Thread: I need a new cat

G'day Harry,

I noticed on the link you posted that there were pics of one being built in Australia. Have you asked the designer to put you in touch with the builder and maybe get some further pictures?

Another one you might want to email is Mike Waller
( see Mike Waller Yacht Design - Yacht & Boat plans, multihull, Catamaran, Monohulls) who has quite a few designs in ply and probably, like most designers has more designs in his portfolio than what is on the internet.

Have you also had a look at Richard Woods designs like Sango?

Sango 25' trailable catamaran by Woods Designs

regards,

AD

Bernd Kohler contributes this forum: microcruising : Microcruising
also think he contributes to this one : ayrs : Amateur Yacht Research

You might want to correspond directly with him - he may be able to put you in touch
with other Oz builders.

A smaller boat but possibly of interest to you .. http://turtleislands.net/tmc/default.html

cheers
AJ

Hi bloggs1968 and b.o.a.t.,

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions, getting this kind of feedback was what I was hoping for.

Yes I have looked at Mike Wallers designs and quite like them, especially the 880. One reason I like the Eco 7 is the styling, it is I think rather daring and bold. It is the kind of boat that will always get a second look. I also like that the sides of the boat are curved in two planes thereby avoiding that slab sided look that a lot of ply built boats suffer from and I think that with the compound curves it would add greatly to the overall stiffness of the structure being as it were, a stressed panel. The reasonable cost of the plans and build speed are other factors that are important to me.

In regards to Richard Woods designs there too, is much to admire about his boats, were I to build one of his boats I think it would be the Wizzer as that boat just looks mean and fast.

I will be contacting Bernd Kohler again and ask him if he can put me in contact with anyone here in Aus that lives a reasonable distance from me so that I may get a feel for what they thought of their purchase of the plans and if the boat lives up to their expectations, assuming it is finished and afloat.

till next time, Harry

Like most things I do, this was totally back to front as well. I bought the plans for a ECO 7 from Kohler Design and am now looking for somewhere to build it.

I feel that soon I may become the owner of a nice new big shed.

As nearly all of the ply is required to be Gaboon for it's weight advantages and having read here or was it somewhere else that most of the Gaboon coming into Australia is from China and that only the face veneers are Gaboon and the inner veneers are anybodies guess and that the overall quality was ...ummm ..... not good .

I had mentioned in another thread on this forum that I used to buy Gaboon from Bruynzeel in Brookvale, but back then it actually was Bruynzeel Ply, made in Holland. Surprise, Bruynzeel still exists and still sell Gaboon, now it is the Nicma brand made in NZ to BS1088, someone please tell me that BS1088 in NZ still means something, unlike the stuff from China.

Harry

bloggs1968 has allegedly imported an obscene quantity of genuine Bruynzeel BS1088.
Suggest you PM him for a quote. One of the SA blokes did & found the price to be
very attractive. Can't speak for whether an NZ manufacturer would conform to BS1088.
The BS is only enforceable in UK...
cheers
AJ

Hi AJ/Harry,

Not Bruynzeel but Joubert see Joubert Group.

I believe the ply from Nicma is from China but happy to be corrected on this. If you are unsure, ask for the country of origin/manufacture.

With regards to BS1088, it is still a current Bristish Standard in two parts namely BS1088-1:2003 and BS1088-2:2003 which replaced BS1088:1966 and BS4079:1966. Part 1 deals with construction and part 2 is a test for bond quality.

My understanding is that anyone in the world can make plywood to this standard and are allowed to self certify that is it compliant. The standard states;

Marking BS 1088-1:2003 on or in relation to a product represents a manufacturer’s declaration of conformity, i.e. a claim by or
n behalf of the manufacturer that the product meets the requirements of the standard. The accuracy of the claim is solely the
aimant’s responsibility. Such a declaration is not to be confused with third-party certification of conformity.

As we have all seen, there is certainly a lot of ply stamped BS1088 which is obvioulsy not compliant so third party certification by an appropriate body such as Lloyds Register shows that the standard has been met.

You should be able to get a certificate of compliance from your supplier.

The ply we are importing carries Lloyds certification as well as a number of environmental certications ( FSC, PEFC, OLB, CARB and ULEF).

regards,

AD

It appears that I may have been wrong in thinking that Nicma Gaboon ply is made in NZ. Anyway, I have sent an email to UnZud and have asked them for country of origin and compliance info.

bloggs1968, I have sent you an email requesting further info on the Joubert ply.

One way or the other, by hook or by crook this boat will get built.
Harry