Hello all,
This is my first post here. I've decided to revive my yacht built 5 years ago. This was entirely my design but I see it has some similarity with the LLM so this website has been very helpful.
I'm making some updates to it this winter:
-Converted handle bar steering to foot steering
-Simplified mast step (hoping to elliminate stays)
-New wheels
-Improved sheet system
-Better seatbelt
-Changing up the sail
Just a few questions for you guys:
-My mast fits over my mast step rather than inside. It is about 30" high. Will this be strong enough or will the mast want to split because it is not inside the mast step tube. I am aware some are using wood or old mast as inserts to strengthen the mast. One pic has stays supporting the mast but I was hoping to eliminate them with my new mast step.
-I have several full batten sails which would be suitable if recut (see orange/purple sail in pics). But I dug out these older triangle sails the other day and they fit so nice. One has no battens and the other has partial battens. Would these be suitable.
Pitchlynn,
Hi and welcome to the Forum.. Anything is suitable just so long as it catches wind and propels you along.. Now Efficiency is another matter 
The better the construction of the sail to suit your intent the better you will go to make that standard. Look through Sail making and you will gleen all the knowledge you require to get the best. If you follow Landyachts patterns you will not go far wrong.
Sticky Notes at the top of Sail Making Page.
Ron
Thanks for the welcome. I've found loads of good ideas on this forum. I'm enjoying working on my rig this winter and taking advantage of work and using the shop. We are setup for welding and have lots of bondo to cover up my newby welds. I've done everything on my list of upgrades and more. Looking forward to taking this baby out again. I even cut one of my sails and managed to sew it on my domestic machine. I remembered that I outfitted my Hobie 16 with a new main sheet system so the old setup was free to use on my rig, which is super nice for the land sailer.
The only thing I'm not sure what to do with is reinforcing my mast. I've got a 30" tube welded to the frame like you guys but it fits inside the mast rather than outside. I tried to use another mast on the inside but it doesn't fit well and doesn't seem like it will help. What do to beef this thing up?
Stress points are always a concern, by putting the mast over a internal support like you have there is a stress point where the internal tube finishes. By using a mast support tube that the mast fits into the stress is reduced by flaring out the top of the support tube and inserting a timber blank internally and the top of the timber insert would ideally be tapered off a bit again to minimise any stress points. Its a series of many things that makes the mast base work.
You could possibly turn up a wooden plug to fit inside the mast step at the top
and extend up six inches or so in a taper to remove the hard stress point and wrap some glass cloth on the outside of the mast in the same area extending up a way and tapering in thickness again toward the top That I think would help the mast strength a lot in that area if you are worried about it Just a thought
Hi Pitchlynn. The mast looks to be fibreglass and I would add a few turns of glass tape around the bottom of the mast also, there is a lot of stress there as well as up at where the internal pipe finishes.
But as you have gone to a lot of work with steering, new wheels etc then why not fit a new tube to be external to the mast and weld it further forward as far as you can, rake the mast to about 8-10 degrees and shape a 700mm wooden plug internal. The tube I used is thin walled ex galv fence post, 61mm OD, 54.5mm ID cheap as chips from a scrap yard....wok
Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm using the carbon mast in my pictures not the orange glass one. Not sure if that changes much as far as my mast base goes. It sounds like I need to do something. Wish I had done this before welding a strap under the frame. I'm not sure which is more work: totally new base or making this one work somehow.
What would moving the mast forward and raking it do for me? Better handling, more speed?
Also, my carbon mast is 2 piece with an aluminum joining tube. Will this work or do I need to do something for this? I have some spare one piece glass mast that would work if I do redo the mast base and put a coat of clear on.
Now I'm only a newby so I shouldn't be giving advice until I've completely messed up myself many times. But if you go to the trouble of fitting a new tube forward and raking it. 1. It will still be balanced 2. Lowers the CE 3. Lowers the Clew for attaching the sheetrope and still gives you head clearance above the seat.....and..... 4. Looks very sexy (most important). I have several masts and they are all about 51mm OD so no problems there. An angle grinder ("angle growler" according to my little grandson) will clean up the existing mast step in minutes, your spine looks to be about 50mm diameter so no problems there either. Is the unit close to Mini5.6 dimensions.
Happy pondering the options....wok
I meant that the 51mm mast will fit nicely inside the 54mmID mast tube. Also if the main chassis tube is 50mm diameter then it will still cope with the twisting effort of the mast as before. Mast still needs the wooden dowel to beef it up. I assume you agree that the laidback masts do look sexier!! 
Hey guys, I was able to stuff 78" of an old fiberglass mast inside the base of my carbon mast. Will that be enough to reinforce my mast if I go forward with replacing my internal base with an external one like the mini plans call for?
Hi Pitchlynn, I thought someone more qualified would have replied by now. I think the extra thickness gained by the mast section inside the mast would be quite satisfactory. If in doubt you can always fit a neatly tapered wood dowel inside that newer piece as well. Don't forget to flare the top end of the metal mast post so it gives a rounded edge for the mast to lean on.
The yacht looks good with the orange WS sail. I had to set lots of downhaul to the luff and lots of outhaul with mine so as to get the sail set reasonable. I will probably recut one of my WS sails as per Landyachts suggestion to make the luff sit better on the mast and then rejig to take a conventional boom rather than the WS boom. That will make things easier to set up and give me head clearance room under the sail.
Keep going, all looking good...wok
Thanks for the replies about stiffening my mast! Here some more up to date pics with my modified sail. The pics show my 30" tall internal mast base that I am considering changing to what you guys typically use.
