FAQs

Q. Can anyone  build one of your designs?

A. The basis for designing our craft was a feeling that, for too long, there was an aura of mystery and the promise of extremely hard work before even a set of frames was constructed!!

You do not need to be a shipwright to build these boats. They are very easy to build.

Our kits are simple and straightforward and supported with comprehensive building notes, a Workshop manual and a Product Manual.

All the panels are either drawn on the Marine Ply for you to cut out, or are cut for you to assemble.  You do not have to go through the complex and painstaking process of lofting the parts of the boat that comes with plans. With kits you are already miles ahead.

Our Cut Kits are supplied flat packed, and all you do is cut some small tabs out and the parts will drop out, ready for you to add into the boat in the correct sequence.

The stitch and glue method of construction takes away all the mystery that comes with traditional methods of building boats to provide you with an achievable, satisfying project and a very strong, reliable  craft that will serve you well for many, many years.

Q. What is Stitch and Glue construction?

A. Our boats are constructed using the proven stitch and glue method of building. This method is superior to traditional boat building approaches and delivers builders boats that are better and stronger. The great plus in this approach is that the building process is simpler, quicker, easier, requires fewer parts and is achievable for anyone who has the dream of building their own boat.

Stitch and Glue construction involves wiring together the high grade marine plywood panels of the boat until they can be fused permanently with a composition of epoxy resin, epoxy filler and fibre glass tape or cloth.

The basic process is straightforward. The first step is to wire together any two parts of the boat. Wires are inserted approximately every 100mm as in the photo below.

The next step is to secure the join by welding between the wires. This is achieved by wetting the areas between the wires and either side of the join with a clear mix of epoxy followed by careful and neat application of an epoxy glue mix as in the picture below. Once the glue has cured then the wires are removed.

The join is now covered with a glue mix as in the next photo.

This is followed by a layer of fibre-glass tape which is saturated with epoxy.

This process delivers incredibly sturdy joins about which you can feel 100% secure. It also produces a one-piece boat where all the parts contribute to an overall stronger and safer boat.

Another integral part of this approach is total encapsulation of the plywood boat in epoxy making all the parts not only stronger but water proof. Keeping the wood dry protects paint and finish from cracking and most importantly prevents the possibility of rot.

It is a great way to build a boat!!
 

Q. How many hours to build one?

A. How long it will take to build your boat will be determined by things like experience and temperament. Some totally inexperienced people have taken to the joy of building a boat with their own hands and have built a delightful boat in less time than we would take.

The experienced and confident will forge ahead while some will take their time and work meticulously until they are satisfied with the outcome. Either way the boats are designed to be easy to build and you will get there in the end.

Our standard estimates per boat built to the stage before painting and rigging as a guide are:

REDFIN 22…………  600 hours.

REDFIN 520 ………    300

CHERRY16 ……….    300

REDFIN Dinghy  …     250

SPINDRIFT.......           50

Q. Are Redfins safe?

A. Absolutely!! Barrie has incorporated a non-trip Chine at the water line on most of the boats, and this, combined with the enormous amount of built-in buoyancy in all our boats makes them as fail safe as is humanly possible.

If you want to see just how much buoyancy there is in our unique approach then contact us to obtain a study print.

Q. Are the Redfins stable?

A. Of course, additional ballast placed on or near the Centre of Lateral Resistance helps greatly in keeping a sailing boat on an even keel. This we have achieved in the Redfin 22 with the use of water ballast.

However the type of keel and or centre board with ballast varies from boat to boat.  The REDFIN 22 uses Water Ballast (quite a lot) and a heavy pivoting Steel Centre Board that retracts should the water get thin or a sandbank appear!

The amount of water taken into the specially built tanks is approx 300Kg combined with the Centre Board of 68Kg to give a substantial ballast ratio ( the amount you need to prevent a capsize or immersion during large seas)

As the completely rigged boat weighs in at around 500 Kg we are happy with this trailing weight and even happier when we take on the extra 300 Kg when we launch. Barrie has sailed this boat in 30 Knots under full sail with a rubber cord across the tiller during a test sail and was completely comfortable. We got it right when designing the ballast!

The much lighter REDFIN 520 Trailer Sailer at 250 Kg needs less weight to keep her upright and so we use a steel Centre Board of approx 48 Kg to hold the boat up, and it works extremely well!

The Classic Dinghy is the only craft in the REDFIN range to use people power as ballast, and therefore has a timber Centre Board, but as the boat weighs around 80 Kg we find her to be very stable. We have been racing Redfin 15s for years and never once looked like capsizing! 

However, we also like to think that hull form stability is just as important as ballast. By this we mean, we utilise hull form way before the ballast is called into action (extreme angles of heel) so why not concentrate on the hull stability as well? All these designs have great stability angles and a pull down test with the REDFIN 22 shows it needs about 100 Kg at the hounds to hold it over at 90 degree heel.

The boat rights immediately the external force is removed, and that was with the Centre Board pulled up inside the Case!!! 

Q. Does the Water Ballast work on the REDFIN 22?

A. Only the Redfin 22 has water ballast. Barrie will tell you that people often approach him at the ramp after another peach of a day on the water and say “ Hey mate, there is a water leak under your boat!”

He always replies:  “ Yes, well I have used that water as a lead keel all day and I have only had a loan of it, so I’ve got to give it back now!”

With about 300 Kg of water plus 68Kg in the pivoting Centre Board. The boat trails at around 450 Kg rigged, so the Ballast Ratio is quite high.

Martin Kortlucke, editor of the Qld Wooden Boat Magazine, in an article in Aust. Amateur Boat Builder magazine says, “With the full amount of water ballast plus drinking water on board I would be quite comfortable sailing my REDFIN 22 fully rigged ( not reefed) on my own in gale conditions, and I would not have to lean or worry about heeling too much.”  Great stuff Martin!!

Q. Are the boats easy to sail?

A. Ease of sailing was at the forefront of Barrie’s thinking when he designed the Redfins.

He has raced all types of dinghies and Trailer Sailers for around thirty years now, with average success, and is a strong believer that a boat that is always slow is always very dangerous.

REDFINs are the safest boats to sail. They are fast when you want to go quickly and slow when you are approaching a beach. Redfins have been caught out in some real bad blows and it is a relief to know the boat under you will get you home with no traumas or breakages.

We are delighted with their racing success and very comfortable when sailing on your own in any one of our designs.

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