when I look about, the most interesting and modern thing i see are,

magnificent prams, that i wished were around in the 50's to make billycarts from.

The engineering and material in modern day prams would be more than sufficent

to support entry level youngsters, in weight and interest. A pram making company

might just wish for something to boost their capabilities.

A couple of things have come to mind that I'll chuck in whilst eating my lunch. Main cost is the sail, mast and wheels. Wheels theres a smaller version of the 4.00x8 which is a lot cheaper in the UK. Sail someone has already mentioned tarp materials which can be bought in the UK for less than £10. Mast - not sure whether this would be stiff enough but you can buy cheap fibreglass feather flag masts at 10m long for....less than £10. Must be some way of using the waste from that to stiffen up the required bit and leave a boom left over.

Hungry now

Cheers Col

Thanks for posting article Gizmo. Statement that jumped at me was how he fitted larger tires and with passenger was faster than other yachts...

O'M',
Why not look at a simple "T" frame built on the principal of the YOT's i.e The main Chassis is the "T" and and Mast step as one integral piece with removable Axles and front steering The welding would consist of "T" and Mast Step, Steering Head plus brackets for seating.. I would be very wary of using High Tensile Bolts as they Snap clean, Hang Gliders use X Ray tested Mild Steel as they are soft and Bend . To my way of thinking not a safe method and dangerous from a legal stand point.
Axles should consist of Axle Leg and Wheel axle Integral unit, Front Chassis section would Lock into the Rear Chassis and Bolt together. This way I would think would make a unit like that Compact for shipping and transport on Holidays etc.. Making things for the general public is a wonderful idea but keep in mind that they are a fickle, unappreciative lot and will sue at the drop of a hat.. I have thought of making stuff for sale but am not prepared to risk House and Home for their enjoyment..

lex parsimoniae, Remember the KISS Principle.
Ron

Friend and I have been discussing building frame much like a hollow core door, with bolt on attachments. Would be strong and light, especially if designed for children.

Totally with you Ron, that's why I'm a lover of the clamps for yacht construction.
The clamps slip rather than break, with clamps the entire yacht bits will fit into small box with just the tube being obtained locally... Bill Finch built many yachts like this and sent them all over the country.
With a top A frame a lot of the mast force is taken to the back axle rather than the main spine or mast tube.

For him ya could use that space between 'is ears and reinflate that gut of 'is.
Me i'd just inflate my Silver Streak suit and i'd manufacture my own gas![}:)][}:)]

Get ya eyes tested!
Don't ya know a fine specimen of man flesh when ya see one

Hi Paul,
Keep humming bird in Kal, Just basic dimensions and some hints will do for now.

You mentioned a Bunnings built mast- I dusted off some ancient catalogues from my hardware days and worked out that:

"PORTA" make and sell 35mm x 3.6m tassy oak dowell available through Bunnings or practically any hardware shop.

32mm class 18 pvc pipe- I.D of 35.4mm, O.D. of 42.25mm should fit over the tassie oak,
40mm class 12 pvc pipe- I.D. of 42.8mm, O.D. of 48.25mm should fit over both these as an outer casing.

I figure that if the pvc pipes are cut to 4m or 4.2m, the offcuts can be sleeved together to supply a boom of 1.8m to 2m.(no wastage)

Dont know if its feasable compared to hi tensile aluminium tubing- but at least the dowell and PVC pipe are commonly available.

Still trying to figure out a smaller Bill Finch type of landyacht, scaled down to suit kids up to around 40ish? kg on ovals. Instead of the Finch linkage steering- pre welded lefroy mini type steering and mast step that slides onto the front of the chassis spine, possibly secured by the top and bottom braces (unsure if that would work?)

Aiming for a simple set of instructions for assembly, a shopping list for bolts, steel, timber, wheels etc from as few suppliers as possible.
possibly having the steering head and mast step pre made in one piece- from a jig that could be passed around or copied.
plywood seat- stitch and glue, or basic plastic seat, shadecloth floor to protect feet. Ankle straps like Chook uses.
Sail based on the simple "Puddle Duck Racers"
The whole kit able to be assembled (as much as possible) by the kids themselves.
If this "kit" works, I will be aiming it squarely at local Scout troops and pushing for inter-troop events, but this is a bit further down the track!

I am trying to steer this project away from using any windsurfer based landyacht parts as they are hard enough to find as it is.

If you- or anyone have any ideas or hints- dont hesitate to chuck them my way!
I dont mind admitting I will probably make lots of mistakes with this one!

All the best

stephen.

landyacht said...
[ I know of 4 early lefroy minis that have had 1 sail at the most, 1 has gone to the tip complete.

One thing I've discovered in the UK is that Land Yachts get donated to clubs or British Sailing members on a free to collect basis. The start of mine was free, and since then I've been offered 3 more with odd bits missing. York has a few spares for people to hire and if they stay they can get pointed at a free or cheap one to carry on with. Beneifits everyone

Cheers Col

Just been sketching ideas over the last couple of days after thinking a bit about this topic.

Being that my Dads a plumber I went the PVC pipe route and came up with a design that I think will be more than strong enough to handle a Tarp sail and ~40kg child, and built using only 5 specialty parts (3 x axles and 2 x clamps) and off-the-shelf PVC fittings (plus miscelaneous bolts, blocks, etc). Did a quick quote and it ends up a lot more expensive that a LLM/scaled down LLM chassis kit/Potty.

For interests sake its lucky Evolution is not without its dead ends


Anyone else having any luck sketching...

That is what evolution is all about.. All or most of the dangerous ideas are removed from the Gene Pool. Try not to be one of Natures Removals.
Ron

Here is a good site with lots of sail info for the do it yourselfer .www.sailrite.com/How-To-Projects-Guides/Sail-Data/ShowAd.aspx?id=4561&SourceID=2&BoatName=SEA%20SNARK

Hi, I tried blue line poly as a 400mm mast extension.
It was hopeless.
It looked the part but as soon as it was used/put under pressure, it curved badly and let the top of the sail flap badly.
In the end I jammed some alloy pipe down it to keep me going.

I have now replaced it with a piece of an old straightened out windsurfer boom.

The poly risers would be a similar setup as the 1mtr tall ones I have in the vege garden, all list to one side.
The yellow band gas pipe has a slightly thinner wall from memory with a bit more strength, but has a permanent curve to it.

Sorry to be a downer.

Have I miss understood you Paul?
Your PVC mast didn't work