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Brian Alcock, Cape Town, South Africa. Brian was my first client when I opened my design business. He commissioned "Salty Dog II", prototype of the PRATIQUE 35, of which he writes below. He later became a professional steel boatbuilder and commissioned another 5 designs over the years. He has built 22 yachts to my designs to date. |
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"The entire project from the time of our first discussions has been immensely satisfying, and this has been enhanced by your close cooperation and excellent drawings which leave absolutely nothing to be desired."
"The boat showed that she was well balanced, very powerful to windward with, I thought, just the right amount of buoyancy in the bows to minimise pounding and keep the spray from her crew - she is stiff enough to drive through rough conditions and yet be comfortable. Both on and off the wind she shows an excellent turn of speed."
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Leigh Ross - Owner of COQUETTE 39 "Galatea", built in Cape Town but now based on Chesapeake Bay. |
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"Had a lovely trip over. (Cape Town to St Helena Island) Best speed 17.6 knots, best run 215 miles, took just under 11 days (to cover 1700 miles, the record then being 10 days) . Fine cruising yacht, hand steering 6 hours straight no problem (she is tiller steered). Thanks for the nice boat. |
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Rob Coulon - Caernarfon, Wales. Owner of RGC Steel Boatbuilders and builder of our various designs. Below he writes of a newly launched steel DIX 38. |
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"Just a few words on performance. She sails like a glass boat and is very responsive to the wheel, for example going to weather at about 7 knots in 15 knots. She is perfectly balanced in all aspects of sail. She tacks like a Lazer dinghy. The boat is incredible." |
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Julian Putley - Owner of Dix 43 "Starry Night II" and the man who commissioned that design, writing as he neared the end of her South Atlantic crossing. |
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"I am delighted with the yacht's performance on all points of sail and in all conditions. She is extremely well balanced, we have hardly touched the wheel in the last 15 days, the Aries doing all the work." |
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Rob Archibald - Richards Bay, South Africa. Built two HOUT BAY 40s and twoDIX 43s. |
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"I find that your drawings are meticulous, easy to read and, most importantly, easy to understand. On the few occasions that I have called for advice, I am also amazed at your ability to recall data without reference to drawings."
"My Dix 43 has turned out very fair and has caused a considerable amount of interest in the area. There are, as you know, three currently being built with a fourth due to start soon."
"I have no hesitation in recommending your yacht designs to anyone interested in building a steel boat, and especially to the amateur home builder who, like me, will not find the task too daunting."
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Dick Roles - Roseville, Minnesota. Owner-building a Dix 43 Pilot. |
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"Thanks for the great support throughout the construction process. I cannot imagine that there is a naval architect anywhere who is quicker with a knowledgeable response to a building problem. |
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Jonathan Savage - Owner of CARIBBEA 30 "G-String", currently circum-navigating |
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"Just a short note to let you know how chuffed I am with the boat. This trip (he had sailed from Cape Town to the Caribbean) is an ideal one for the Caribbea. Being single-handed I was quite conservative as far as canvassing was concerned. Best daily run was 178nm but had many in the 150s."
"Everyone who has been aboard has been very impressed by her spaciousness."
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Barry Sefton - Owner of CARIBBEA 30 "Sassy-Too", currently circum-navigating |
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"I'm writing this from French Guyana. I'm still on my Caribbea 30: It's a super boat and I can recommend it to anyone."
"I've sailed many similar sized boats around here and continually evaluate and compare. I'm now firmly convinced the Caribbea 30 is the best boat for me, especially since I am single-handing."
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John & Rose Stockwell - owners of steel VICKERS 45 AC "Tantalus" |
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"We are absolutely delighted with "Tantalus", the way she sails, the way the accommodation works with 6 people on board and, last but not least, with the compliments we get on our beautiful boat. Downwind for most of the trip so far (Cape Town to Guyana)."
"On the few occasions when we have had to go to weather - one trip from the Brazil mainland to Fernando de Norhona was 200 miles into squally trades and a 2kt current - she has been strong and steady with a good ability to punch her way through the seas without any green water at all coming on board, obviously some spray but virtually nothing in the cockpit"
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Anthony Steward - Owner of open version of TLC 19, "NCS Challenger" (also known as "Zulu Dawn") during his record setting open boat circum-navigation. To date no-one else has duplicated his feat. |
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"I hope you are already designing my BOC boat. I am very happy with the boat, she performs very well, fast (he had recorded speeds of 12 knots regularly). Tell the public to buy lots of TLC 19s." |
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Corrie de Jongh - owner of gaff rigged HOUT BAY 30 "Anne M", writing to the Traditional Boat Association midway through his voyage from Cape Town to Europe and back. |
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"In summing up, I can only congratulate Dudley Dix on designing one of the finest and strongest thirty foot cruising yachts I've ever sailed in, lots of space and sensible layout, easy to maintian and most important, dry. On the whole trip I never had to get into a damp sleeping bag, and the biggest plus point, "Anne M" was always able to look after herself when things got tough.
The gaff rig, once you get to understand it, is a fine cruising rig, even when sailing solo I never had any problem handling the rig. Reefing, provided you don't wait too long, is no more difficult than a Bermudan rig, just a few more strings to pull. When sailing solo I always put two, even three reefs in the main before dark, I hate reefing at night. Under triple reefed main and staysail she can handle almost anything except the very worst."
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Carolyn Murphy - Coskipper of DIX 64 "Rising Sun" steel charter staysail schooner. |
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"This boat is a sailing fool. We left Norfolk in winds 15-25kt and seas 10-14'. Turned off the motor at the bridge-tunnel outside of Little Creek and took off like a rocket. We made 210 miles the first 24 hours. She goes 1/2 the wind speed. We were making 11kt uner 2 reefs in main and all rest full standing.
Picked up the lights of Bermuda at Sundown. We tried to slow her up so we dropped the main (she went from 10 to 9). So we also rolled in the fore staysail - went down to 8. She just wants to go!
We could have been in Bermuda in 3 days 10hrs but it was 3 days 20hrs since we had to wait all nite for daylite to go in.
Your boat is great - the brokers love it. It is the talk of the trade down here."
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Dr Reinhard Wiegers -Owner of SHEARWATER 39 "Tanimola" which is based in the Baltic Sea. |
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"April starts the third season with "Tanimola" in the Baltic Sea. The last season was beautiful, the yacht is easy to handle and sails super in our short and high waves, when we have stormy weather.
Thank you for your fatastic design inside and out."
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F. Scott Ripley - Owner of "Sabbatical" 50, under construction at Global Yachts, Norfolk VA. |
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"It is hard to believe that the boat is finally under construction. There are about 15 men working in the yard and one can really feel the enthusiasm. I have never seen Howdy (Howdy Bailey, the builder) so excited. Howdy and his workers are marvelling over the detail of your mylars.
Howdy said again yesterday that this boat is going together the smoothest of any that he has ever built."
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Jon Lunn - Owner builder of Didi 38 in UK. |
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"At this stage (finishing the bulkheads) everything has been straightforward and simple to do. Your backup by email is excellent and I can refer back to emails if needed. I have asked for advice on a variety of build aspects and you normally answer the same day, at the latest the next morning. The CAD plans are also excellent - clear, concise, complete and easy to follow. I am looking forward to setting up in the next couple of weeks." |
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Bob Perry - Reviewing the SHEARWATER 39 for Sailing Magazine March 1990. |
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"I like to see designs where the designer has combined a traditional aesthetic with a modern hull. The 39 features U-shaped forward sections and a nicely rounded mid-section, fairing to a broad stern with tumblehome and a shapely wineglass transom with the upper corners radiused. Done improperly, this can produce the ugliest of all transoms. But Dudley's 39 is very beautiful from the stern quarter. The bow sections have enough to them to add further interest as they fair into a semi-clipper bow. Once again, when you take a traditional feature like the clipper bow that was usually styled from a heavy stem piece with a distinct rabbet line where the hull planking ended and convert it to a molded GRP detail you run the risk of creating a terrible bow that is neither fish nor fowl. Dudley has done a good job with the bow. In short, the 39 is a very handsome vessel." |
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James Jermain - Reviewing the SHEARWATER 45 for Yachting Monthly Magazine October 1997. |
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"This is a stunning looking boat with an impressive performance and delightful manners. Rig options and flexibility of interior design will satisfy the needs of a range of serious-minded cruising yachtsmen." |
