Although I’m posting this under the “Buying A Boat” category I believe the question best fits this category so here I go…
I have been doing a lot of research over the past 2-3 years on yacht designs and more specifically Dudley Dix’s designs from South Africa. The Didi 38/40 really caught my eye, being built out of plywood using the radius chin technique it looks beautiful. Being raised around woodwork all my life I feel very comfortable using such tools and material in building a boat of that design. I ordered the plans from Dudley and followed others as they built there Didi 38’s. I have been watching these forums for some time now and noticed that there are a large amount of members with a significant amount of knowledge and a few more who also like Dudley’s designs. So…I wanted your opinions because one can never have enough opinions. I could have emailed Dudley (and have) with similar questions but sometimes as expected opinions can be bias so that is why I would like yours.
Building it would not be a problem for me. I have the tools, the shop, and the area. As for sailing, I’m looking for a sailboat that I can participate with in club regattas, sail around the Great Lakes. I personally enjoy racing and fast speeds with large sail areas. But I would like to take the family with me too. In the long run I would like to sail down the East Coast and to the Caribbean. Maybe even across to Europe.
Looking at the plans I already know I would like to build the 40 footer with the tall
rigging and deep keel. I’m just looking for general opinions on the design and whether you guys/gals feel it’s suitable for my priorities as stated above. Some key things I would like to know more about is comfort and structural stability regarding ocean sailing.
Thanks for your time and steady winds for all!
Sylvester Sawala