I have decided a lefroy mini is the go due to ease of transport ,similar specs to the blokarts (making racing interesting) and to support what could become a very interesting class.With this in mind I hope Corey goes ahead with his plans for a couple of lefroy minis and I might be able to make a race of it (unlike the beating he gave me in the 16 sq). As you can see below I have only started construction this afternoon.
The first 3 photos are a timber mock up to look at room, stress and structural problems
The forth is the first weld of the project
Axle cut and welded
Wow, it looks like you've got a few projects on the go in that garage! 
Keen to see this build progress! 
I'm going to do a mini too, for those exact reasons.
Great to see another project beginning. Good luck with it.
On my mini I used mast supports as you are and found them to be a problem for my knees when steering. It also hinders getting into the machine at times. only saying something as it looks like your supports are well inboard from the wheels although they are mounted higher to your mast support, not sure if this will change things a lot. Anyway, good to see a mock up, hope it comes together without trauma
Current projects
Long term-LX V8 hatchback torana
spinnakered 4.3 maricat (joint project with son ,I'm happy with my 16sq)
Short term-HQ supercharged 6 cyl one tonner (joint project with son)
maintenance on my 16sq (use it to much in summer to keep up)
Lefroy mini
maintenance and paint ditch witch trencher
Future-get a TIG (the MIG arc & oxy are great but I would like to be able to do
fine/neat work on s/steel and alloy)
replace nacra 16sq with a taipan ?
talk the son and friend into a land yacht if mine works out
Problems-sheds to small
time (work tends to get in the way)
distance (I look at some of the places you guys/gals sail & I'm jealous)
Greetings Iand, I will get my finger out a build a couple of minis over winter now that there are likely to be a few to race against, I was intending to build them as per Pauls plans with only a few minor changes to suit material that I have sitting around the workshop. I was intending building 1 for me, another for Leon and 1 for Scott (although after Scott beat me at the last nationals I may have to make his a bit slower than the others). Hav'nt got as far as thinking about the seat, sails or mast yet but I will have to do some hunting for parts eventually. I hav'nt told Scott and Leon about this yet as I have plenty of work on at the moment and it may take me a little while to get them done, they did show some interest in my other alum yacht when they got sick of pushing me around the park.
Which 16sq is yours (then I'll know who i'm talking to)
and more importantly why would you want to change from a 16sq down to a Taipan, I sailed Taipan's years ago and they are great boats to sail but with the current situation at most Brisbane clubs they don't have many showing up to race, on the other hand the 16sq is as strong as ever in QLD and with the National and State Champs both sailing at Humpybong (as well as plenty of other extremely quick boats) why would you want to sail anything else? (As a side note Scott may be a bit slow to get back into it this next season as Wendy has just given birth to there first baby boy, and i,m sure he will be busy at home for a little while).
Why do all my posts seem to end up being so long ?
Till next time
Corey
Hi Corey
I raced against you about a year ago at cleveland at that time I had only sailed a 16sq 2 or 3 times (previous boats-sabot,moth,paper tiger,125,hobie16 etc)result-you and Leon,1&2 I came 3rd,Scott in 4th and I think there was 2 or 3 others.I was talking to Leon the sunday before last ,asked if you had tried your LY yet and heard his version of pushing you round.Regards considering a taipan at 71 kg I am easily overpowered with the 16sq and a cat rigged taipan is probably a better boat for me. My 16sq is I believe Scott's father's old boat sail #21. As for slowing Scott down, I believe you are the current national nacra 16sq tittle holder? and I'm suggesting we make you carry extra ballast.Noticed you asked about dia of mast/mast support tube, the windsurfer mast I'm using is 51.5mm OD,2.25''exhaust pipe is 53.5mm ID and approx 2mm gauge,
hope this helps.
Regards
Ian
Lachlan
Thanks for the input regards the bracing,this was why I built a mock up, the steering bar will be in front of the mast as apposed to yours. This will to a degree relieve (but not solve) the knee problem. These things happen when you challenge yourself.
Regards
Ian
Progress continues
flaring mast tube
checking mast tube and mast.... on right-softer surface setup???
checking mast rake
checking mast is vertical and rake is right
very sweet. 
HINT in windows picture manager go to edit pictures then compress pictures.then compress for websites. It will be alot quicker to put them on seabreez and we can view them easier.
And the yacht is looking great.
I am really getting sick of seeing pictures of other people's lathes on this site.[}:)]
Is that a visit to Hare and Forbes and $3,500 jumping out of my till I can see in my horror scope (did I spell that right
), or is it another blokart with the same financial implications. Hmmmm?
By the way iand, I think the chain saw motor to run the fridge in the trailable Esky is a great idea. You WILL be popular when we get to the remote end of the beach.
Edit. See "Box Trailer for Your Land Yacht" in the blokart section.
ditto cisco, but we get to see the aussie fleet of home builts get bigger and bigger. Should be great fun when we all get to the same beach so i can flog the lot of yas in one go
Didn't realize showing how the steering shaft was built would upset you.
I will rectify this.
My apologizes 
Ian
I apologize on behalf of the unlatheworthy amongst us. Out of interest where is the lathe and how big a hiab will cisco and I need.[}:)]
Here is a pic of my lathe..(probably a good starting point)
Chinese made, 150mm Dia swing, 300mm between centres, 20mm through the chuck, and an over head mill.
It works well on plastic, aluminium, brass etc but not brilliant with steel as no lube cooling system.
In 15 years I have only 2 jobs that didnt fit and had to outsourced.
I notice that your cross slide is attached by T bolts and slots. A great feature and as described by Kody allows for attachment of clamps, plates etc for holding work pieces and using the lathe head as a milling head.
But yours also has the overhead mill/drill. Endless possibilities!!
Machining of steel should still be quite possible as long as depths of cuts are kept small. Looks like you give it plenty of use too Brian.
Do you reckon we could manhandle that one Paul??
Cheers Cisco.
Edit. A lube cooling system I have had to use in more than one commercial workshop consisted of 1.25l plastic water bottles with a small hole drilled through the cap. Also lube pump kits can be bought from HAFCO for I think around $200.
Couple of shots showing progress and adjustable steering,the wheel and handlebars won't be on the finished product.
Hi iand,
You weren't supposed to take me seriously on my lathe comment. I love to see shots of that sort of thing. I just hate the fact that none have been taken by me yet.
Your progress is looking really good. It's obviously got you on fire. Your front end is very similar to what I had in mind, that is, using the steering head and forks from a kid size BMX bike. I assume the steering shaft in the pic is the one you had in the lathe. You may need to put a gusset or strut between the front tube and the mast step by the looks as there is quite a bit of downward pressure when the sail loads up.
I am really interested to see how you set the steering shaft up at the angle in the fork. Do you have any photos of when you were doing that?? If not could you possibly take a pic of the fork and shaft assembly on it's own and post it please.
You are going to have a hot yacht when you have finished and I will make a point of contacting you when I am next in Brisbane. If you are looking for a good place to sail the bottom end of Bribie Island (Red Beach) is very good. Argueably the best beach in Queensland is Farnborough Beach at Yeppoon. About a 7-8 hour drive from Brisso but definitely worth it if you pick the right weekend.
Adios Amigo till we meet again, Cisco
) those blokarts[}:)]
The steel stock I was using is to smaller diameter, so welded it up and turned it.
Axle ready for assembly
Turned section welded to inner square tube (note pipe over bearing holder and thread to protect from weld splatter
inner tube coated with tectol, inserted in outer and welded
Tectol poured in tube then left to drain prior to welding cap on end to seal
end cap welded to axle
retaining tag welded to axle
nut in position ready for welding
axle retainer finished
ready to build rear sheeting/seat support and foam sandwich seat.
That looks really great, well done. I especially like the oxy-acetylene welding. It is far better than manual arc/stick for thinner walled tube. Great stuff!
Kody
Thanks Joe
I pick you as a man to whom the journey is as important as the destination.
ie. The planning and building is half the fun. (although buying and getting straight in can be fun to)
Yeah it looks fantastic, however I think it differs enough from a Lefroy Mini to warrant its own name. Any ideas?
Phil
Thanks you've given my an opening to express some of my aims in the design and construction I'm attempting. (you seem to make a habit of helping me)
At no stage was I trying to copy the Blokart and any resemblance is a coincidence. My aim was to build a Lefroy mini with light weight materials, so a triangular structure made sense as a T structure like Landyachts (which I consider brilliant in its simplicity in design and functionality in speed and terrain it can it can handle) would collapse using thin light gauge tubing. I choose to do it the hard way as a challenge for myself and the use of different techniques (foam sandwich seat which I hope to start tomorrow). That being said I already consider it a success and a failure, and wouldn't expect it to keep up to a conventional Lefroy mini on anything but a smooth surface. I hope in my small way that I helping to promote the class and new ideas.
PS I'm already considering MARK 2 and a Landyacht design as a workhorse to see if I'm in the ballpark. Anyone in the Brisbane building a Lefroy let me know (just remember I still havn't seen a landyacht in the flesh)
MOTTO-(I got from a Friend) Bite off more you swallow, then chew like hell.
For iand
It's looking really great iand. If you are using light gauge material as you say, triangulation is the way to go. Speaking of which, I still think you will need to triangulate your front end to the mast support with either a strut or gussett.
It just doesn't look like the join will be strong enough.
With your design, which is similar to a blokart with the struts from the mast to the rear axle, you will find that when sailing hard there are tremendous forces transmitted by these struts to the rear axle.
The blokart struts are bolted on and the bolts always come loose during hard sailing.
When you take your machine out for the first time it might give you a fright because I think it will go like the clappers. Make sure you have plenty of room.
A recommemded testing ground is Red Beach on the southern end of Bribie Island. Remember that land yachts are beam reachers like cats. With a low tide and a 15-20 knot south easter this location is near perfect. With those conditions there will most likely be other yachts there as well.
Best of luck and looking forward to seeing more of your progress. Cheers Cisco.
Cisco
Thanks for the advice I think you maybe right but not regards the joint, but the tube in front of the mast support bending. The joint is not a butt joint,the forward tube I cut at 45 degree welded a plate over, cut into mast support tube, welded at back inside and at the front outside as you can see in the photo. I would lay any bet the joint will hold.(any takers 
) Also the rear tubes are welded to the same point on the outside of the mast support tube.
Looks and sounds good to me. With your joint being that strong I doubt you will have any problem with the front tube bending if it is a reasonable grade of steel. It's just not that long.
So hurry up and get a rig on it and try it out. We are all waiting for pics, movies and tales of what it feels like to break the sound barrier in a land yacht.
Cheers Cisco.
