Amateur boat building in South Africa

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by taniwha

Wynand trust me I have tried all those companies (by the way Rob Sharp now works at Abromowitz) Mostly the answer I get is that I should ask the government to finance (which they did several times) The most luck I have had was with Ducth companies, Dutch consulate, German consulates etc if it wasn't for the overseas sponsors we would be nowhere.
I also thought you might like to know how I ended in Khayelitsha and how everything started. I was doing inspections in Pretoria at an inflatable manufacturer, his grandchild was deaf so he employed a lot of deaf employees. He told me it was a shame that these people could not get a chance to properly learn the job, I promised him I would do what I could. Unfortunately I could not do much in Pretoria as I am from Hout Bay. But there is also a Dominican school for the deaf in Hout Bay which I approached with my proposal. So I started collecting funds and once I had enough I went back to the school where they told me that the parents did not want their children to do manual jobs and if I could not give them IT courses instead. I was desperate and started calling around all the schools for the deaf in the WC and the last school I called was in Khayelitsha (yes just like everybody else I was not 100% comfortable with it) but they said they were very glad to accept the offer- And so it is that the anc gatkruipers, affirmative action or whatever you want to call them received an education which the white kids in Hout Bay found below their "level".

Now years later the other deaf institutes have seen the value and so we started in Epping with a mixed group. Or maybe they found out that IT was after all not such a good job

WBBA FNB branche code 204009 Acc 62115722630 the amount does not matter, it is the support that matters.

I gave you a little rep for what you're doing; I'm impressed. I'd like to fire off a small donation; where should I send it? Is 'WBBA FNB branche code 204009 Acc 62115722630' a mailing address?

Trust me -- it'll be more symbolic than profitable. But I suppose every little bit helps.

[taniwha]

Originally Posted by troy2000

I gave you a little rep for what you're doing; I'm impressed. I'd like to fire off a small donation; where should I send it? Is 'WBBA FNB branche code 204009 Acc 62115722630' a mailing address?

Trust me -- it'll be more symbolic than profitable. But I suppose every little bit helps.

As you said every little bit helps and it gives us a tremedous moral support.
62115722630 is the account number and the international swift code of the First National Bank is FIRNZAJJ.
much appreciated

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by taniwha

As you said every little bit helps and it gives us a tremedous moral support.
62115722630 is the account number and the international swift code of the First National Bank is FIRNZAJJ.
much appreciated

I hate to sound like an ignorant rube, but I happen to be one in some ways. I have no experience at all when it comes to transferring money abroad....

If I take the information you've provided down to my bank, will it be sufficient to have the money sent to you?

And if it is, will the fees enrich the banks more than your organization? If so, I could send you an international money order instead. I used to send a few bucks every month to a college kid in Kenya, until he evolved into a militant political activist and dropped out of school. He was smart and glib; my guess at the time was that he'd either wind up dead in short order, or go on to become President of the country in twenty years. Either way, I saw no point in continuing to finance him...

[Wynand N]

Originally Posted by taniwha

affirmative action or whatever you want to call them received an education which the white kids in Hout Bay found below their "level".

I have to be honest to admit that what you say is true, but this is a problem with youth across the land and not limited to the white deaf kids from Houtbay.

This is the very reason the trade related industries are in dire straits not getting quality tradesmen anymore. Under the previous administration you had to complete an apprenticeship of between 4 - 5 years and then passed a qualifying trade test at Olifantsfontein (red seal).
It is also a fact that since 1994 there are fewer apprentices yearly and the local government funded private training centres to "qualify" tradesmen - and the sorry state is that some issue certificates after just a few weeks of basic training. ...
I had been an apprentice instructor during my tenure as a boilermaker and prepared people for Olifantsfontein testing. Between these duties we also trained "semi-skilled" persons that were mainly black with some pre-requisite that he should at least passed Std 8 then and get paid for his 16 week training.
Sad part is that some could not even read or write (Std 8/grade 10??) and after me failing a complete class with a basic task that was totally unacceptable, I was reprimanded and told that at least 80% must pass, regardless.... Needles to say I went and built boats.

But this was still in the old SA and after 1994 events turned worse and because of affirmative action being forced down by current anc law, these silly certificate are the norm flying around in the industry.
And herein lies the problem; white kids morale is in tatters, what is the point of getting training or education if you have really no chance in getting employed because of skin colour, even if you have "real" and not dubious qualifications? The tragedy of these white victim kids is the fact that they were not even born in the "apartheid" era but a product of the anc regime, but get "punished" for apartheid sins just because they are white....And this make me very sad.

To side track a bit - the ESKOM power fiasco in 2009 when the country nearly lost its power grit and power cuts the norm of the day, was a direct result of affirmative action policy and ESKOM did acknowledge that fact in the press when exposed.
ESKOM was the biggest affirmative policy enforcer that employed people (got rid of the capable) in management and all spectrum's of employ based on skin colour and not qualifications or experience. This was a direct result of poor management, and maintenance. After the fiasco and press exposure, suddenly they made known the fact that they now need qualified persons, regardless of skin colour
I run an "on site" construction/fabrication concern from 1993 - 1998 on a mega ESKOM power station and in 1994 a new station was earmarked and approved to be in production by 2000. After the 1994 election the shortsighted anc said we need houses and not electricity and abandoned the plans for new power station. Needless to say they build millions of homes that is electrified, millions of squatter shack sprung up from basically all the illegal immigrants in the country and most of these shacks are illegally wired into the power grid. Businesses grew asking more juice and in 2000/2001 the DP party warned the anc that the country is out of power and desperately needed another big powe rstation at least. This was rejected because the whites are paranoid and knows nothing. The rest is history...
Now the anc is building new power stations only to get a wake-up call that it takes about 5 - 6 years to get the whole station in production and at least 2.5 years before it produces a bit of juice when the first boiler and turbine is on line. BTW, we may have the same problems again this year with ESKOM according to the press.
Finally,
Just before I retired from the Harmony Gold Mining group (another big affirmative enforcer) in September 2009, the foreman called a black "qualified" female fitter into the office whilst I was present as charge hand. There were complaints that she is not able and capable to do her work and has to be "carried" by her semi skilled helpers - working on small diesel locomotives underground.
He ask her if she was qualified and she response affirmative and ask her this one question: "what is the difference between a water cooled and an air cooled diesel engine" and her answer? I dont know The FM had to stay calm and said he was sending her for retraining.
Fact was this incompetent black women was the highest paid fitter on that shaft, even got more than real qualified fitters with many years of service...


Why would some not try to learn to build boats? Simple, not that big a market and not many boatbuilders out there to offer employment to such trained persons. Then there is the current poor economy of the country. Few working class people can afford to survive let alone buying boats and the reason I shut down my GRP boat shop. For the rich it is another matter all together and they would not look at any basic boat unless it cost half a mil or more.

Yes, the trade you learn them is an invaluable craft which can make them independent should they choose to work for him/herself. Finding a market and potential buyers on an ongoing basis would be the real challenge.

[taniwha]

Originally Posted by troy2000

I hate to sound like an ignorant rube, but I happen to be one in some ways. I have no experience at all when it comes to transferring money abroad....

If I take the information you've provided down to my bank, will it be sufficient to have the money sent to you?

And if it is, will the fees enrich the banks more than your organization? If so, I could send you an international money order instead. I used to send a few bucks every month to a college kid in Kenya, until he evolved into a militant political activist and dropped out of school. He was smart and glib; my guess at the time was that he'd either wind up dead in short order, or go on to become President of the country in twenty years. Either way, I saw no point in continuing to finance him...

euh here I am afraid that we are both more interested in boat building than in money matters and you are just like me i hate banks and I hate to make them richer for just sitting on their asses watching their (your) money grow.
A money order should work as well, Carol my very dedicated secretary, right hand, help-me-out-of all-these-paper-girl will certainly have the answer her mail is pr@wbba.co.za or info@wbba.co.za or if I had your email i could ask them to contact you.

[nukisen]

Manie!
Even in Sweden we do some small boats. At least one of us. hehe

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by taniwha

euh here I am afraid that we are both more interested in boat building than in money matters and you are just like me i hate banks and I hate to make them richer for just sitting on their asses watching their (your) money grow.
A money order should work as well, Carol my very dedicated secretary, right hand, help-me-out-of all-these-paper-girl will certainly have the answer her mail is pr@wbba.co.za or info@wbba.co.za or if I had your email i could ask them to contact you.

I just sent you a PM with my email address.

[hoytedow]

nukisen, I think that is one of most unusual things I have ever seen.

[nukisen]

Yes! This one was a prototype to test sailing with boards insted of textile.
Actually it did work but the textile does have much more effiency.

But I did have fun.
The upper boat is not ready yet as it is to cold here in northern of europe to get epoxy to harden.

I did do a test launch and it behaves in the water exactly as calculated.
When spring comes I will finnish it and launch once again. Then we see if the resistant calculation is near the calculated resistant.

Also I am participating the classification of a new aluminium powerboat these days and trying to build an owners manual.

So as usual I do not have trouble spending time.

[hoytedow]

Originally Posted by nukisen

Yes! This one was a prototype to test sailing with boards insted of textile.
Actually it did work but the textile does have much more effiency.

But I did have fun.
The upper boat is not ready yet as it is to cold here in northern of europe to get epoxy to harden.

I did do a test launch and it behaves in the water exactly as calculated.
When spring comes I will finnish it and launch once again. Then we see if the resistant calculation is near the calculated resistant.

Also I am participating the classification of a new aluminium powerboat these days and trying to build an owners manual.

So as usual I do not have trouble spending time.

You should start a new thread about your prototype.

[nukisen]

Haha! No I dont think this is nessesary.
This was my first built and I dont even know if the boat exists any more?