G'day crew, i am a52 year old bloke , keen surfer and sailor all my life , looking to get into land yachting,around Sandy Point area .Would like to get 14 year old youngest son interested ,so would need an attachment for a laptop.
Would really appreciate some advice on what and where to buy a suitable yacht, am looking at the blowcarts .
Are you dead set on buying a Blokart- or would you and your son like to try building your own?
welder (arc or mig)
cut off saw, angle grinder and basic handyman skills are all you need.
build 2 landyachts and you can have a race!
have a look at the construction section- at the top there is a bunch of "sticky" threads about building your own.
any questions- just shout!
stephen.
G'day stephen thanks for reply,never been on a forum b4 not sure what you mean by sticky threads ,do you mean just check out all the posts, Am up for building one have the skills. also have 3 old windsurfers and rigs that may be usefull
regards Sudsy
ok stephen ,sussed the thread thing thanks
would still be interested in some feedback on what to buy and where,does anyone know if your allowed to use them in Sandy Point Vic area
regards Sudsy
Yep! Sudsy,
Get into the shed and clear some floor space and get too it.. If you are any good with a pen and pencil and a few basic Geometry tools then a good place to start is from a print out of Paul Days LLF mini and re-draw them to scale.. It may seem like reinventing the wheel but I found it quite handy to get my head around what had to be done and when.. Lucky Stiff having a bit of Wind Surfer gear laying about and no doubt you have the connections to gather up other broken or no longer used gear.. Grab what you can and keep a stock.
Look around Recycling Depots etc for good waste materials etc and once again pick up what you can where you can. About the only thing you will need to buy that might cost $$$ Is decent wheels and Rib Pattern Barrow Tires.. There are a few Land Yachters in Vic and I am just over the puddle from you and like has already been said "Just Shout" and I've no doubt you will be bombarded with information and Advice..
Ron
PS, Keep your eyes open for disused Airfields and there is a Salt lake out in the middle of Victoria Lakes Tyrrel and Hindmarh should be worth a look.
Thanks for your feedback guys .This is probably a silly question but i havent seen any footage of crashes, and am trying to get a sense of how often you capsize and how much it hurts . i presume like most sailing you can sail conservatively and still have fun,
Well! Sudsy, I doubt that you will sail conservatively as SPEED is Somehow addictive. I doubt that there is a quantity that can be put on Crash Pain, It is a Relative thing[}:)].......Depends on how you crash or what you crash into. For instance I've been sailing for 18 months to 2 years and crashed only twice. No I've not been going at it slowly, if you look at the design of Club 88 and Occum's Razor you will see why. C of G is at Axle height or lower. Having said that crash one at about 50kmph Capsized, seat belt held me in place and very nearly required help to escape a Land Yacht on it's side. No pain but a little damp.. Second Crash speed unknown (Very Fast) Out of control and the machine failed to make a complete turn. No Pain and very very WET knee deep in The Bass Straight----------Well there was a fair bit of pain to my Wallet as I soaked my Helmet Cam and GPS Data Logger. How ever if one Crashed at High Speed into an oncoming Land Yacht, Rocks, Pedestrian or Motor Vehicle I'd say one could suffer a great deal of PAIN, however one should take great care where one sails and avoid these situations..
Full Sails and more speed,
Ron
Thanks Ron
those odds sound ok to me , really dont want to break anything at my age, lower back already pretty sus
the minis we build are suprising safe, but it always helps to build with safety in mind.
a good lap belt and hard hat are really the important bits.
ive dunked at 90+ kph and you just slide to a stop, obviously try to avoid sailing close to solid objects
Lost track of the times that I have ended up in trouble over the last few years. But never had a scratch it is very safe especially with a seat belt
Vic,
You are seriously found of doing that stuff, aren't you. That series seems vaguely familia ? Different machine I think.. The idea is to encourage Sudsy.. Not scare the Bejesus outta him[}:)]
Ron
No the same machine, the point is that these machines are very safe even when they prang as you are held away from the ground by the mast and wheels
Probably the worst I have see was crazy Trav . Sailed at night and jumper a causeway on Lake Lefroy again no injury . (lesson use lights on obstructions at night
)
Thanks Ron and aus 230, starting to get my head around the sport by spending alot of time following threads on the forum and the Blokart website.While Im definately not loaded the Blowcarts look fairly reasonable price wise compared to say dirt bikes,my problem is I reckon I need 2 of em to get sons and maybe daughters interested.Stephens Idea of building is good .Where I anticipate using them I will have to cart them over a couple hundred meters sand dune to set up.
regards sudsy
Sudsy- sounds like you need to build a fleet!
Best wheels and tyres from Fallshaw-(best choice) these have taken over 100kph! and are magic.
Followed by Richmond castings, a bit cheaper- but I havent had tried them out myself.
Main chassis spine is steel fence post, rear axles are square tube, axle shafts/ wheel bearings are 20mm
Bodies of marine ply, sides of body around 200mm high, seat belts, ankle straps to keep feet inside (kids have a habit of putting feet out to slow down- or when tipping over)
Collect all the old masts, booms and sails you can- even damaged ones are usefull.
You can use unmodified sails and booms to start off- lower top speed- but better on hi-drag surfaces.
Stick to the dimensions shown in the plans and you wont go wrong- ask questions, take photos, have fun!
Dragging them over sand dunes is a necessary evil- but you can load the sail and mast onto the yacht and tow it all behind you- I hook a piece of light conduit onto the front axle and it works pretty good- much better than pushing.
stephen.
As far as capsizing goes- I am too busy laughing when it happens!
when you get a bit "tippy" just back off with the sheet rope a bit.
I have capsized a few times on grass, mud lake bed, salt lakes and never been hurt yet- only time I had an ouchy was at Lake Gnangara- hit a deep wheel rut at speed, lost all steering- landyacht pivoted around, got airborne and hit the ground pretty hard.
landyacht was fine- but it reminded me where my kidneys were for a couple of days.(better padding instead of bare plywood might have helped too!)
Biggest worry with new sailors and kids in landyachts is keeping thier feet inside- no matter how hard you tell them, they will try using thier feet as brakes, or first few times on 2 wheels they tend to panic a bit and put thier feet out.
Either a closed body- or ankle straps to the mast step solve the problem.
stephen
@ sudsy
Now you need to understand mate that most people who get involved in this sport, be it for pleasure, fame or fortune, are certifiable maniacs.
So when you see a series of photos like these you have to think:-
If anybody can do that to a thing that looks as though it has just come from outer space and then stand up and shed a tear over the wreckage, it appears to be quite a safe vehicle. I might get one.
hi sudsy
if you must go the blokart way look up the trading post do a search for land yacht in victoria and i think you might be interested in what comes up.
is Newlands Arm any where near you,
it might solve your problem or create one,
I still think there is nothing better than the joy and satisfaction you get when you can say it was built not bought. And if by some remote chance you have a major spill and do some damage it wont hurt the pocket as much
cheers peter
G, day guys thanks for feedback
Peter ,newlands arm about 4 hours away, why? and no 2nd hand yachts for sale in vic.
Leaning towards building, but never been good at delayed gratification, so anything might happen yet ,a good blokart salesman could probably stitch me up pretty easy.
Thanks for photos, I have a feeling you guys arent telling me something re stacks , surely something that looks that much fun at that much speed has more physical consequences than just broken gear .I have a couple of mates who were into hangliiders in the early days ,[ you guys sound like your cut from the same cloth,] and they were {are] definatley mad .
cheers sudsy
There are a few for sale on Gumtree at the moment...
www.gumtree.com.au/s-melbourne/land+yacht/k0l3001317
But I think you would still get better value in DIY building a LLMini or 2
Hey Sudsy's kids,
Tell your dad not to be such a woos and start building- and give him a hand while he is at it,
My ten (at the time) year old son was in a borrowed landyacht at Lake Lefroy, tacking out from the causway, screaming back towards the causeway, doing huge broggies drifting sideways trying to spray his mum with salt- just like ice skaters do with thier blades.
After 10 or so big broggies, Brodie had a lot of salt on his sunglasses and couldnt see where the causeway was- didnt turn in time- hit the causeway, got airborne and smacked fair into the side of a parked 4 wheel drive.
No one even batted an eye, no damage to Brodie or the Hummingbird landyacht (apart from a bent pedal) less than 2 minutes later Brodie was out doing broggies again.
dont be scared of pranging- even if it hurts- scars are something you can say you earned and are great for showing off, besides.......chicks dig scars!
Stephen.
Shees Sudsy, your worse than those chooks I have down the back.. Talk about clucking about. LY's are the simplest things to build, you just need to take a little care with the precision is all. Given the way the younguns think today they need an example set for them by the adults, get them interested and using their hands and heads they will develop skills they never knew they had.
Some of the Crap my son does these days I wonder "where he learned that"
Turns out that he learned from other stuff and reapplied it. Like I said earlier "Go out to the shed and get about it.. Go the Blokart way you will only cost yourself a bomb
www.seabreeze.com.au/classifieds/Results.aspx?search=LeN1XuXb7lyXMCNDZke91YvfGJ4vBQTq which you could build at least 2 machines for have more fun, teach the kids a thing or three and build a knowledge base that will take you a long way..
Ron
Buying is only the Lazy Mans way out with more money than sense
What could be simpler than that???
ok guys thanks for the rev up , bloody hell , a woos and a chicken and I havent even started yet ,
youngest son liked your story stephen
sudsy
there is a blokart and a home made copy of a blokart for sale at Newlands Arm add says buy the blokart and have the copy for free. I just rang the guy and he still has a set ( he had two of each ) will pm his number. the blokes name is Des
regards peter
Thanks for that Peter . I will give him a call tomorrow , whatever happens will probably build one as well, as I do understand and appreciate what you guys are getting at
Hi Sudsy. Im in Bendigo, a couple hours north of you. My advice would be to build a couple at once, following the plans pretty closely. How ever many pilots you have, thats how many yachts you should build (assuming you can get hold of the sail gear).
I priced all of the stuff recently for a miniyacht minus the mast+sail+blocks and it came out to about $250.00 each (Fallshaw wheels, all new steel, plywood+fibreglass seat).
Sudsy,
Take Lachy's advice one step further and look at chooks pages and how he mad half a dozen in one hit.. [}:)]Seems they are cheaper by the dozen[}:)][}:)]. Seriously though you may get started and find that friends and neighbours get interested as well and that is where a set of jigs come in real handy.. Chook can attest to that I think.. PM him and get acquainted.
Ron
actually , if you can get a blowy and a copy in reasonable condition, for a relatively low price , go for it.
look out for rust bubbles under the paint, cracks and dents around the joins in the mast sections, worn or tired looking sail. check if the chassis frame has sagged from carrying a heavy load, particularly the front spine tube.
check for twist or poor alignment in the front steering assembly due to hitting gullies/rocks.
check for bending in the upper mast support bars, which is an indication of hard capsizes
blokart wheels are really good quality so that shouldnt be an issue
thanks Ron and Lachlan, been on chooks thread about building a few at once,obvious advantges .That photo of him with the pulse jet is a crack up ,funniest photo ive seen in a long time ,cant wait to show it to a couple of similar type mates .The interest i'm generating round this neck of the woods is unbelievable ,Ive got 5 blokes real interested and I'm not even trying .
cheers sudsy
Thanks Paul ,thats what I'm going to do,drive the 4 hours to check em out,appreciate the tips,if they are ok ,I will go for it ,then myself,the kids, and the blokes Ive got interested will have something to try straight away.Dont mind being the guinea pig, Iwill be real suprised if I dont love it even if no one else does.
cheers sudsy