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Writer's pictureNigel Barrow

Building a DF95. What have I learned

There is a lot of helpful advice on the web building a DF95 but nearly all you need to know is in the instructions and on the DF website. If I had any questions there was always someone to ring at the club.


So what did I learn on this part of the journey:


  • It is worth applying Epoxy all deck eyes. Unscrew, apply a tiny amount of epoxy and re-screw to seal all the deck fittings.

  • Use epoxy when making the booms when assembling to give time to align the components.

  • I upgraded to the newer brushless rudder servo as I thought the upgrade would be more reliable when centering the rudder. A lesson I learned on the IOM

  • I bought 3 1000mAh life batteries from rc yachts as they were the cheapest supplier

  • I chopped the top of the on/off switch as when I turned to port the electrics neatly switched off.

  • I bent the wire connector between the rudder servo and the tiller ever so slightly, so it did not catch on the deck hatch housing as this was straining the servo.

  • I counter sunk the servo tray screws so the hatch sat neatly in its housing

  • I threaded cord through the bung and added a restrainer to stop it coming out. This way I could empty the boat without ever losing the bung

  • I drilled a second hole on the A rig can for the mainsail fastening, 5 mm aft of the supplied hole

  • Left the top sail tie loose on the A rig so sail flops nicely from side to side. I used fine cord to tie the sails to the mast.

  • Every knot is secured with super glue.

  • The assembly instructions are spot on although they only cover the A rig and could add a few comments about the B_D rigs.. Whilst the specs were good for the mast and boom. it took me a while to figure where do you attach the jib tacks and jib sheet eyes.

  • Put a bigger knot on the topping lift inside boom.

  • Be very careful with the jib wire terminals on the sails. I have already had one ferrule that slipped. On my IOM, I terminate the wire by bending the wire using a Dupro tool. Might do that in the long term on the DF.


These are all simple tasks which I hope will improve the longevity of the boat or make it more efficient.


We should get some nice wind at Frensham this week so I should be able to try it out before the first TT event on Sunday at Manor Park.

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