Nautical Steel collaborated with Rhino Wood on a Balustrade project in the seaside town of Kommetjie, Cape Town where our steel cables were incorporated into a Rhino Wood balustrade. Grade 316 stainless steel cable supplied by Nautical Steel was specified for this project and this is the only steel suitable to withstand the rugged weather conditions of the South African coastline. The steel cable is very polished in appearance and this mirror finish is known as the passive layer which gives it the extra protection against the sea salts that cause corrosion. Rhino Wood have developed a unique method of modifying sustainably grown pine to give it the durability of hardwoods. Rhino Wood is a timber modification business based in Johannesburg and using a specialist two-step process. Rhino Wood have created a more durable and longer lasting real timber alternative.
The seaside village of Kommetjie is the epi-centre of high performance surf and is also a prime kite-surfing hotspot in the Cape South Peninsula with surfers traveling from all over the world to come and surf here. The South Peninsula is also very well known for the Cape Doctor, a strong and very persistent dry south easterly wind that blows from September to March, providing excellent conditions for surfing.
Surfer in the Bay:
Rhino Wood is very well suited to outdoor coastal use and has been modified to be extremely durable and the modification process also decreases susceptibility to moisture which is essential in the Cape which experiences a lot of rain. Rhino Wood weathers to a silver grey when left untreated and this also makes it the perfect product to use on the coastal areas with extreme weather.
The client on this project requested the handrails and decking have a brushed finish to give it a more rustic appearance. Both the handrails (dimensions 95 x 40) and all intermediate posts (dimensions 65 x 30) were supplied with this specific brushed finish and this allowed all parts of the balustrade to blend very well together.
Timber with steel cables:
The polished silver appearance of our steel cables complements the timber and the two will blend once the timber is allowed to weather to a silver hue that matches the cable. Timber maintenance is very time consuming and can be expensive so purchasing a low maintenance timber is well worth the initial outlay. Boxman Architects specified the Nautical Steel 4 mm steel cables with a 1x19 construction. This thin cable has the benefit of making the cables appear invisible once installed and does not obscure your views over the deck. The cables are also low maintenance and long lasting due to the quality of Grade 316 stainless steel. It is also essential that just Grade 316 steel be specified for any coastal projects in South Africa. All the cables were securely attached through the wood posts and crimped with our hydraulic swaging tool and tensioned on site.
Breath-taking views through the timber and cable balustrade:
When you look through the steel cables on this deck you are surrounded by a wide variety of fynbos from the Cape Floristic kingdom. Kommetjie is on the Cape Point Route which takes you past the well-known Cape Point Nature Reserve and leads to the famous Cape of Good Hope, Africa’s most south-westerly point. The fact that Rhino Wood is sustainably sourced and produced should be important to nature lovers who live and holiday in this unique part of the world.
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