For Sale - Dix 43HD Aluminium World Cruiser

"Tana Vika" is a well-loved and proven serious cruising sailboat, custom-built from aluminium for a British couple who have cruised her extensively since launch. You won't find her name in any dictionary that translates foreign languages; they named her for two of their favourite places in the world, visited in countries very far apart while doing a back-pack circumnavigation in much younger days.

Designed and built as a go-anywhere cruiser, "Tana Vika" is the prototype of our Dix 43 HD design. She was professionally built in Czech Republic and launched in 2008, then motor-cruised through the rivers and canals of Europe to UK, where she received her rig.

"Tana Vika" sailing off Newfoundland.

Since then "Tana Vika" has cruised double-handed through the North Atlantic, Caribbean, Pacific and Northern Indian Ocean as part of her intended circumnavigation. Failing health has caused the owners to cut short their sailing before completing the circle and to put their boat on the market. She is currently in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Cruising route of "Tana Vika".

"Tana Vika" is a comfortable floating home that can take you to the Arctic or Antarctic, if tropical cruising is not your thing. She is equipped to take on the oceans of the world, and has sailed through three Force 9 gales and one Force 10 storm during her travels. The Force 10 was while crossing the Gulf Stream en-route from Chesapeake Bay to Bermuda and did considerable damage to other boats nearby, while "Tana Vika" came through unscathed.

"Tana Vika" layout. Click to enlarge.

Looking forward from companionway.

Galley, from saloon. Secure hinged aluminium companion door.

Nav station.

Heads.

Shower with folding seat & wet locker door.

Deck view.

Cockpit and dodger, with secure hinged companion door.

Cockpit with folding table.

Modern underbody with fin keel and spade rudder.

I will not list her equipment here. She is well equipped for the voyaging that she has been doing and ready to continue for her new owner. Her rig was serviced in Australia, including replacement of her standing rigging.

She is listed on my brokerage pages, asking price US$225,000. Please send me an email if you are interested in her and want more information.

Shearwater 39 - 3 Boats Seek New Owners

The Shearwater 39 is one of our designs and well-proven as a very capable cruiser. It is a boat with classic good looks but performance of a much more modern concept. Their owners love their boats for their character, handling and ability but there comes a time for any owner and their boat to part ways. That is how it is with three Shearwaters that are currently listed on our brokerage site, boats looking for new owners. All three boats were built in Cape Town, South Africa.

"Skylark II" was built from aluminium by Jacobs Brothers, a boat that has the strength to take you anywhere. She has cruised extensively, including crossing the Indian Ocean at the height of the Pirate operations that were capturing yacht crews and holding them for ransom or murdering them. Her story has been recorded in a book about her voyages. She is now in the Med and her owners need to sell urgently, fully equipped for world cruising. Her price is US$64,000.

"Skylark II"

"Pinta del Sur" was built by Nebe Boats with a moulded GRP hull and custom two-box wooden deck. She is the only cruising version with a gaff rig, this one inspired by the gaff schooner rigs of master designer, Pete Culler. She is equipped for long distance cruising but her owner has had to change his plans. She is lying on the South African west coast and is available for US$80,000.

"Pinta del Sur"

"Bagheera" was also built by Nebe Boats but in standard configuration with moulded GRP deck and Marconi cutter rig. Her owners have bought a bigger sister, Shearwater 45, and need to sell the smaller boat. She is lying on Chesapeake Bay and available for US$129,000.

"Bagheera"

If one of these boats interests you, please contact me by email.

To see more about this and our other designs, go to our main website or our mobile website.

Didi Mini for Sale

The Didi Mini "Livesey" is being offered for sale. She was professionally built in Russia and is currently berthed in Turkey. She is being offered for 20,000 Euro, which is way below her replacement price with equipment.

"Livesey", a Didi Mini outfitted for cruising.

"Livesey" is rigged out as a fast little cruiser, built with 9mm hull skin instead of the standard 6mm and with large double forward berth and quarter berths to comfortably sleep four. Unfortunately I don't have any interior photos.

"Livesey" out of the water. Fast planing underbody.

She is well-equipped, with racing and cruising mainsails, gennaker, asymmetrical, code 0, jib, storm jib and storm trysail. Other equipment includes Icom radio, Raymarine autopilot, instruments and GPS, solar battery charger, 6hp Mercury outboard, 4-man liferaft and an inflatable kayak.

"Livesey" deck view.

"Livesey" view from the masthead.

"Livesey" side view.

"Livesey" is the Mk1 version of the Didi Mini design, with the step-down aft deck. She is well-found and suitable for long distance cruising for those who want a compact little boat that will give fast passages. An owner cruising a similar boat in the North Atlantic reports that he can sail as fast as the bigger boats cruising the same route that are motoring because there is not enough wind for them to sail effectively.

If she interests you, please contact me by email, then I will put you in contact with the seller.

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

Opportunity to Own an Aluminium Shearwater 39

Looking for a classically-styled cruiser that has the robust strength that will allow you to sail anywhere in the world that your cruising thoughts might take you? An aluminium Shearwater 39 might fit your bill nicely. It has the ability to bounce back from altercations with rocks, coral, ice or logs as can only come from a metal boat.

We can navigate our way around solid bits if they have a precisely known location but when they are not where the charts show them they can eat most boats. Heavy flotsam that drifts right at the surface can be anywhere on the ocean, lying in wait for boats at night when even the most vigilant watch won't spot them.

"Skylark II" in idyllic setting in the Pacific.

An aluminium Shearwater 39 has come available, one that appears to be well-worth the asking price. She is "Skylark II", the very first Shearwater 39 that started construction. Her first owner was to have the first GRP boat out of the moulds but production delays led to him commissioning the aluminium version, which was built for him by Jacobs Brothers in Cape Town.

"Skylark II" is fully equipped for world-cruising. Her first owner sailed her from South Africa to New Zealand via the Caribbean and Panama. Her current owners have cruised the North and South Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Red Sea and much of the Med. Their transit through the pirate-controlled waters of the Indian Ocean was particularly scary and is recounted in the book "A Harrowing Journey : Sailing into Danger".

"Skylark II"

Now they feel that they have achieved everything that they wanted to when they bought "Skylark II" and need to get back home. They have her priced for a quick sale, which makes her really good value, at US$110,000.

If you are interested in acquiring a cruiser that has exceptional sailing qualities and an international reputation as a wonderful boat, you can see more info on my website.

Paper Jet Prototype for Sale

I designed the Paper Jet to be an exciting junior trainer, capable of taking a young sailor through multiple skill-levels, from a basic free-standing una-rigged dinghy through to a high-performance trapeze skiff with asymmetric spinnaker. This it does without having to spend bundles of money to trade up to another boat, by doing it all on the same hull and adding or swapping rig and hardware components. She is extremely light, with the hull weighing only 94lb, easily manhandled by small crew.

Paper Jet in una-rig Lite format.

It has proven capable of doing all that I intended, although I have used my prototype #001 as a single-hander for myself. I have cruised it in sedate fashion in light breezes, when it reels off the miles. I have also blasted on trapeze at well over 20 knots just clipping the tops of the waves. And between those two extremes she has given me many hours of fun and exhilarating sailing.

Paper Jet in Turbo format, with asymmetrical spinnaker on the foredeck.

But, I have had knee problems since a teenager, from surfing too many hours in icy cold water without a wetsuit. Now, 50 years later, it has caught up with me. My knees won't let me get out on trapeze any more and my left knee dislocated at least 6 times while sailing this past weekend. In the middle of a tack is no time to be manipulating a dislocated knee back to its intended format.

So, the Paper Jet prototype, sail #001, is for sale. She comes with all components for all three rig formats as well as upgrades that I made to the design over the 8 years that I have sailed her. Included are:-

Standard mainsail
Turbo full-batten fathead mainsail
Jib on roller-furler
Asymmetrical spinnaker with sock
Mast with short and long topmasts
Boom
Retracting bowsprit
Daggerboards - three different lengths
Rudders - old and new versions
All deck hardware
All standing & running rigging
Launching dolly

Selling price is $8,000, which is not a lot more than the material cost to build her with all of the sails and bits that she has. She is in good shape, with totally watertight hull, just needing some minor paint and varnish touch-ups. We will have her at the Wooden Boat Show in Mystic CT this coming weekend, from Friday through Sunday. After that she will be back at our base in Virginia Beach VA.

If interested, please contact me.