We now have a kit supplier in Russia, in Irkutsk, near to Lake Baikal in Siberia. The supplier is Boat-Kits Russia and is owned by 39 year old Peter Tatarinov. Initially he is offering plywood kits for our dinghies, the Dixi Dinghy, Argie 10, Argie 15 and Paper Jet. Later he will expand into our small to medium size plywood keelboats as well.
Peter has a shop fitting company with CNC equipment, has some dinghy sailing experience and is currently building a small boat. He has decided to expand the use of his CNC equipment to offer boat kits in addition to the furniture. We have sold plans for many boats to builders in the Irkutsk and Lake Baikal areas, so there seems to be a vibrant boatbuilding community there.
Kits can be ordered directly from Boat-Kits Russia or from our Russian Agent Andrey Popovich in Vladivostok, through his website http://www.chava.ru/.
Peter also has CNC equipment to cut metal, so he would be able to cut kits for our metal designs as well if needed.
See our full range of designs at http://dixdesign.com/
Friday, February 17, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Government Gone Berserk
I am not normally one to voice my political opinion, prefering to listen quietly to what others say. Occasionally something gets under my skin and itches me so badly that I must have my say.
We are all hearing constantly about the increasing size and cost of government and everyone says that government must get smaller and less costly, in the interests of the future of the nation. Today I have received an email with a link to a news story in Tennessee that is worthy of the time to read and watch the video.
The State of Tennessee is trying to classify an amateur boatbuilding project as a professional boating business and to tax it accordingly. This is a 14ft one-off wooden skiff that a man built in his garage for his 7-year old son, who likes to fish. The tax that they demand is $539, which is probably near to half of what the boat cost to build.
Is the State of Tennessee so morally and financially bankrupt that it has to rip off its own citizens? We know that government is way too fat and lazy when it has to bend the rules and regulations beyond breaking point to bring in money to pay the salaries of the enforcers.
Murfreesboro TN may be a long way from your neck of the woods but sickness in government has a tendency to spread and other states could catch the virus also, if they see Tennessee getting away with this ludicrous twisting of regulations.
We are all hearing constantly about the increasing size and cost of government and everyone says that government must get smaller and less costly, in the interests of the future of the nation. Today I have received an email with a link to a news story in Tennessee that is worthy of the time to read and watch the video.
The State of Tennessee is trying to classify an amateur boatbuilding project as a professional boating business and to tax it accordingly. This is a 14ft one-off wooden skiff that a man built in his garage for his 7-year old son, who likes to fish. The tax that they demand is $539, which is probably near to half of what the boat cost to build.
Is the State of Tennessee so morally and financially bankrupt that it has to rip off its own citizens? We know that government is way too fat and lazy when it has to bend the rules and regulations beyond breaking point to bring in money to pay the salaries of the enforcers.
Murfreesboro TN may be a long way from your neck of the woods but sickness in government has a tendency to spread and other states could catch the virus also, if they see Tennessee getting away with this ludicrous twisting of regulations.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Oppikat - A Boat for Little People
Years ago Neels Lund of Nebe Boats commissioned a catamaran intended for children to sail. He was going to make moulds then build it as a GRP production boat. I designed the Oppikat for Neels but his company closed its doors before he even started building the moulds.
Over the years since then we have sold a few sets of plans for it but I have never received any photos of completed boats until recently. Frank Nagel in Berlin, Germany, has completed one for his children and has started to send me sailing photos.
Frank's newly completed Oppikat
Frank has two sons. Johnny is 7 and sails with Frank aboard for safety. Vincent is 11 and weighs 33kg. He sails their Oppikat by himself in breezes up to Force 3. Frank says that he also sails it himself with both sons aboard in up to Force 7. The 120kg total weight is a bit much for the little 9ft cat but it is good to know that she can take it.
11-Year old Vincent sailing the Oppikat
Although I first detailed this little boat to be built in fibreglass, I more recently did detailing for a combination of plywood and strip cedar, to make it more suitable for amateur builders. Frank built his boat using that method.
This is a great boat for children to learn how to sail a catamaran, in a size that they can handle either single-handed or with a friend. The fact that it manages rather well with a full-size adult means that Dad can have his fun with it also.
The Oppikat is a nice boat for a winter project, for Dad or Grandpa to build and possibly have some quality time with the little ones. You can be building in a warm basement or garage in the winter then be ready for time on the water in summer. The hulls are small, so it can be built inside almost any room in a standard house or apartment, then taken out through a standard door. It can be car-topped on small cars, so no trailer is needed to get her to the water and back home again.
I hope that we will see a lot more of these fun boats on the water before too long.
Visit our website at http://dixdesign.com/ for information on all of our designs.
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