The June workshop was so successful that we are going to do it all again.
We are delighted that Derek can return so soon.
Click here to read more about the first workshop.

For professional and owner boat builders.
Huge labour savings. Perfect round bilge hulls.
New half hull shaping and new modular designs.
Gel finish without long-boarding.
Resin infusion for clean, odour-free and highest quality.

Objective: Introduction to the KSS (Kelsall Swiftbuild Sandwich) building method. Effective and economical. Suitable for any size cat or proa.

Help build proa hull. Four days of informal instruction, demonstration and hands on involvement. Join a group with common interest. It's fun too.
Cost per person AU$500. Includes light lunch.
Payment to Kelsall Catamarans Ltd, Visa/Mastercard/cheque.

KSS = "State of the art in custom boat building"

For further details:
Derek Kelsall - Kelsall Catamarans Ltd.
Phone: 0064 (07) 863 3332
Fax: 0064 (07) 86307915
email: derek@kelsall.com
web: www.kelsall.com

or

To BOOK for the workshop:

Mark Stephens - Harryproa Pty Ltd, Australia
Phone: 0431 486 814
email: mark@harryproa.com

For accommodation please see www.bellingen.com for options in Urunga and Bellingen. It is the Bellingen Jazz Festival weekend so book asap. Bellingen is 20 minutes by car, Coffs Harbour 30 - 40 minutes depending on traffic and current roadworks.

I am happy to pick up & drop off at the airport in Coffs Harbour. Please email michele@harryproa.com if this is required.

WORKSHOP 1 Report by Rob Denney
(as posted on the Harryproa discussion group http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/harryproa/)

The workshop was fantastic! 12 people (about equivalent to 3 boatbuilders working full time once all the talking and learning had taken place) attended and we got the two half hulls and the deck infused. Hulls are gel coated above the water line so no fairing or painting is required. There were a few materials related hiccups, so we did not glass or fair the half hulls after the below waterline shaping was done, but this is not a huge job. If we did it again, the whole lot would be completed in the 4 days, which is a quantum leap quicker than any other one off build technique. Derek's deck edge radius is a stroke of genius, so joining it all together will be very quick and accurate.

It all looks fair, but we won't know for sure until the rest of the glassing is done and the frames removed. The wet out and laminate consolidation is 100%. Vinylester resin still smells, but infusion is so much better, lighter, quicker and less wasteful than hand layup that there is no comparison. Bag the job, pour the resin into the bucket, open the tap and 15 minutes (mostly spent ooohing and aaahing) later you are sitting down with a cup of tea, with half a 50' hull curing on the table. 450 gsm or 2,500 gsm, it all gets wet out with exactly the right amount of resin; no voids, no dry spots. The solo lee hull is pretty small, but the same technique and timing will apply to any size hull.

There were 6 (including Mark and I) pro strip plank builders present, all of whom were convinced that this is a much better way to build boats. The materials cost was $5,000, which included tailoring the foam, which was so easy that it would have been cheaper to do it our selves. Strip cedar/epoxy are similar materials cost, plus paint.

There will be some photos on the web page soon, and a weight analysis.

A highlight of the workshop was Derek, whose knowledge of the technique made it all very easy and enjoyable for everyone from the the know it alls who didn't, to the completely inexperienced. His tales of the early days of multihull development and short handed sailing were a large bonus.

We all had such a good time that we are going to have another workshop in August to build the ww hull. Only half as long, but more complex due to the cantilevered bunks and cockpit. It will even be possible to infuse the complex curves of the seats and include the washboard track and hatch surrounds in the laminate. With the deck edge radius, all 7 parts (2 hull halves, deck (including cockpit cover) 2 seats, bunk base and bunk wall will slot together with no additional glassing or filleting required.

regards,

Rob Denney