SABBEX spoke to Dylan Soares de Melo about a milestone build from Further Composites
1) The boat is complete, under difficult circumstances during lockdown. Is the vessel on its way across the world? Where will it go next?
DYLAN: Yes they were difficult circumstances. Lockdown did affect us but we managed to get through with a minimum of (Covid) cases in the workshop space. Now the vessel is on its way across the world. It was shipped in the first week of August, and is now heading to France where they will complete the outfitting.
2) You must have been frantically busy. But you got it done in the end. Are you relieved?
DYLAN: Yes we were frantically busy and yes we did get it done in the end. The timeline was always going to be tight, especially due to the fact that we had to move into an entirely new workshop space and set up, which is never easy. During that set up time we also had to start tooling up completely for infusion mould, so it was a massive push. We worked very long hours and also weekends for the last three months. And night shifts towards the end. And yes we are all relieved that the boat was completed very well in my opinion. The whole team is relieved to get it under the belt.
3) What was the biggest challenge during the build process and were there any unforeseen interruptions?
DYLAN: Probably the biggest challenge during build process was the fact that we started building the boat prior to the design being complete, so information was slow to come to the shop floor which halted us in quite a big way. Had the info come quicker we could have planned and scheduled easier, but I guess it was that type of build. The boat had to be shipped at a certain time to France in order to make the race it is competing in (TJV). Otherwise everything went very smoothly and there were not too many unforeseen interruptions. All the major primary components infused perfectly.
4) You’ve worked on similar projects but this was your own. How was that experience for you?
DYLAN: Yes in Europe I’ve worked on similar projects. This experience was great. We enjoyed the challenge. It was out of the comfort zone of a lot of the guys on the shop floor purely because they weren’t used to working to the quality control required in terms of aesthetic and structural quality control. We handled it very well and I feel we all learnt a lot. I’m hoping to have more of these projects come our way.
5) Did you feel the pressure? Did you have support from your team / your family?
DYLAN: Yes there was a lot of pressure. There was pressure to complete the build on time and on budget. But the team supported me fully as well as I supported the team. My family supported me hugely in that we worked weekends. And the understanding from the family is always greatly appreciated. And the team’s family members too because they would leave home at 4.30am and get home at 7pm.
6) You’ve just had a child. Did you manage to find time to be ‘dad’ during this whole process?
DYLAN: Perhaps the most challenging part of the build was managing the fact that I have a new born boy and that we have a three-and-a-half year old too who is very needy for his dad to take him out and about. That was a very big challenge for me because I was leaving before he was awake and getting home once he was already asleep. Throw in some sleepless nights into the equation (due to the newborn) and it does make the whole experience harder. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.
7) You spoke prior to the project of your wish that this kind of build becoming more commonplace in SA yards. Now that the boat is complete, do you still feel that way?
DYLAN: I would love for this to become commonplace in SA yards. These racing boats are different to leisure boats in that the QC is far greater. We don’t even paint the boats inside. You can’t hide anything. There’s a lot of internal structure that needs to be manufactured. On this boat there was about 500m of tabbing that needed to be done – which is the joining of the internal structure to the hull and deck. And that all needs to be done very neatly.
8) What next? Do you think there could be more in similar vein, or do you plan to change tack?
DYLAN: There’s definitely no change in tack. Our goal is to provide a high-end bespoke build. We are geared up to that type of build. We have all the in-house capabilities. So I think we are going to carry on. I’m speaking to a lot of people in Europe. Busy negotiating certain builds. There are things in the pipeline. We have started building the Nutshell 26 of which we are the engineering and build partner. Busy with plugs at the moment. It’s a different kind of build completely. It’s something we are hoping to be the bread and butter for the company.
9) Do you get the feeling the Cape Town industry is eager to get involved in this kind of production, being quite different to the catamaran ‘scene’? Do we have the necessary skills base?
DYLAN: I’m not sure if the CT industry is eager to get involved with this type of production. Current boatyards are typically geared towards the leisure scene. Cape 31 is one of the only production racing yachts coming out of CT at the moment. I think the current boatyards are happy to deliver the leisure cats. Having said that, to develop the skills for bespoke racing yachts is not too difficult — it just needs to be taken to the next step. I saw it now with the guys on this build: they thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the techniques used. We have all learned from this project and to develop that skill set would be great.
10) Industry bodies like SABBEX and BlueCape are rallying to try and develop SA as a boating and marine manufacturing hub. What can government and its strategic partners do to help accelerate this process?
DYLAN: From my point of view the best way to assist is to listen to the projects that builders and designers believe can bring future work to Cape Town. The best would be if they could fund a project like building mini transats, whereby you utilise the building of the boats to teach the people the different techniques. The mini transat is a 6.5m boat, helleva safe to sail. A thrilling boats to sail. And that could definitely become a development series of some sort in South Africa. In that way we would build up the skill sets of young sailors. Those types of projects really do accelerate the build capabilities and also the interest into the sector itself. Currently there is not much interest from the young sailors. Government should come on board a project like that and really try to get the youth involved in sailing. That’s what we need.
11) What’s next for you? Where do you want to put your energies going forward?
DYLAN: We will continue trying to put ourselves on the map. We’ve moved to new premises in Montagu Gardens and are gearing ourselves up to take on international projects. I’m also putting my energy into finding a work / life balance after the stresses of the last build. Life is not only about work, there’s also family and health. But ultimately I’m looking to develop Further Composites into a household name on the international bespoke and production building scene.