Simonis 35

Megafreight, our local Simonis 35, enjoying the sun rather than the wind in Hout Bay!

The Simonis 35 is another amazing boat. Unlike many of the others, I can't find much detail on it, and I don't know too much about the designer, Alex Simonis either. If anyone, Alex included, would like to add to this or correct things please do!

The South african connection is of course Simonis - who has worked here for many years and runs an office from Milnerton - although the Simonis-Voogd head office is now in the Netherlands. Simonis, or Simonis-Voogd, has designed a lot of very successful boats for the SA market over the years.

I have sailed with and against this boat for many years at HBYC. It wins 60% of all club races, in a small but actually quite competitive fleet. Admittedly it is crewed consistently well and is well maintained - but this seems to be the norm for these boats. This one competes well in most local regattas and recently won the FBYC Spring Regatta on Club Handicap. "Our Diane" has won the Governors Cup three times (if memory serves), and Wallbanger is another good example. They are all very competitive and stand out in the local racing scene - even though the design is now about 20 years old (I would guess - I am not sure).

Simonis is known for competitive yachts. Even his "cruisers" are really racers with nice upholstery if you ask me. Think of the Pacers/Leisure 42s/Fast 42s. Nicorette and Broomstick came from his pen. I seem to think Simonis was asked to draw the next SA Americas Cup boat (if we get there), and now Simonis-Voogd also design the Dehler Range. There are many others. They are all fast!

By nature, performance yachts are extreme. They have deep bulb keels (or canting keels), they have tall tapering multi-spreader (carbon) masts, spectra lines, fancy sails, light hulls and light materials. They cost a fair bit. And the designers job is to "sail as close to the wind" as he can with these materials without stuff breaking too often and placing the lives of the crew at risk. In fairness, a lot of responsibility lies with the skipper and boatbuilder too. Margins for error are quite slim - specifically the risk of breaking the mast or losing the keel. And then there is the challenge of achieving a good IRC rating.

The Simonis 35 does this all rather well in a conventional way. Its a fine looking boat, but also quite a good sea boat. Don't get me wrong I would not think of cruising on one of these - but she is pretty safe on the sea - and Hout Bay is a good place to prove it. I know of many ocean crossings made by these boats - around SA, but also to St Helena and Rio - and back! - all without incident, and all at great speed.

See the flattish underbody, high-aspect bulb keel, fine bow and long waterline.

As far as I know, all Simonis 35s were factory built - actually very well built - though I don't know who built them. The smallish engine is mounted midships just aft of the keel, great for dynamics and not too intrusive inside as it happens. Whilst great performers - in fact they aren't too expensive or high-tech. They are great and fairly affordable racers - at just the right size. I havent seen anything much faster in this configuration - except out and out sports boats  . . . the Mount Gay 30 (Simonis or Dix), or Pacer 37 comes to mind, also from Simonis.

Simonis 35s operate off a RCYC PHRF Club Handicap of around 1.08 - 1.10 depending on sail configuration. Compare with a refernce boat such as the L34 - at 1.015 - itself a great performance boat - it indicates the performance nature of the Simonis 35. Having sailed against several of them - my impression is that their real strength is to windward, and with a good few pounds on the weather rail. Downwind they move as a 35' should - but upwind and round the cans they really come into their own. They seem to make their own wind in light airs, and are comfortable in windpseeds of up to about 22 knots - after that they can be quite a handful and need to be properly reefed if going upwind. Megafreight does 8 knots on jib alone when it really blows. . . .

Megafreight showing her mettle on a blustery Hout Bay day.

On a moderate budget, the Simonis 35 should be on your list of good club racers in South Africa - others might include a Farr38/40, the DiDi 34 or 38 (or 40 now), Mount Gay 30, Mumm-36, L-34, depending which class you want to be in.

Dix 43

The picture here is of Flying Cloud - a Hout Bay Resident boat. This is also the Dix 43 with which I am most familiar - although most are built in steel and a few in aluminium.


I make no apologies for the glowing references to most of the boats in this blog - nor the qualities of the designers - they are here because they are my favourites, or at least very interesting.


This boat is a brilliant cruising design. While researching for this posting - I was interested to see it is the personal choice of at least two professional builders - including also Robert Christinger (Alumar Yachts) - who makes very detailed kits for them. The designer - Dudley Dix - is also arguably the best "design to build" man in the game, with very practical and sensible designs, all based on contemporary class-leading concepts. Kits are vailable in Steel and Aluminium as far as I know - details on http://www.dixdesign.com/.


The "Dix Range" within Dudley's portfolio represent the most sensible, balanced range of cruisers you will find anywhere. The Shearwaters (modern classics oozing style), and the Hout Bays (corinthian classics), are also in fact modern designs but offer traditional styling and rigs if one prefers. The "Dix" range however is purely contemporary - they have the fewest compromises to be the "thinking man's cruiser" in my words.

If someone were to ask me to chose my ideal cruising yacht in 10 seconds this would be it from the yachts I know . . . other more informed folk have come to the same conclusion after much more thought but there you are.


The Dix range includes four versions of the Dix 43 - the original aft-cockpit version, the standard centre cockpit version, the pilothouse version, and now also an aft-cockpit version with a hard dodger and trunk-cabin. I honestly don't know which is best - or even how to argue the case for any one of them - they are all great. Centre cockpit is great on a boat this size - I have been in this one and it has all the advantages of a centre cockpit without the usual drawbacks below - but the Pilothouse would be great as well - and the aft cockpit with hard dodger might have the best of them all? (I haven't seen this one in the flesh but surely it has the potential to have the largest cabin . . .). You can build from Steel (most of them are), or Aluminium. The one in the top pic was built of ply (radiius chine) - and is extremely successful - but is not a standard offer to my knowledge.

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this is the pilot-house version

All Dudley's cruising designs have modern underbodies and moderate keels. The hulls are moderate in section and beam, but have relatively long waterline running up to the fine bow. The Dix 43 has a semi-balanced rudder well aft on a partial skeg. All the ratios are moderate and balanced, and the design makes use of all contemporary thinking to make her fast, sea-kindly, spacious and safe - without being expensive or extreme. As with most Dix designs, the engine and tankage is very central, leaving the ends nice and buoyant, with good engine access. These boats have great "open ocean cred" to coin a phrase - they are good for Cape Waters and the 40s if you like. They have powerful keels and efficient rigs, making them very able sailing upwind. These are not just boats for the Med or the Latitudes . . . all comments for the Shearwater 39's sailing ability apply here too - even more so, as it is a slightly bigger boat.

The rig is a double-spreader marconi cutter. Headsails can be configured as a true Yankee-clipper or simply a big-un and a small-un - on roller furlers depending what you doing. So its basically a simple sloop - good for perfromance in all conditions, and easy on the pocket. They are fast, comfortable, safe, and easy to handle. See stability curve for the Dix 43:

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The space inside is vast. The broad stern, generous freeboard and ample windows make it light and large without the dymamic drawbacks of todays "floating charter caravans". Both the centre cockpit version as well as the Pilot House version have extensive windows and support good views from the saloon. Layouts are conventional but larger than usual - and it certainly feels like a boat you would easily live in. Cockpit is safe and spacious.

How does it compare with the Shearwaters and the Hout Bay Range? Or the armada of mediterranean charter boats?

Well - the Hout-Bays, the Shearwaters and the Dix's have very similar hull philosophies. The differences are primarily in style and choice of rig. The Dix range makes least compromises. The Shearwaters look the best. And the Hout Bays are theoretically the simplest, cheapest, most traditional, and maybe the most spacious . . . although a bit slower, but not too much . . . The "med boats" now also have leading designers, factory finishes, good accommodation, but they still aren't tough enough for around here, and don't sail quite as well as they should. Even their tying up cleats are woefully inadequate for Hout Bay (I have personal experience of these). Certainly they lack soul, and bullet-proof is a term I wouldn't put  in the same sentence. I'd take a Dix 43 over one of them any day at all . . . .

Does a Dix 43 have any drawbacks? None that come to mind if you want a cruiser with great performance and safety. Its not a buoy-racer -  but if you entered the Cape to Rio you'd be right up with the front-runners and likely win the cruising division. Sailing back you might get back first . . . and still be dry. . . my only gripe is the one I want is listed beyond my budget . . . !

Another very interesting design on the same philosophy is the Dix 38.

See http://www.dixdesign.com/dix43.htm for Dudley's website info on this design.

Pelican 42

One of the most interesting boats in Hout Bay Marina is the Pelican 42 "Domicella".  Everytime I walk past this boat she preoccupies my mind for another 20 minutes or so.

Besides her beautiful lines, she has a two-masted unstayed rig, and she is a Lavranos design - which raises the interest factor considerably! Enigmatic, beautiful and well pedigreed! Also quite different. She oozes street-cred as a cruiser and a classic, and clearly will be interesting to sail. So what's she all about?

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Thanks to Roy McBride for this pic, taken recently at the closing cruise of Hout Bay yacht Club.

See more on this boat at ckdboats.blogspot.com

Well it turns out that Domicella is a cold-moulded wooden boat, of a design called the "Pelican 42". She was conceived by Bruce Hancocks and Colin Lawrence, both veteran cruisers, who combined their minds to create "The Ultimate Cruiser", in a quest for simplicity, practicality in a "less is more" concept. They chose the great Angelo Lavranos to design her - very skilled in all aspects of yacht design, but specifically for his experience in unstayed masts at that time, in 1982.

Any discussion about the Pelican 42 must start with the rig.

I never met Hancocks or Lawrence - but suspect their fascination of simple cat-rigged unstayed masts was probably inspired by the Freedom 40 ketches of the 70s, perhaps with a nod to the simplicity of cat-rigs and junk-rigs. The presumption is that a two-masted ketch using unstayed masts is the ultimate cruising rig. It is very easy to handle (self-tacking), cheap to build and maintain, great performance in trade wind sailing (moderate speed for winds not on the nose), and leaves the boat uncluttered with stays etc. Sails do not have to be stowed below decks, and sail changes are not required. This was at a time when roller-reefing headsails were not readily available. IMS or IRC rules were harshly banished in this concept - which is corinthian, traditonal, practical, and perhaps a touch romantic.

Hancocks and Lawrence wanted a beamy boat that could carry good cruising loads of water, fuel and stores. However these requirements are somewhat at odds with a "cantilevered rig" which can't easily deliver the power needed to drive a heavy boat. Lavranos therefore aimed for an easily driven hull, slender and not too heavy, able to be driven by this rig. The result is a beautiful hull, with loads of space, and great classic lines. They also wanted a generous centre-cockpit, which Domicella has, but subsequent builds had an aft-cockpit and GRP hulls. I notice Domicella has conventional booms rather than the spars common on cat-rigs, of which I have no personal experience. I guess this makes reefing a bit easier, and being symmetrical, avoids the problem on one tack of the spar against the sail. The other option would be a wishbone, but again I don't know how reefing works with a wishbone. The conventional booms seem fine to me. Other requirements included a simple transom-hung rudder, which is effective and simple to maintain/repair, and to fit self-steering to. The interior can be customised in many ways.

So what are the pros and cons of "The Freedom Rig" as it's popularly known?

Well rig theory is never a simple discussion - it can be debated forever. However there are some general points worth mentioning in a comparison with a coventional stayed "Marconi Rig", which designers have now almost universally gravitated to in recent times. I should mention at this point that Lavranos offers a conventional sloop rig as an option too.

Two unstayed masts:

Pros

- Simple and Cheap

- Very easily handled (self-tacking, no (or limited) winches required)

- Clean decks

- Sails not stored below decks (in fairness this doesnt apply much anymore as roller furling headsails are possible on sloop rigs)

- Low maintenance and no chafing on stays

- Interesting traditional looks

- Small sail wardrobe

Cons

- Not very efficient on close hauled tacks (limited slot effect, and bendy masts)

- Max height of rig is less than equivalent Marconi Rig, so not great in light airs where the "topsail effect" is useful

- Storm reefing not ideal, though not bad by all accounts. The mains reef very deeply.

- Fore-mast presents unwelcome weight on the bow, but not as bad as say 100m of heavy chain!

- Two masts present more weight aloft than a single stayed mast, compromising performance to windward

- Spinnaker or Gennaker not possible for light airs downwind sailing

Marconi/Sloop Rig

Pros

- Lower weight aloft - Stayed rigs have great power/weight

- Mast is high above water for light wind "topsail effect"

- Cutter rig / roller furling is very versatile and easily handled too

- Allows versatile and efficient sailplans

- Strong windward performance

- Strong Downwind performance with various kinds of 'chutes

Cons

- Generally quite expensive rigs with large primary winches etc

- Chafing of sails on standing rigging

- Tacking can be a bit of work, especially on a cutter

Verdict?

For purely trade wind or tropical cruising, this rig offers a lot. It offers so much for so little, even if you may need to carry some extra diesel for really light conditions. Its not the kind of rig I would chose to sail back to Cape Town from Rio however. It should excell in moderate winds and especially when reaching. But if you want to "really sail", get a sloop, cutter or not, they will reward your effort and have more flexible sail-plans for all conditions.

Either way, the Pelican 42 is a great cruiser. It has a very moderate hull with some clear considerations for performance, moderate keel, transom-hung skeg rudder. It won't have any vices, and should offer a good level of seakindliness with suprising performance. I like the centre cockpit version personally, but the aft cockpit version will have huge accommodations - though I haven't seen one. Domicella, of Hout Bay, has a suprising turn of speed off the wind. Lavranos has blended some quite modern light-displacement thinking into this design, and come up with great looks, fair performance, and elegant simplicity into this one!

Definitely on my list of great cruisers, and a fantastic single-hander! I would opt for two carbon masts these days, and a decent engine. That way you will have a very comfortable, elegant cruising yacht with good sailing ability, and a motor sailer to boot. . . Inexpensive and a good effort/reward ratio.

Build this boat?

Roy can offer the materials and bulkheads precut which would make it much easier, also a Birdsmouth Mast Plan with Carbon Sock over it - strong and inexpensive. Cold-moulding is not the easiest thing, but with some reading and a bit of practise is not too difficult, besides the workload. She will also need extensive fairing. At 42' she is on the large side for a home build but is certainly not uncommon - Roys own (homebuilt) boat is 43'. The corinthian nature of the rig and general fittings (lack of) means you wouldn't be buying much, or even fitting much. Just need to get the labour sorted for the cold-moulding . . .

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Moderate keel with rudder well aft makes for responsive handling, but also good tracking.

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Cat Rigged ketch Option. Note the two angled reefing points, and almost complete absence of lines!

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Two unstayed masts with conventional booms, lazy jacks, fully battened sails with fairly full roaches. Unlike the cat rig, this option has kickers to keep the sail tensioned, but presents a fuller sail than the cat-rig, and the slot should work better too. Lazy jacks a plus . . .

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All credit to both Roy McBride and Andgelo Lavranos for making all this material available!

L34

L34 "Sensation" skippered here in 2006 Admirals Regatta in Hout Bay. She won the event comfortably and took the sword in 2005 (Mark Sadler) and 2006 (Andrea Giovani) if memory serves . . .

L34s have always intrigued me. Most yachts are easy to pigeonhole as cruisers, racers, small or large, comfortable or fast, but seldom all of the above. A number of 34 footers seem to have it all - perfect all rounders. In SA we have the L34, the Stadt 34 and the Didi 34 (already reviewed). At 34' a yacht can have generous accommodations without compromising its performance, be capable of ocean passages, and quite comfortable all at once. They are a good choice for offshore racing, round the cans racing, and easily converted to performance cruisers - enter the Holiday 34 (tailored slightly for cruising). Additionally, in South Africa, they have a large and active class association, and are by far the biggest class in this size in South Africa.

As far as I know the L34 class was conceived and driven by Dave Cox - also responsible for the L26 and obviously with a very clear view of what South African yachtsmen were looking for! I don't know the history, but between him and Angelo Lavranos (the designer) they came up with the L34, and most were built by Roberston Yachts in Cape Town. And very well built by all accounts. Designed as production boats from the start, they made a great one-design class, affordable for serious offshore racing, with just the right balance of performance, safety, comfort and handling.

The design is what I would call "modern-moderate" in all respects, with swept fin-keels, spade rudders, flattish underbodies, average beam (10'10"), average Displacement/Length ratios, and conventional fractional sloop rigs. Tillers are found on the L34, whilst the Holiday 34s seem to have wheels. At 4300 kgs they are light for their size but not super-light. Draft at 1.8m includes a fairly deep and powerful keel. They do very well in the blustery Cape waters, and are considered very safe.

Hout Bay Yacht Club has had several L34s based here over time, and we have had many racing here in our Admiral's Regatta. The picture above is of "Sensation", a very well known and well-campaigned example which has an amazing race record. I have seen it sailed in two Admiral's Regattas in Hout Bay - skippered by no less than Mark Sadler one year, and Andrea Giovani the next - in both cases it won the event . . .

Probably the best testament I have heard for the L34s comes from an old sea-salt yachtmaster we had living here, who was also a sailing instructor (L34s are very popular training yachts as well). As a veteran cruiser, his preference was for long-keel ketches loaded with salty gear - safety, seakindliness, strength, anchors, drogues etc etc etc -  but he did concede the L34s were as good a boat he had ever sailed for storm conditions and was also full of praise for the build quality. They routinely pop into Hout Bay from Cape Town and Langebaan in all kinds of conditions, no problems I have seen!  Unlike some of the big-name tupperwares . . .

The rig,  lines, deck layout, and interior layout are all very conventional and functional. No suprises anywhere. The execution is clean and efficient, and you simply don't want to change anything at all. Interior is very spacious and functional. The engine is mounted under the stairway, but easily accessible from a removable cover. Galley, chart table, saloon, heads and fore-cabin all very adequate and useable.

L34s tend to be well maintained and have aged very well. They hold their value and are generally priced around ZAR 450-500k in good condition (2011). They are a rare combination of great design, build quality, and a well conceived format. As a matter of interest the L34s are often seleted as the reference boat for PHRF handicapping, being the scratch boat at 1.000.

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The Holiday 34 was the cruising version - with some minor changes including a more fully fitted interior, a slightly shallower wing-keel, and a steering wheel helm. I don't think the rig was reduced but if so it isn't noticeable. HBYC has a great example on the moorings - its a fine looking boat and just makes you want to go sailing!

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The 10m Solar cruiser appears to be an updated L34, again commissioned by Dave Cox. It is designed as a wooden build, with a fair bit of extra performance. Remarkably similar to the Didi 34 in my view, these designs have little left to argue over  . . .

Shearwater 39

Sheer Tenacity on an early test cruise outside Hout Bay.

Photo taken with a cellphone, but its one of my favourites!

The ultimate cruiser should have a (1) traditional soul and good looks, (2) easily handled, (3) comfortable at sea, (4) safe as a house, (5) great to live in (6) affordable (7) fast! - not necessarily in that order. My definition of course, but if you agree then the Shearwater 39 is one of the best examples around. The example I am most familiar with is Rod and Mary's "Sheer Tenacity" - now cruising very happily in the Caribbean (http://svsheertenacity.blogspot.com/). Rod and Mary are great folks and members of Hout Bay Bay Yacht Club, and the story behind the boat and its name is quite interesting, I'll tag it below as an add-on for those interested.

Hout Bay Yacht Club has had several Shearwater 39's around, and almost all our old salts have done time on them, including of course Dudley Dix, the designer. Another notable one is "Ukulele Lady", which belonged to our illustrious singer and radio personality Nick Taylor, another member of the club, and which saw an interesting party off to Rio just a few years ago. There's also Chris Hull's Sea Lion, and of course Peter Muziks's Shoestring, all well known to us, besides many others I don't recall the names of. The original one however, was conceived and commissioned by Gerfried Nebe (our local celebrity boat builder, who built his in wood). As I remember - Gerfried - who had done some extensive cruising in a Miura - wanted something bigger and faster, but not losing any of the great qualities of the Miura (see earlier post). Dudley Dix was automatically selected for this important job - our resident designer guru! - and came up with the Shearwater 39.

How does she match the definition I posted as the ultimate cruiser?

Traditional Soul and Good looks!

Sailboat Cruising is undoubtedly a romantic pursuit! Spice islands, parties abroad, storms, adventure and sheer bliss in the warm climes. Why do this in a slab-sided boat, or a tupperware for that matter?  

Traditional cabin top, portholes, wooden trim, butterfly hatches, bowsprit and cutter rig! Shearwaters are popular wherever they go, and amazingly people treat you better when you have a good looking traditional looking boat!

Easily handled

The Shearwater 39 has a cutter rig (sloop cutter) - a proper cutter rig, which not only looks good - it makes the sails smaller and easy to handle. This also reduces the loads on the winches and rig, making her safer and stronger, with great options for reduced sail in storm conditions. The moderate keel and skeg-hung rudder make her quite responsive and manouevrable, and the flat deck surfaces are easy to move on. The moderate beam and and moderate keel (with rudder well aft) make sure she will track well too. With the usual amenities of a stack pack, roller furlers, and an autohelm, she is easily shorthanded by a cruising couple. A cruising asymmetrical on a furler or with a snuffer is normal.

Comfortable at Sea

Fine clipper bow, moderate wineglass sections, moderate displacement/length, good flare in the bows, excellent weight distribution  - you don't get really much better in a cruising hull. Add the deep aft cockpit - the only other parameter that can increase comfort is size, but at 39' and > 9 tons you are already rubbing shoulders with the big guys. Shearwaters tend to be reassuringly stiff and stay reasonably level, good qualities for passagemaking. Its the sort of boat one would agree to sail "back from Rio" as I have heard more than once in the bar.

Safe as a House

Let's not forget the Skipper and the Builder have equal responsibilities in the safety department. But design-wise - you need a  boat with a good stability curve, a fair bit of overall mass ideally, a safe cockpit, manageable rig, and decent steering. Additionally, good buoyancy in the ends, and a secure galley station. Tick them all.

Great to Live in

The Shearwater has a cavernous interior - really big for a 39-er. The layout is conventional and simple, with the usual Dix idea of having the engine under the galley counter. In a 39' boat this works very well for many reasons (engine acess, weight distribution, prop-shaft angle, secure galley area), while not intruding in any way. The cockpit is economical in size for a 39-er, but ideal for its intended purpose as a passagemaker, and a liveaboard boat, where one wants to optimise the sailing aspect and accommodations below. It places everything at the hand of the skipper, and is ideal for singlehanding. It is more than adequate for a small party in harbour (been to several!). The Shearwater was originally designed to have a tiller - and I guess thats what I'd have - but nearly all now have wheels. The tiller folds away in harbour, is trouble free and simple, and looks good, while the wheel takes less strength to handle, and appears to be expected now in boats this size . . .?

Affordable

I guess this is relative! However the Shearwater makes use of simple materials, low rig stresses, smaller winches, transom rudder etc. It offers the accommodation of a much larger boat, due to the cabin roof and cockpit shape. The traditional looks make it very attractive without resorting to high-tech adornments like carbon wheels and fancy rigs - they are essentially semi-corinthian but look like an art classic! Best of all - Shearwaters hold their value very well and are treasured by cruisers all over the world. (The Shearwater brand is famous for the Shearwater 45, which received  "Best Traditional Voyager" and "Best Cruising Boat" in the Cruising World Boat of the Year 2001 Awards.

Fast

The traditional topsides hide a very advanced underbody, and the rig and keel are very powerful, on all points of sail. So the Shearwater goes much faster than it looks. It even goes faster than fast-looking boats sometimes. Peter Muzik on Shoestring did a blistering time (10 days) to St Helena a few years ago - in the Governor's Cup race.  Dudley explains this better in his own commentary, but my experience is identical - pacing Sheer Tenacity with a DiDi 34, I was very suprised how she moved, and with the comfort and dignity of a battleship. The "enigma" of the Shearwater is shown in the picture below. The fine wavepiercing bow has quite a deep foot, giving her waterline length in front, while the flat run to the traditional oval shaped transom is more than a bit sporty, particularly if she's heeling a bit . . . . " See http://svsheertenacity.blogspot.com/2009/01/ideal-cruising-boat.html for more commentary on their perfromance.

note also the simple semi-balanced transom rudder on that traditional stern - it really "looks the business"

Shearwaters have any vices? Are they perfect?

This is what I asked Rod Turner Smith after about two years of ownership and one year of cruising, mostly passagemaking.

Rod had this to say: "Justin, a lot earlier in our travels, you asked if I felt that the Shearwater was the ideal cruising boat. We have now done just over 4000nm in "Sheer Tenacity" since we left Cape Town last month, and have had time to assess her performance , and time to learn how best to trim and sail her. The answer is unequivocally YES!! She is an absolute joy, and a real passage maker! Not only is she good on all points of sail, but she is naturally fast, spacious, and better ventilated than any other boat I know. She is also a real "looker", and commented upon wherever you go! A great combination of classical elegance, and efficient yacht design. Her reputation preceeds her, and people from all over the world recognise them, and respect them. Gerfied and Dudley certainly hit the jackpot with this boat, and I cannot believe that only about 25 of each size were built, and.. that we are lucky enough to own one!

So Rod seems more than happy! Having said all that - each boat is designed for a specific purpose, and all are compromises. The Shearwater is the sort of bluewater cruiser you would buy if you want to go places and really sail, including the Southern Ocean if necessary. If you specifically need shoal-draft, or a large enclosed centre cockpit for very cold climes, or a floating caravan, etc you may want to look a bit more widely. But if the Shearwater meets your needs - look no further!

See http://www.boatus.com/cruising/ithaka/specs.asp for another amazing account of "Ithaka", owned and sailed by Bernadette Bernon, the editor-in-chief of Cruising World for over ten years. When she picked a boat for her own cruising - it was the Shearwater 39. They voted it "Boat of the Year" in 2001 I think.

See http://www.dixdesign.com/sh39.htm for the Dudley's comments and the technical detail.

There is more on his blog at http://dudleydix.blogspot.com/2010/04/our-shearwater-designs-39.html

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The story behind Sheer Tenacity, as I observed it, anyway:

Rod and Mary, originally from JHB where they were enthusiastic outdoor lovers and 4x4 enthusiasts, moved to Hout Bay a few years ago to escape the rat race etc etc. In no time at all, they had bought a Miura (4x4 of the sea), called Tenacity (mentioned earlier in this blog), and practically rebuilt her - including a full osmosis treatment done at home, and basically everything new. Rod - never one for half measures - received a terminal dose of the sailing bug - and simultaneously bought a large old Roberts boat (about 53' if memory serves) - called "Gambula" or similar, with the goal of doing some extended cruising. Gambula came with loads of good kit - mast, rig, engines etc, and Rod moved her up to their house in Meadows (across the road from the Nebes in fact). Then he started working on her. I guess it was quite fortunate that it happened right in the first few days - he fell through the rotten hull near the stern! One can only imagine the suprise and emotion that this must cause - I don't have the words for this kind of thing. At least not printable ones. A "chainsaw party" followed and that was it for Gambula. Anyway, never being one to lay down and give up, Rod and Mary took a quick decision to sell their beloved rebuilt Miura (yes I know), and buy the last new Shearwater mould from Achesons yard. Again this was a bit testing because the yard was being liquidated and they had to move it out p.d.q. at one point. Then came a long and arduous job of fitting it out - Rod worked fulltime for about a year and a bit to do this, moving much of the kit over from Gambula, which was still perfect. The woordwork and standard of finishing was damm good if I may say, and the rigging, fitting and electrics all top class. Eventually she was launched and Rod and Mary sold their (rather lovely) house and moved in to her in Hout Bay, taking a year or so to get everything sorted before going cruising. She is not called Sheer Tenacity for nothing! - and remains an inspiration on how to convert adversity to advantage! Read their blog!

Sonnet Sailing Dinghy

I have been motivated to do a review on the Sonnet for a number of reasons - (1) a new CNC kit is about to be launched (CKD Boats) (2) the Sonnet Sailing Association has a whole new breath of life and energy (3) Sonnets (along with Dabchicks and Tempos), are the brainchildren of a great dinghy designer, the late Jack Koper, an ex-Capetonian, and (4) I have personally built and owned two Dabchicks and one Sonnet (S269 - which I still own). Very close to home then!

It was these boats, built in 1965-73, that got me hooked on Sailing and Boating, and for which I owe my Dad a whole bunch - we learned carpentry and sailing at the same time back in those years. Dabchicks probably account for more accomplished sailors in SA than any other class to date I reckon!

Right-click for full-size - the current Sonnet Sailing Poster

The Sonnet was designed in the early 70s - about 1971 as I recall. Jack designed the Dabchick first, the Tempo second, and the Sonnet 3rd as an in-between. Along wth the Dabby, it has become the most enduring design - and its a great credit to these designs that they live on after so many popoluar dinghies of that day have faded away. Sadly, the huge dinghy fleets of the 60s and 70s of Sharpies, Finns, Fireballs, Flying Dutchmen, Enterprises, Spearheads, Sprogs the odd Flying Fifteen etc - all gave way to Hobies, Lasers, Oppies, 09ers etc. Of the old-timers, Sonnets, Dabbies and Extras appear to survived best, and certainly in the Cape the Sonnet remains a very popular and active class. Its not an Olympic Class, but a great local class to put your hat in!

What makes the Sonnet so popular?

As a scow dinghy, it is flat, wide, stable and planes very easily. The beam makes it easy to get the ballast out wide, and the boat is easy to control and very forgiving. Ideal for strong wind, when dinghy sailing is most fun. Further, they are easy to handle (simple rig) - ideal trainers, but also very rewarding to experienced sailors in strong wind. A Sonnet in 25 knots on a broad reach is a truly unbeatable experience. I can't tell you the speed (before GPS) - but I can tell you the water jet that sprayed up through the centreboard casing flew clean over the transom, and only a small piece of boat would touch the water. Whilst many other dinghies compete well with them in lesser winds, the ultimate sense of speed belongs to the Sonnet! Well, to be fair - credit also to the Dabby (if you are small), the Tempo and Fireball (if you are a pro, and have a pro-crew as well). The Sonnet however, is the most acessible - easiest to build and own, and is also a great boat for single-handing. If you really want to learn to sail, learn to sail a monohull dinghy first. Its also the best way to learn single-handing - and the Sonnet would be the recommened boat every time, if you ask me.

Historically, most Sonnets were homebuilt - from Jack Koper's detailed plans (hand drawn) - using marine ply, meranti, and decent glue. It was inexpensive, not too difficult, but quite time consuming. No problem with this - but these days many people dont have the time or space to build there own boats from scratch - though I can vouch this is as rewarding as the sailing itself. In more recent times, Steven du Toit in Zeekoevlei has built a good few dozen Sonnets (very) professionally, and word now is that he is busy with a GRP version. However - professionally built boats are not exactly cheap! Don't ask me today - but I have seen pro-dinghies from R30-50k and some people say more . . . 

Do Sonnets have any drawbacks?

They don't point as well as pointy-boats in light winds. That said, they aren't bad, and still cover the course faster than many equivalents. Plus, pointing high in light winds hardly compares with the adrenalin of a planing broad-reach! They aren't Olympic classes, they also aren't high-tech - but they are inexpensive, ideal club boats, and very rewarding.

Competition for Sonnets?

In South Africa, Sonnets Rule! At least in this class. Internationally, and for those seeking a modern high-performance kit boat, see also Dudley Dix's Paper Jet 14. See http://www.ckboats.com/, and http://www.dixdesign.com/.

Vital Statistics

• Length Overall 4375 mm (about 14'3")
• Beam 1525 mm (5')
• Dry Weight of Hull only not < 75 Kgs
• Mast length not > 5600 mm

Credits to the Sonnet Sailing Association for photos. For more info please see www.sonnetsailing.co.za.

My own Sonnet before FBYC longhaul earlier in 2010

Caribbea 30

If there ever was a competition to see how much one could get into a small boat this one must be a very strong contender! Besides its classic good looks and all-round sailing ability, its most outstanding feature is the very spacious accommodation it offers - more like a 34 footer inside. Designed by Dudley Dix, it remains one of his favourite designs. Quite a number were built in South Africa (25+), by Nebe in Hout Bay (as usual), making it another great local!

The design was originally commisioned by Imberhorne (owned by the Chaplin family ex HBYC in fact). They commisioned sketches from C&C and Dudley Dix and settled on Dudley's proposal - and so this went on to become Dudley's first production boat. Later Nebe took over the moulds.

The Caribbea is a fairly light, fast and nimble vessel, with decent performance on all points of sail, but excels downwind and has recorded amazing daily runs of 150+, including one of 178 in the trades between Cape Town and the Caribbean. The pictures shown are of the yacht G-String, which I understand was circumnavigating until recently - at any rate it happens to be for sale as far as I can see - on www.littleships.com - if you fancy a great budget cruiser in good condition in St Maarten . . .

We used to have a really nice Caribbea at HBYC and several times I sailed alongside it in Hout Bay. It really is a simple, elegant boat, dead easy to sail, and moves very well. RCYC Club Handicap is about 0.90 (bearing in mind limited racing data, and usually cruising spec) which is a very respectable number.

Left-click to see large picture

In this design, Dudley has run the cockpit right back to the transom for extra space in both cabin and cockpit. The engine is sited aft under the cockpit sole, and uses a saildrive, leaving the cabin completely unobstructed, which is a priority in a smallish boat. Rudder is skeg-hung over the transom, while the keel is moderate - allowing a good combination of responsiveness, manouverability and tracking ability. Draft varies with the keel options (there are four) - this one is about 1.5m.

The rig is a conventional masthead sloop, easily managed mainsail, great cruising rig. Displacement is 3376 kgs (Disp/Length of 191) which is fairly light - but also quite average with many modern boats - Benetaus have much the same numbers, a DiDi 34 is around 135, and a Shearwater 39 weighs in at 235.

The relatively high coachroof and freeboard give her loads of cabin space - more than full standing headroom - I would guess about 6'2" or so - whilst giving her a very respectable stability curve with AVS > 140 deg.

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The cockpit is generous, deep, safe and simple. Tiller lifts clear. Two nice positioned primary self-tailers for the headsail and a traveller for the main - all reachable and manageable by one person - single-handers dream!

The interior is the part that really impresses - see pics of G-String, from http://www.littleships.com/:

Overall - this is a very likeable boat! What radio hams would call "a keeper". For the investment, you can do a lot with a boat like this, and never regret owning one. It's a performance cruiser rather than a racer, but will also give much fun in club races. An ideal couple-cruiser too, and perfect for the Med, the Caribbean, and the ICW, but capable of sailing in the rough stuff as well, or crossing the ditch.

Morgan 31

The Morgan 31 is another of SA's much loved boats - this one could be billed as a pocket cruiser, though its actually much more than that. It really is a "proper blue water cruiser" capable in just about any conditions. She has great accommodations for her size, including a full heads and shower and a very spacious saloon and chart table. The cockpit stretches right back to the transom (no aft lazarette) allowing large space in the cockpit and cabin. The two examples I have been in both had the feeling of little ships, and in my view are really serious contenders for couple-cruisers. They really "look the business"!

The Morgan 31 was designed by Angelo Lavranos - around 1970 - while Angelo was working for Angus-Primrose in the UK - making it the oldest of these three designs. Looking at the underbody - I wondered whether it was a modern interpretation Contessa-32, but Angelo tells me it was designed specifically as a blue-water cruiser, inspired from the well known North Atlantic 29, but making use of modern materials (GRP) and rig (Bermudan Sloop). I suspect the cabin is far bigger too.

Chris Bonnet used Morgan-31s for years for offshore sail training, and students still rave about them - for being safe, capable, forgiving and comfortable. They are good passagemakers and have more speed than one would expect. While the long keel allows them to track extremely well, the counterside is that the helm is not very responsive compared with fin-keel designs. Manouevering in tight spaces is not their strong point - but if you want a boat that will go straight for days on end, with very little help from the autopilot, this is it! The long keel (and shallow draft) are also great if you want to splash about in the shallows of the Chesapeake for example, and you wont be catching ropes on the rudder or the prop. For a small, safe, comfortable, traditional, spacious cruiser, its hard to argue with this design. Not for round-the-cans though - she is a purpose-built cruiser.

The rig is a masthead sloop, with dominant genoa. This is a great cruising rig - dominant headsails drag the boat forward (rather than push it from behind) and keep the boat tracking well, keeping centre of effort (heeling) forces low (compared with the mainsail),  whilst being easy to furl on roller furlers, and easy to reduce sail in extreme conditions. Often its quite ok to sail under genoa alone. Simple to handle.

The engine is placed under the stairs and out of the way, whilst driving an almost horizontal propshaft.

The ends are quite narrow, and the mid-section is a traditional wine-glass profile, making for a very comfortable ride - obviously at the expense of a quite large wetted area and the complete inability to plane. However these attributes won't matter at all for the design envelope this boat is intended for, and certainly benefit her purpose as a cruiser.

Morgans were built originally by Morgan Mosenthal (in Durban I think), and very solidly built at that - I saw a 5cm plug of GRP cut out of Pato (Hout Bay) for the echo-sounder! This particular boat had no osmosis after some 35 years . . . Morgan 31s are still generally in very good shape and well worth a look if you want a budget, safe, comfortable cruiser for two . . . . 

 I remember reading recently that a new party/company in Durban had acquired the moulds and were about to build some more.

Overall, a throughbred blue-water cruiser with good space, safety and comfort, ideal for a cruising couple on a budget, or for those who know they simply don't need more!

Some history - note the prices!!! (left-click for full size)

DiDi 34

DiDi 34 "Nandi" on launch day. Note the powerful keel (to match the rig), the deep rudder, long waterline, fine bow and clean lines of the hull. The high freeboard makes a dry boat with generous cabin volume, while allowing an exceptional reserve stability (AVS 140+ !!). Nandi was built singlehandedly by Nick Fairley over two years, working in spare time.

Nandi sailing out of Hout Bay for Cape Town in fresh winds during one of the early club rallies. She was often sailed double handed by Nick (owner/builder), and myself.

Tall, uncomplicated rig and nice clean lines

 Nandi pacing a Farr 38/40 under Chapmans Peak. Note the single transom-hung rudder remains fully immersed even during a fair angle of heel.

cruising back from Vulcan!

Of all the boats we are likely to cover in this blog, the DiDi 34 is clearly one of the best overall designs I am aware of. I have been involved with this particular boat since day 1 - "Nandi" was built by my great friend Nick Fairley. I have also sailed it many times and in many conditions, and witnessed the construction from start to end.

DiDi 34 is one of Dudley Dix's DiDi range of performance keelboats designed for radius ply construction. They are fantastic all-rounders with impressive performance, cabin space, safety, good handling, and great looks. Equally impressive is that the designs are simple, strong, use no fancy materials or parts, and are actually designed for home/kit construction. The design-to-build element is actually quite a touch of genius, and the kits are very well designed and accurately cut.

How does Dudley achieve all this, and what makes these boats so unique? No doubt Dudley could explain this all a lot better than I can, but the elements that have impressed me include:

1. Powerful rig and keel, combined with fairly hard bilges, give these boats lots of power whilst remaining suitably light. The Didi 34 displaces about 4T, of which a full 2T is lowdown in the (bulb) keel. The beam justifies a fair bit of height in the freeboard and coachroof, which also adds cabin room, whilst achieving a class leading stability profile. See diagrams below:

2. Dynamically, the DiDi 34 also excels. The deep fin keel, combined with a deep transom-hung rudder gives it sharp response on the tiller. The hull profile is sufficiently rounded to keep the rudder immersed at all times. The hull shape makes fair allowance for comfort and seakindliness without giving much away in terms of waterline length and planing ability, and she makes a good offshore racer or cruiser. Notable in many Dix designs is the station of the engine - usually just aft of the keel, forming a useful galley counter and enclosure. This allows maximum buoyancy in the bow and stern, whilst keeping the engine very low as well. Similarly, the fuel tank is situated right over the keel, in an epoxied wooden tank, which doubles as a saloon table. This all helps to keep the weight low down and midships, benefiting power, seaworthiness, and her light, simple and cheap . . . Accommodations remain very practical. Diagram below:

3. Build Philosophy - possibly the thing that appeals to me most is the approach of avoiding expensive materials and complex rigs. Carbon fibre is not required anywhere. A simple 2-spreader standard-section mast is used. Single tensionable backstay. Tiller steering, plywood rudder. Marine ply hull and bulkheads with radius chines. Lots of glue and epoxy, but GRP overlays not required (wood is stronger and does not require fairing like GRP). Fuel tank made of epoxied wood - its perfect. Savings in cost and weight, no rust to worry about, easily bonded to hull. Wood as a building material - modern marine ply, correctly used and epoxied, is in fact as good as a high-tech building material, with amazing strength ratios. It does not suffer rot, rust or osmosis if properly epoxied. It feels good, great to work with and repair, and has good insulation as a bonus. Rig design does not make use of highly stressed chainpates or stays, and the dominant mainsail leaves moderate loads on the headsail and winches.

How does she sail?

DiDi 34 is best on longish offshore courses. I have seen her outrun a well-known Simonis 35 on one occasion over a leg of about 15 miles from Cape Town to Hout Bay, and hold a very hot professionally crewed, very high-tech L34 for an equal distance in False Bay 9bearing in mind that Nandi was being sailed with plain club sails, a #2  roller furling headsail, and shorthanded. 7.5-8.5 knots is common in moderate conditions. Round the cans, she needs weight on the weather rail, but is easily handled with a crew of just two in the cockpit. Single-handing would be a bit more challenging on short courses, but quite possible assuming a roller-furling headsail, tiller-pilot and stackpack on the main. She is a remarkably dry-boat in the cockpit, and gives a decent ride on a beat, with little pounding. Off the wind she is quite steady and simply flies. She keeps moving in light airs, excels at 12-15 knots, wants 1st reef at about 20. Sails quite well under jib alone, if desirable.

Overall, a great boat for club and offshore racing, occasional cruising, and weekend excursions. Its great all-rounder with no vices. Actually a great design to benchmark against.

Does she have any drawbacks? Not really. She's not a classical heavy long-keeled cruiser though, nor a high-tech carbon-mast 4-spreader racer, but wont be embarrased in either role, on a far lower budget. If there was a prize for value-for-money allrounder, she must own it! The thinking-man's sportsboat . . .

For detailed info on the design see http://dixdesign.com/34didi.htm

Dudley's Commentary on the DiDi 34/38 follows below:

Didi 38 

I started on this design while sailing the 1993 Cape to Rio on Nick Taylor's Shearwater 39 "Ukelele Lady". I wanted a fast and light boat that I could build myself in the 3 years between races. I sometimes suffer from seasickness, so I took great care to design a boat that would be comfortable despite being light. That meant that it had to be fairly narrow to have an easy motion.

It was to be cold moulded wood for economy and to be suitable for me to build as an amateur. It took a year before I had money to start the project but 2 years was not enough time to do it, so I had to come up with a way to speed up construction drastically. I fell back on my staple radius chine metal designs and adapted that hull form to plywood construction. Aside from speeding up the build it also pulled the material cost way down. Against dire predictions from all and sundry in the boating world and media, we were on the start line in January 1996 after starting the build in January 1994.

"Black Cat" proved to be very fast offwind and a joy to sail on all headings, with a light helm unless pressed very hard. The slippery hull and tall fractional rig make it very fast on all headings on flat water in light breezes. It is a design that like to be pushed hard rather than treated gently. In common with many modern designs, the flattish bottom forward of the mast doesn't like to be sailed upright in lumpy water, powering her up to generate heel softens her ride and makes her more weatherly.

I have sailed her through a few storms in mid-Atlantic and in extremely rough seas as only the Cape of Storms knows how to generate. She has always felt safe and solid despite having a 12mm lightweight plywood skin throughout. Of her 4000kg displacement in measurement trim, a full 50% is ballast in her deep bulb keel. This, combined with her high cabin structure, give her stability characteristics that will right her from the worst of knockdowns.

To date we have sold plans for nearly 70 boats to builders from South Africa to Siberia, USA to Vanuatu.

Didi 34 

I drew this design as an entry in the SA Yachting Design Competition in 1995. My radius chine plywood concept was not yet proven but I decided to use the same method of construction. I did not know at the time that the whole aim of the design competition was to arrive at a new GRP small cruiser/racer that the boating industry could promote together. My wooden boat was out of the running from the start but it has proven to be a really nice design. We have sold more than 40 of these to builders worldwide.

The Didi 34 is more moderate than the Didi 38, so it is a bit finer in the stern and has a bit more emphasis on cruising. The result is a boat that is capable and fast on all points of sail, with reaching being her strong point.

When designing her I also aimed at making her a more modern and more offshore capable version of the CW975 design with which I had won the Cruising World Design Competition in 1979. To that end, the interior layout is very similar and she has the same rig. I had enjoyed sailing my own CW975 "Concept Won" for many years in short-handed races and cruising single-handed, so wanted to bring her ease of handling into the Didi 34. The Didi 34 became a more all-round-capable boat, whereas the CW975 is an extremely fast boat for running/reaching but lacks a bit when beating, both of which result from her flat bottom and multi-chine hull form.

The HBYC boat "Nandi" was built by owner Nick Fairley from a kit that was supplied by Roy McBride of CKD Boats. The kit was cut using a CNC router to provide accurate components, including bulkheads and all panels of hull and deck aside from the radiused areas. I have not seen "Nandi" but from what I hear Nick built her to a good standard. She has been doing well in local racing.