the vessel complete (with sailing and safety gear, normal loose outfit and sails) is nominally about 900 kg. This figure could be increased by another 400 or so kg at the beginning of a long voyage if the boat is

consciously not "overpressed" when so loaded. The length/beam ratio at datum flotation is 9.07. This offers a good compromise between reasonably slim hulls and good load carrying ability. This is augmented by the additional "flare" developed in the topsides, whereby beam (and waterplane area) increases considerably with increasing immersion.

The daggerboard version is more efficient in terms of L/D on the foils. In addition the drag of the daggerboards retracted is zero, whereas the mini keels (both!) continue to offer resistance.  The prod and spars are intended to be aluminium extrusions, whose inertias are specified.  

The design license costs   $4500 New Zealand Dollars per boat  to build.  Drawings are supplied in PDF format.  The templates consist of all frames with shell deduction, stringer cutouts, access cutouts etc shown for hull, deck and superstructure, bow and stern profile, daggerboard, (or alternative keel), kick up rudder.  The design consists of: 18 drawings:  Lines, hydrostatics, full scale templates (+ 12 x A0 sheets), general construction drawing, CNC parts assembly drawings,  CNC parts nesting drawings, arrangement plan and sections, deck arrangement, sail & rigging plan, dagger board & case construction, rudder construction, chain plate details, sundry joint details, doghouse & hatch details, outboard motor hinging nacelle detail, alternative keel detail. Study plans consist of arrangement drawing, deck arrangement, sail & rigging plan. Note: study plans  have all section information omitted (other than one "typical" section.)  The design has been developed to minimise labour hours and high skill requirements and high costs. The only "exotics" involve the external skins of the ply rudders and daggerboards, which are carbon, since the excessive amounts of GRP needed would make control of the shape and avoiding excess weight problematical. 

LENGTH OVERALL                  10.600           Meters

BEAM                                           6.360            Meters

DRAUGHT                                   0.370/1.75    Meters   (dagger up/down)

DISPLACEMENT                       2600/3200    Kilogr  (light conditon, lght/hvy inst)

MAINSAIL                                    48                  Sq Meters

ROLLER FURL JIB                     24                  Sq Meters

GENNEKER                                58                  Sq Meters

FRESH WATER                         140                litres  (installed or 20 lit containers)

CONTACT:

Lavranos Marine Design, Ph:  09 4802232,  Email:   Lavranos@ihug.co.nz

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At time of writing, the second one is nearing completion in Cape Town.

See also www.ckboats.com for details of the kit.

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UPDATE: We have received some pics of "Sarita" under construction, and now recently floated at Port Alfred in South Africa. This was a home build on a farm - a good example of a D.I.Y. home-build. The interior is not fully fitted yet but gives a good idea of the accommodations and spaciousness this design offers. I understand the kit was a great success and fitted perfectly. This particular one is slightly unusual in that it has two outboards instead of one - two beautiful Honda 20 four-strokes at that. The rig is yet to be fitted, but the platform clearly offers a lot, in a very good-looking package.

Progress photos follow (click to expand each pic):

Helm station with wheel and engine instruments.
Note this is a deviation from the design (which shows tiller-steering),
 but is an example of a wheel mod.

Below, looking aft.

 A nice full galley space, below.

Galley. Simple and practical cutout storage.

Floating on the Kowie river! Unladen (besides engines), and without rig etc.

Engine in down position.

Engine down, aft view.

It started in a small shed. The truss design permits extra height!

Spacious heads area.

Nav table, with a clear view, and space for a small office!

Saloon area, awaiting table and backrest upholstery.

Plenty of stowage and surfaces.

Spacious aft berth behind the galley.