another AirTrack mini - www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4801603281543&set=o.222072016457&type=1&theater
Blimey those photos are so last season
This things been roaming British beaches for a while now....and winning. Paul - remember the green seated thing from France last year that was fully adjustable for length, width etc
That was this ones prototype daddy
Using a cut down sail for the wind conditions, but normally full Class 5 rig.
Cheers Colin
(Rest of the Redcar photos in the link in the Events and Competitions section)
May as well have a class 5 if you go to all that trouble. Only extra cost would be the bigger rear wheels and 3 feet of ally tube. These mini yachts are bloody horrible to sail compared to a class5. Just my opinion after building and sailing one. Get back into class5 guys!
This looks a bit similar, I have sailed it for 4 years now. must have got something right
Clem I am a class5 man to, the mini's take the same effort to build but I think transporting is the big advantage over class5 although the one's in the pic's above would only pack down to seat size (about the same size as a class5)
Cheers
Vic
So far comes to races inside a car, unlike most Class5s that come on a trailer. Front end forward of the mast tube pops out and folds back on the steering tube inside the body. Axles pop out. Takes up less room than my LLF mini. I know as Martyn is part of the York club and I've helped him load it up a couple of times - Chris Wright has also sailed it with great success as well.
Clemco - it went out with the class 5s, for one race. It was slower, but a damn sight more stable going through the turning marks - one Class 5 bailed because it was too dangerous but that one kept going. Keeping in mind that we had gusts up to 37mph, the Class 3s didn't sail, several Standarts ended up in the sea, and that sailed through the lot (with the rest of the minis). Martyn is an ex Class 5 pilot and I don't see him going back. No problem building either, body from a class 5 mould, flat 'Y' chassis. Because of the easy transport and space restrictions we have in the UK I can see us having no separate Class5 by next year - already 3 of the top 6 pilots have swapped.
Cheers Col
Don't get me wrong, I think minis are great for introducing new people into the sport.
Also ideal for kids and OLD class5 pilots it seems.
I think the class5 yachts at Lake Walyungup will be around for a few years yet. The lake is a great leveler with wheels not making a lot of deference, The top racers on wheel barrow wheels constantly win over the big wheels it is that type of surface.
The minies overseas are almost all commercially built yachts as we predicted they would be(that is not a bad thing because people want to buy and sail) But they are not budget yachts as once the racing starts the cost goes up. Way of the world I guess.
But luckily for some of us building and trying to get them to work is part of the fun.
Building a class5 or a mini, most of the cost that I have found is in the sail/ blocks the rest can be made quite cheaply.(even the 26" wheels as we have demonstrated)
My Thoughts
Cheers
Vic
This is slightly off topic but is about my newer mini. Given up trying to find or spend up big on wide tyres for soft beach or grassed areas so am buying another two Fallshaw wheels in a few days. The idea is to make a second set of removable rear axles to fit dual 8x400 tyres on the rear. I think that will give me the large surface foot I need.
Am pulling out of Denham Wed morn, no wind of any sort to use my yacht and I have run out of puff working on the house, notice the forecast is for high winds Wed - just my luck, at least it is a northerly to blow me south! The continual string of brilliant red sunsets is almost getting boring and I've forgotten what rain is like...W
Point taken Paul but I think for my use the zero camber on softish sand or grass will tolerate it.
Would you believe that after making the decision to pack up here and go home that a gale blew up this afternoon and it has rained bucket loads. The rainfall in Shark Bay totalled 2mm over the last 9 months, now the locals are so confused to see that water is actually falling out of the sky that they are running excitedly around like chooks with their heads cut off! Not you Chook2, I could'nt imagine you getting that excited at rain.
