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