Hi everybody,

In my country - in Slovakia - there are virtually no people doing landsailing. Land kiting (mainly snowkiting) is gaining popularity and windsurfing has been popular for years. I'm planing to build a landyacht as a DIY project and the idea is to provide some entertainment to my (preschool) kids as well. I want to build something small, manouverable, forgiving and not necessarily too fast (at least not for now :-) ). I would like you guys to give me hints for the questions below:

The frame and the seat:
I want to make Blokart like frame a frame based on the project of landyacht: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Yacht-Sailing/Construction/Build-a-Landyacht-Lake-Lefroy-Mini-Yacht/
I want to ride in a sitting position more like on the Blokart however.
What I want to add is a possibility for the kid to steer the landyacht while riding with me. I imagine the kid sitting in front of me between my legs but this way my feet must be some 60cm apart which makes steering less comfortable. I plan to make an extension of the steering for the kid either for legs or add a tube with a steering bar accessible for both riders. The feet of the kid will be somewhere before or at the level of the mast, I like the steering bar idea better at the moment. However it seems difficult to position the bar so that it would be accessible for me and not too close to the kids face. Any suggestions?
The frame must be small, preferably it should fit into an Opel Astra Hatchback trunk but most likely it will be transported on a roof rack. We don't have large venues here, I will mostly ride on agricultural airstrips and parking lots so the maneuverability is an issue. Unfortunately, also our large lakes do not freeze sufficiently in winter .

The mast and the Sail:
Regarding the sail and mast I am limited to use sailboard equipment. I would like to ask you which option of the two here is better:







Neil Pryde 4.5m sail comes with an 55% two piece carbon mast 430cm. The old HiFly 5m sail comes with a glassfiber mast and it is much cheaper. I want to recutt to some 3.5 -4m and rig it with a new boom. Which one is more suitable? Also, I have red the thread: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Yacht-Sailing/Sail-making/How-I-recut-sailboard-sails-to-suit-landyachts/?SearchTerms=luff,curve.
But: I don't know what fibre do I use to sew it together - there are no sailmakers around here. How do I add batting?

Wheels
There are wheels similar to Fallshaw wheels for sale here: http://www.kolieska.sk/page.php?sekcia=produkty&idProdukt=6046
These are equipped with industrial ball bearings and carry the load of 250kg. What do you think of them? A friend of mine used these but smaller for a land kiting buggy.

Well - that's it for now . I'm looking forward to your responses.

Hi Everyone

I am new here and shortly plan to start building a LLF Mini. I am currently doing a engineering apprenticeship in Wellington NZ, so have availability to all the steel and equipment I will need.

For the front wheel I am going to use a children's bike wheel and fork to save costs. Now for my question. I know there has been much discussion on What wheels to use for the rear but other then the ones on the original LLF mini thread not many answers. I have been given prices for 3 brands of plastic wheel, Kings, Richmond and Fallshaw. I Understand the Fallshaw wheels are very good but also a lot more expensive. Anybody used Kings or Richmonds?

Thanks
Steve