Ernesto Echauz - Philippines
Owner of the Dibley modified R/P 75 ‘Standard Insurance Centennial V’
A day after her re-launch, she did the inaugural ‘Hong Kong to Puerto Galera Yacht Race’ where she crossed the finish line first in 3 days, 13 hours and 33 minutes. 11 hours in front of the next yacht. Results: 1st on Line, 1st on IRC (Division1) and 2nd on IRC Overall.
"Hi Kevin, Congratulations to you most of all who made this fantastic yacht possible. It is so amazing that C5 is so fast, yet so tame, and smooth and easy to handle for the crew. Thanks for being with us in the final preparation before the race and your company is great as well. The refit of C5 is a naval architectural and engineering masterpiece orchestrated by DYD. Salute to you!!!”
Ernesto Echauz,
Owner of ‘Standard Insurance Centennial V’
Results: 1st on Line, Race Record, 11 hours in front of second place finisher and 2nd on IRC Overall
In 2018/19 Dibley redesigned a new Sail Plan, Bowsprit, Keel/Bulb and Rudder, transforming this older 2001 design into a new competitive racer.
A day after her re-launch, she did the inaugural ‘Hong Kong to Puerto Galera Yacht Race’ where she crossed the finish line first in 3 days, 13 hours and 33 minutes. 11 hours in front of the next yacht. Results: 1st on Line, 1st on IRC (Division1) and 2nd on IRC Overall.
"Hi Kevin, Congratulations to you most of all who made this fantastic yacht possible. It is so amazing that C5 is so fast, yet so tame, and smooth and easy to handle for the crew. Thanks for being with us in the final preparation before the race and your company is great as well. The refit of C5 is a naval architectural and engineering masterpiece orchestrated by DYD. Salute to you!!!”
Ernesto Echauz,
Owner of ‘Standard Insurance Centennial V’
Results: 1st on Line, Race Record, 11 hours in front of second place finisher and 2nd on IRC Overall
Greg Black
Owner of Dibley modified Ross 35 'Mad Jack'
"A massive thank you for all of your help with Mad Jack. You have been instrumental in the transformation and there is no way I would have taken on such a big project without you on board. You helped us create exactly what we wanted and were a pleasure to deal with at all times. Thank you for all of your hard work, working so well with the team and also introducing us to a number of key people.
Anyone looking to transform their boat, should seriously talk with you and I’m more than happy to speak with anyone about just how good you are to deal with … thanks mate.
Greg Black,
Owner/Skipper of Mad Jack
In 2017/18 Dibley redesigned a new Sail Plan, Prod, Keel/Bulb and Rudder, transforming this older design into a new competitive racer.
"A massive thank you for all of your help with Mad Jack. You have been instrumental in the transformation and there is no way I would have taken on such a big project without you on board. You helped us create exactly what we wanted and were a pleasure to deal with at all times. Thank you for all of your hard work, working so well with the team and also introducing us to a number of key people.
Anyone looking to transform their boat, should seriously talk with you and I’m more than happy to speak with anyone about just how good you are to deal with … thanks mate.
Greg Black,
Owner/Skipper of Mad Jack
James M. Burwick
"I sailed into NZ solo through the Southern Ocean. I was preparing to make my next passage. A big one. Auckland-Capetown 9000nm non stop".
| I found Kevin's office a safe haven for my intensity at the time. A place I could let my guard down. We discussed very intricate complicated solo sailing issues. I felt mutual respect. Kevin helped me solve issues. |
| His depth of understanding of the art of boats and sailing was exactly what I was looking for. The voyage from Auckland turned out to be my greatest one. I can highly recommend Kevin as a facilitator if you dream big or small. Expert, High Integrity, Creative" |
| James M. Burwick C/- 'Linked In' |
Roger Rushton
Owner of Lambert 36’, ‘Frenzy’
"I have known Kevin Dibley since 2002 when I purchased one of his designs second hand, a 7.5 metre Sports Boat called “Carbon”. I happily campaigned her in Tauranga and competed in 1 Auckland to Tauranga race. This race was the downwind 40 knotter where Carbon almost flew from Channel Island to Tauranga. During the time of ownership of Carbon, I found Kevin to be a very friendly sounding board as he helped the crew and I to extract the best we could out of her when we were usually competing with much bigger keelers.
After 3 years of competitive racing with Carbon in the TYPBC Division 1 fleet I decided to buy a bigger and faster yacht and purchased the Gary Lambert designed “Frenzy”, a well known, New Zealand coastal racer and Carbon was sold to North America.
Over the years since I have kept in touch with Kevin and sought his counsel of several matters relating to Frenzy and how to make her go faster. These discussions led this year (2011) to a redesign project being undertaken, designed and supervised by Kevin with a new bulb and keel fitted to Frenzy.
The promise from Kevin was for more speed than a new set of sails and I am very pleased to say he has delivered. Frenzy finished 8 minutes ahead of her old rival “Extreme” in her first outing in a harbour race, demonstrating significantly improved upwind speed and overall improved performance. Frenzy has very rapidly acquired the top handicap in the TYPBC Keeler fleet and finished 2nd this year in Div 2 in the Coastal Classic on line to water ballasted Truxton by 19 seconds and 2nd on Hcp in a very creditable performance despite Frenzy’s PHRF going up .020 for the race.
Kevin managed the project while I was overseas and kept me fully informed throughout of progress or holdups.
I would like to personally thank Kevin Dibley, for his very professional contribution to the design and build of Frenzy’s keel and the marked improvement in speed as a result."
Roger Rushton.
Owner / Skipper of Frenzy
In 2011, Dibley Marine designed a new keel and bulb for ‘Frenzy’. The following came from her owner, Roger Rushton.
"I have known Kevin Dibley since 2002 when I purchased one of his designs second hand, a 7.5 metre Sports Boat called “Carbon”. I happily campaigned her in Tauranga and competed in 1 Auckland to Tauranga race. This race was the downwind 40 knotter where Carbon almost flew from Channel Island to Tauranga. During the time of ownership of Carbon, I found Kevin to be a very friendly sounding board as he helped the crew and I to extract the best we could out of her when we were usually competing with much bigger keelers.
After 3 years of competitive racing with Carbon in the TYPBC Division 1 fleet I decided to buy a bigger and faster yacht and purchased the Gary Lambert designed “Frenzy”, a well known, New Zealand coastal racer and Carbon was sold to North America.
Over the years since I have kept in touch with Kevin and sought his counsel of several matters relating to Frenzy and how to make her go faster. These discussions led this year (2011) to a redesign project being undertaken, designed and supervised by Kevin with a new bulb and keel fitted to Frenzy.
The promise from Kevin was for more speed than a new set of sails and I am very pleased to say he has delivered. Frenzy finished 8 minutes ahead of her old rival “Extreme” in her first outing in a harbour race, demonstrating significantly improved upwind speed and overall improved performance. Frenzy has very rapidly acquired the top handicap in the TYPBC Keeler fleet and finished 2nd this year in Div 2 in the Coastal Classic on line to water ballasted Truxton by 19 seconds and 2nd on Hcp in a very creditable performance despite Frenzy’s PHRF going up .020 for the race.
Kevin managed the project while I was overseas and kept me fully informed throughout of progress or holdups.
I would like to personally thank Kevin Dibley, for his very professional contribution to the design and build of Frenzy’s keel and the marked improvement in speed as a result."
Roger Rushton.
Owner / Skipper of Frenzy
Stan Peyton and Mark Woods
Owners / Builders of the Dibley 55 Center-cockpit Cruising Yacht , ‘Marilyn’
“We first contacted Kevin when we were looking at purchasing the hull of the Dibley 55' and gleaned a lot of useful information from him as he was the designer/consultant for the builder of the hull.
Finding him helpful and professional led us into using his services upon purchase of the boat. His skills as a designer blend really well with the qualification as a naval architect, as we were particularly concerned to get the stability right after moving tanks around etc,everything he did was spot on and we are especially pleased with the aesthetics of the coachroof he designed as it is always hard to get a center cockpit boat with hard top to look good, the end result being something we are proud to look at and completely practical.
With a project such as ours was, being able to call the designer at any time,even for a chat , made the project much more enjoyable and the end product shows this.
We couldn’t recommend kevin highly enough to other customers. His easy going manner and totally professional attitude with modern approach at all times makes for a great boat building exercise on any scale.”
Stan Peyton
Mark Woods
In February 2011, ‘Marilyn’ was launched followed by 7 months of cruising Fiji and the surrounding Pacific Islands with the family. The following came from Stan & Mark (October 2011):
“We first contacted Kevin when we were looking at purchasing the hull of the Dibley 55' and gleaned a lot of useful information from him as he was the designer/consultant for the builder of the hull.
Finding him helpful and professional led us into using his services upon purchase of the boat. His skills as a designer blend really well with the qualification as a naval architect, as we were particularly concerned to get the stability right after moving tanks around etc,everything he did was spot on and we are especially pleased with the aesthetics of the coachroof he designed as it is always hard to get a center cockpit boat with hard top to look good, the end result being something we are proud to look at and completely practical.
With a project such as ours was, being able to call the designer at any time,even for a chat , made the project much more enjoyable and the end product shows this.
We couldn’t recommend kevin highly enough to other customers. His easy going manner and totally professional attitude with modern approach at all times makes for a great boat building exercise on any scale.”
Stan Peyton
Mark Woods
Mike Elley
Owner of White-40, ‘Nosaka’
The following from Mike Elley:
“Just a quick note to report on the first race we have done with the new keel under Nosaka.
Obviously we placed well but what was great to see was the transformation in the boats performance.
The keel certainly has less drag as confirmed by motor trials but that wasn’t the best thing.
It was really nice to sail downwind and pull away from the leading A division boats in our family cruiser doing 10 knots in 15 knots of wind but that wasn’t the best thing.
The gain in lift upwind means we can now defend our position and hold height with the rest of the 40 foot fleet but still not the best thing.
The best thing was how quickly and efficiently the project went working with you under such a high pressure timeframe. All of the issues got dealt with quickly and it seemed an easy process to arrive at a practical design that meets both our cruising and racing objectives. Without that help we simply wouldn’t have made the start line!
Thanks and regards, Mike Elley”
In 2011, Dibley Marine designed a new keel and bulb.
The following from Mike Elley:
“Just a quick note to report on the first race we have done with the new keel under Nosaka.
Obviously we placed well but what was great to see was the transformation in the boats performance.
The keel certainly has less drag as confirmed by motor trials but that wasn’t the best thing.
It was really nice to sail downwind and pull away from the leading A division boats in our family cruiser doing 10 knots in 15 knots of wind but that wasn’t the best thing.
The gain in lift upwind means we can now defend our position and hold height with the rest of the 40 foot fleet but still not the best thing.
The best thing was how quickly and efficiently the project went working with you under such a high pressure timeframe. All of the issues got dealt with quickly and it seemed an easy process to arrive at a practical design that meets both our cruising and racing objectives. Without that help we simply wouldn’t have made the start line!
Thanks and regards, Mike Elley”
Ray Haslar
Owner of Davidson 35' Jive Talkin'
Winning the line and handicap honours in the 2005 Auckland to Fiji Ocean
Race, Haslar says:
"I give full credit to winning this race to Kevin Dibley who designed us a
new keel and rudder earlier in the year. Jive performed superbly with top
speeds of 21.6 knots"
2005 Yachting New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year
Winning the line and handicap honours in the 2005 Auckland to Fiji Ocean
Race, Haslar says:
"I give full credit to winning this race to Kevin Dibley who designed us a
new keel and rudder earlier in the year. Jive performed superbly with top
speeds of 21.6 knots"
Graham Rowe
Past Owner of Dibley 8 metre ‘Supergroove’
Multiple winner of the New Zealand Trailer Yacht Championships and a long
list of other achievements.
"I enjoyed Kevin's full support during my ownership of "Supergroove".
Kevin is always approachable and helpful and at various times freely gave
advice, data and measurements. His assistance was instrumental in the
successes we enjoyed while campaigning "Supergroove"
Carl Smith
Stealth, Dibley 650 1998-2000
Atom Ant, Colson 9m modified 2000-2003
Widowmaker, Dibley 40 under construction
"I have known Kevin since I commissioned my first boat - a Dibley 650 called Stealth, in 1995. I found him to be awesome to deal with as he designs to what the client wants, not what he wants.
We came up with some breakthrough ideas working as a team. I sold the Dibley 650 and Kevin was fundamental in the hull shape changes I implemented in the 30' keelboat I then purchased.
We sold the keelboat in 2003 and commissioned Kevin to design our current project, a 40’ Racing Yacht which is under construction at the moment. As with any new build, changes happen and Kevin has been excellent in helping implement these changes.
Kevin is always only a phone call away and I believe I have found a great friend and designer who goes that extra mile for his clients"