Dix 43 ‘Waratah’ (2)

22 June, 2008. Blasting and prime coating of the hull.

Last week the blasting of the hull was done. Here some pictures of the blasting pot, the blasting process, and the finished hull.

Then the first coat of epoxy primer was applied. ‘Waratah’ looks very different already. Next week the inside of hull and deck are going to be blasted and prime coated, followed by the outside of the deck.

20 June, 2008. More on ‘Waratah’.

A few more pictures taken during my recent visit to South Africa.

All the cut-outs for hatches and windows are ready. A lot of time had to be spent on grinding the welds of the hull. Paper disks have to be used in order not to cut into the steel plates and reduce their strength.

I took some time to check the final position for the winches. All winches are Lewmar self tailing 2-speed winches. The ones most aft are for the main sheet (40 CST), then further forward the primary winches (54 CST) for genoa and spinnaker, then the secondary winches (46 CST) for the staysail sheets, and finally, on the second picture, the winches for halyards and reef lines (40 CST).

24 April, 2008. Internal affairs.

A few pictures of the inside of ‘Waratah’s hull. The first 3 give a view towards the stern, the last one shows the base for the mast compression post.

In the next series of pictures, the first one shows a bush made of Vesconite. Vesconite is a sort of hard nylon, and ideal for water lubricated bearings. Unlike nylon it does not swell in water, which could cause binding, and it’s resistance to wear is 10 times that of bronze. We are going to use it on ‘Waratah’ for the propeller shaft bearings, and for the rudder bearings. It’s a coincidence that Vesconite is being manufactured in Virginia, Free State, South Africa. Only a few kilometers from Welkom, where ‘Waratah’ is being built. The second picture shows the mast compression post. ‘Waratah’ will have a deck stepped mast, and the compression posts transfers the forces to the hull. The third picture shows the engine bed. Also visible in the picture are the tank tops of the fuel and water tanks. The last picture shows the sump. This is the lowest part of the bilge, and located in between the water tanks towards the bow, and the fuel tanks aft.

The next series of pictures shows the massive rudder and rudder stock. Note the square part on top of the shaft. This is where the emergency tiller will fit.

And last but not least two pictures of the engine on its foundation. It looks almost lost in this huge hull.

5 May, 2008. Navigation equipment for ‘Waratah’.

One of the things that had to be sorted out, is the choice of navigation and communication equipment. When you are building a new boat, you have the chance to select the system you want to have in one go, and select equipment that will work well together. For most of the equipment I selected Raymarine. I have sailed with their equipment before, and I liked it. In the cockpit I will have a multifunctional display unit, the C80 (a 8.4″ TFT VGA colour display), which can display charts, radar, and AIS information. Also in the cockpit I will have ST60+ wind system (analog), the ST60+ Tridata digital display for depth, speed through water, and miles logged. In addition to a magnetic steering compass, there will be the ST60+ fluxgate compass. For the GPS input of the chart plotter I will use the Raystar 125 GPS transducer. For the radar I selected the Raymarine 18″ 2kW radome. It will be mast mounted. Belowdecks at the nav station I will have the ST60+ Graphic repeater, which can display all data which are gathered. Here I will also have the Ray55E VHF radio, and the AIS receiver. The transducers for speed and depth are both of the through hull retractable type, which allows for easy cleaning and maintenance without having to haul the boat, or having to dive. Raymarine has a new product, which is a satellite weather radio. It is called Sirius50 and can be integrated with the multifunctional display. Problem is that so far it only covers the USA and part of the Caribbean. So I had to look for another solution. It will be a combined HF Weatherfax / Navtex receiver from Furuno. The information can be displayed on any PC, without having to install additional software. All the equipment will be delivered by Central Boating from Cape Town. I will purchase a hand held satellite phone (Iridium or equivalent), which I can also use ashore in remote area’s.

4 May, 2008. Hatches and more.

With the hull and deck basically completed now, we are looking into the placement of all deck equipment. The majority of what we need has been delivered by Central Boating. Wynand has made the cutouts for the hatches. All cutouts have to be made prior to blasting the hull and applying the primer. The first picture gives a view towards the bow. Through the port side hatch the anchor chain locker can be seen. There is a separation in the middle for the two anchor chains. I will use full chain for both anchors, about 80 meters of 10 mm chain each. My primary anchor will be a 25 or 30 kg Bruce or Rocna anchor. For the secondary I am thinking about a Fortress. They are light and compact in relation to their holding power, and I can use the Fortress anchor as a counter weight for the series drogue system I intend to buy. The second picture shows the cutouts for the hatches for the aft cabin, and the sail locker. The last picture shows the rudder of ‘Waratah’, which looks truly impressive. The rudder will be filled with oil, to prevent corrosion from the inside. Meanwhile I have sorted out all the navigation, and communication equipment. I will post separately about this.

28 April, 2008. The engine.

After a few weeks delay, the engine finally arrived in Welkom last week. It’s a Yanmar 4JH4AE with a ZF30M mechanical multiple plate type transmission. The 4 cylinder engine develops 54 hp (40 kW) at 3000 rpm. The gear ratio of the transmission is 2.15:1. At the front end the big bracket and double pulley is visible. Here the Balmar 24VDC, 140A, marine alternator will be fitted. This alternator will charge the 460 Ah 24VDC house bank. The other alternator at the drive end of the engine, is the 12VDC 80A alternator for the starter battery.

13 April, 2008. Transom, bulwarks, and companionway.

The transom of ‘Waratah’ is in place now. Looks great! On the deck, instead of the standard toe rail, Wynand created nice looking and sturdy bulwarks. Later cutouts will be made, to insert stainless steel guides for mooring lines and ropes, bow rollers for the anchors, and drains. The cutout for the main sliding hatch is done, and gives view into the interior, where the companionway leads down. Next step is making all the cutouts for hatches and windows.

21 March 2008. More on the cockpit construction.

The cockpit is really taking shape now. Look at the beautiful shape of the conical coaming in front of the cockpit. This is not easy to make, but the result is fantastic.