Boat Plans And Kits | Update on DS15 Bateleur

Boat Plans And Kits

Jim Foot launched his Didi Sport 15 (DS15) a few months ago. After initial photos and reports Jim went quiet. I suspect that he busied himself with regular sailing to learn the characteristics of his new boat, to understand how she likes to be handled in a range of conditions.

Today Jim has sent another report, detailing his sailing this past weekend. He sailed on Algoa Bay, off Port Elizabeth, sailing in sportboat mode with the lead bulb on the keel. Starting with light breezes, it rapidly changed to 35-40 knots, as happens pretty regularly in this part of the world. Unperturbed by the gale force conditions, Jim and his crew Thomas Ochabski put in a reef, left the big asymmetrical stowed in its bag and carried on sailing. Jim says that there was a keelboat in attendance in case of mishap, which gave him the bravado to carry on sailing.

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

 Here are extracts from Jims own words about his experience with "Bateleur" in these conditions.

Beat back to harbour (from about 2 nm offshore) and then had a blast reaching around for about an hour or more.   Great fun.   Naah, understatement, awesome, awesome fun!

For the first time really felt that things were a step up on the speed stakes.   When I was building the boat I imagined a mini Volvo 60 with associated responsiveness and upwind speed. And this is what I felt the boat was achieving.

He promises some GoPro video by the end of the week.

And what about light wind speed? More words from Jim.

The other thing, the boat is incredibly fast in very light winds with weight forward. Everyone who has sailed her in light conditions (<6 kts) has remarked about this characteristic.  Thanks Dudley for a great design.

To see more of this and our other designs, visit our main website or  mobile website


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Boat Plans Arch Davis | Didi Sport 15 DS15 Launch

Boat Plans Arch Davis

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 start to launch.

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

 Despite the very light wind, they had good sailing and were impressed by performance. Jims 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.

Ready for sails and rarin to go.

Rigging the sails. Clean deck layout and large cockpit.

Jims friend Mark Dawson was with him for the first sail and passed these comments:-

Lucky enough to be the first to sail this boat with James Norman Foot. What a beaut! After a hairy moment of rocking the boat to moorings, which became a desperate paddle when we started drifting towards the rocks, we rigged the sails and immediately accelerated away. Bateleur likes to sit flat and notably accelerate in the lightest of wind puffs. A forced capsized showed how stable she is and how literally effortless to bring her back. Sailing the Didi 15, I just want to go again. Cant wait to see her in stronger breeze. In summary...I need one.

"Bateleur" returning to ABYC with a very happy crew.

Jim will keep us up to date with his testing and fine-tuning over the next few weeks. I hope that we will also get to see some photos and videos in stronger winds as Jim and "Bateleur" grow to know each other.

The top photo of this post shows the hull shape very nicely. For those who have not followed my posts about the build, this is a plywood boat although it doesnt look like one. It is the smallest in our radius chine plywood Didi design range. The hull is the same family as the Didi Mini Mk3 and Didi 950, with topside chine above a radius chine underbody.

It can be built from plans only, plans and patterns or plans and a CNC kit. See more info about all of our designs on our website at http://dixdesign.com/

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Pontoon Boat Plans Aluminum | Yachting Monthly Capsize Video

Pontoon Boat Plans Aluminum

Yachting Monthly have a very interesting  video of a capsize test on their YouTube Channel. I only became aware of it yesterday when it was highlighted by Scuttlebutt Sailing News.

Many have read the accounts that I have written about our capsize experience on the Didi 38 "Black Cat" in the Cape To Rio Race 2014. It is not possible to visualise what it is like to be there in that situation, even if you sit inside your boat and try to imagine it turning around you but this video goes a long way to help visualise it. It is not fully realistic because the roof stays at the top as the boat rotates, so the world is rotating around the boat rather than the boat rotating within the world around it. To provide better visualisation the camera needs to stay upright while the boat goes upside-down.

Bear in mind that this test is in flat water and the boat is rotated quite slowly from upright to upside-down, then rights itself quickly. Normally a capsize will happen in seas that are large and confused, so it is a much more violent process than seen in the video, with the boat being thrown in confused directions while it capsizes. Despite that, it is worth watching, to see the way that crew, equipment, etc was moved around the cabin and to see just how much water came in even in that still water.

It is not an experience that I would recommend to anyone, yet it is an experience that I am glad to have had and to have survived.

It also validates the toughness of the methods of construction that I have used for these plywood designs, that "Black Cat" came through with minimal damage.

To see our range of designs to carry you across the dam or around the world, please visit http://dixdesign.com/

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Boat Plans And Patterns | Wooden Boat Festival Port Townsend

Boat Plans And Patterns

I will be at the Wooden Boat Festival at Port Townsend, in Washington State, next weekend. This is the 39th edition of this annual Festival, which is claimed to be the biggest of the type in the world. With hundreds of boats on view on land and in the water, many suppliers exhibiting their wares, boatbuilding demonstrations, a very full schedule of seminars and live shows in the evenings, there is plenty to keep lovers of boats and the water occupied for a day or more. Add in the wide array of food and beverages served by vendors at the Festival and nearby restaurants and you have the ingredients for a wonderful weekend to help wind down the summer.

Didi Cruise-Mini "Seque" on the 2014 Wooden Boat Festival.

The Festival runs from Friday 11th through to Sunday 13th September. I will be participating in one shared seminar session and be hosting two of my own. For those who would like to catch one or more of them, here are the times and locations.

1) Yacht Designer Panel Q&A. Moderated by Jay Benford, we designers will give our opinions in response to whatever boat-related questions you throw at us. This type of seminar shows that we dont always agree on the best way to do something. Just as well, or all boats would look alike. Friday 11th 2:45 to 4:30 in Maritime East "Cascade" room.

2) Plywood Boat Construction. In this PowerPoint-illustrated seminar, I discuss the various plywood boat construction methods for which I design and have designed in the past, showing the details used and covering the advantages or disadvantages of the type. Saturday 12th 2:30 to 3:30pm in the Explorer Room.

3) Plywood Kits for Larger Boats. Most people think of kit boats as applicable to dinghies and other small open boats, not for much bigger ocean cruisers and racers. In this PowerPoint-illustrated seminar I show a wide range of plywood kit boat options, from trailer-sailers to cruiser/racers, traditional to modern craft and both mono- and multihulls. Sunday 13th 1:15 to 2:15pm in Maritime West "Olympic" room.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest or will be visiting next weekend, spend some quality time with boats and boating people at the Wooden Boat Festival

Our main website - http://dixdesign.com/
Our mobile website - http://dixdesign.com/mobile

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Boat Plans Bateau | More about Jims DS15 Project

Boat Plans Bateau

In a November post I wrote about the Didi Sport 15 that is being built in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, by Jim Foot. Jim has continued to build at a good pace and his boat is moving into the final stages of construction.

Jim has provided a steady stream of photos that document his project through all of its stages. He appears to be doing a very capable build and his boat should be sailing within months.

Jim bought a plywood kit from CKD Boats in Cape Town. It was cut by CNC router using cutting files that we prepared and supplied. Similar kits can also be cut by our other kit suppliers in other countries.

Beautiful standard of hull finish shows off the hull shape.

Internal framing of Jims DS15 hull, CNC-cut by CKD Boats in Cape Town.

Spinnaker pole launch tube

Internal surfaces sealed with 3 coats epoxy

Adding doublers for mainsheet track and epoxy-coating underside of deck.

Jigsaw-jointed cockpit sole installed and cockpit sides being fitted.

Framing of foredeck and cambered mastdeck.

Mastdeck being fitted.

Cockpit and decks nearing completion.

Mound for rudder pintles.

Casting lead keel bulb.

Thanks Jim for your photos and for your enthusiasm. I look forward to the launch and sailing photos of your new boat.

To see our full range of designs, please visit http://dixdesign.com/.


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Dinghy Boat Plans | Hull Turning Methods

Dinghy Boat Plans

I have shown a few projects in this blog over the past few months with the hulls being turned using different methods. The bigger the boat the more critical this operation is. The risks of damage to property and injury to people increase exponentially as the boat becomes more bulky and increases in weight. Imagine the difference between turning over a plywood hull that is 6.4m (21ft) long, 2.4m (710") wide, 1.2mm (311") deep and weighing 200kg (440lb) or a 50% scaled up version of the same hull. At 9.6m (316") long, 3.6m (1110") beam and 1.8m (511") deep, it will weigh 675kg (1488lb).

It has only increased 50% in all directions but the weight is more than 3x that of the smaller boat. The bulk becomes more difficult to manage and the weight to lift and lower becomes a major factor. If, at the same time as increasing the size, you also change to steel as the construction material, that same size hull could weigh 2500-2750kg (5500-6000lb). Now you are talking about some serious loads that can get out of control, yet the boat is still only 50% bigger in each direction.

Those smaller projects are easily turned over by hand, with friends and neighbours supplying the motive power and the boat having a soft landing on tyres or some other cushioning material. Years ago a client of mine in South Africa turned his 32ft hull by himself. He jacked it up on one side until it reached the balance point, then let gravity take it the rest of the way. It fell against a young tree, then slid down the tree and came to rest flat on the ground. Luckily his hull was relatively undamaged but the tree didnt survive the experience.

There are many ways to turn a hull but that is not one of them. I have a whole chapter on this subject in my book "Shaped by Wind and Wave", to give guidance on how to safely turn your hull. The two Didi 950 hulls that were turned recently in USA and Australia both used the spit-roast method. For each of my own big boats I have used a chain block to do the work, another of the methods explained in the book.

Turning the 38ft "Black Cat" using a chain block on a scaffold tower.

The book can be ordered either as a paperback or as digital for reading on whatever screen device suits you.

To see our range of designs, go to http://dixdesign.com/.

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Boat Plans Aluminium | Kevins Garvey Progress

Boat Plans Aluminium

I wrote in January about the 16ft plywood garvey being built by Kevin Agee. Kevin is progressing nicely and benefitting from the very welcome spring that has finally arrived and eased out the rather brutal winter. Now it is easier to do woodwork and epoxy cures much faster, so work progresses more quickly. Epoxy coatings in the sealed spaces are being completed and this weekend the deck will be glued on.

Hull skin completed, interior details being fitted.

Supports for battery box and fuel tank.

Deck stringers going in, test fitting of fuel tank.

Bottom runners serve as stringers and bottom protection.

Dry-fitting deck, ahead of final installation this weekend.

Kevin Agee is doing a nice job of his project and will display it in the "I Built It Myself" section of the Wooden Boat Show at Mystic Seaport at the end of June. If you want to see this boat, that will be the place to do it.

Plans are not yet ready for selling but should be in a month or two. We will offer it as plans and instructions, with options of full-size patterns or a pre-cut plywood kit.

To see our designs for your next amateur project, please visit our website at http://dixdesign.com .


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Boat Plans Skiff | DS15 Didi Sport 15 Build in South Africa

Boat Plans Skiff

Until now I have only shown the DS15 prototype, being built in Virginia Beach, USA, by Aussie Hunter Gall. Hunters project is currently stalled due to circumstances but one of the the other builds is steaming ahead apace. This one is being built by Jim Foot in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. This weekend Jim applied the last coat of epoxy to the outside of his hull and is preparing to paint it.

This series of photos shows the basics of Jims project up to this stage. This is a radius chine plywood design, with hard chine along the topsides. It is the same family of designs as the Didi Mini Mk3 and Didi 950.

Frames set up on building stocks, with stringers going on.

Stringers all done and bottom panels fitted.

Same stage, showing stringers running into forefoot.

Side panels fitted and first layer of radius progressing.

Stitch-&-glue detail of topside chine.

Second layer of radius going over first layer.

Completed radius chine, running smoothly into flat panels.

Glass taping centreline seam. Jigsaw joints of bottom panel can be seen.

Epoxy coatings started.

Nice finish starting to show.

Clean stern and nice finish.

Final coat of epoxy, ready for sanding and painting.

I will show more of Jim Foots project as it progresses toward launch date. I tend to show the projects for which I receive the best photos, so please send me your best pics if you want to see your project on this blog or the Dudley Dix Yacht Design main website.

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