Thats one great looking mini! Hope your not offended, but I like it better than the class 5 beast.
Just more than a little troubled how the heck anyones going to build anything to match your machine (it looks dang fast) in the near future 
ditto that
, Im getting a sense of being whupped again bring on the marathon
I"ll have to set a course where Im he only one who can find the marks[}:)]
I haven't even finished mine and it looks to be seriously dated This said Im pretty sure theres a hell of a lot of fun to be had in the stock mini yachts. Looks like I'll be getting a mini sail for myself soon, thankfully it should fit straight onto the next gen 'lachlan mini yacht'
This hobby/leisure activity is a trap!!!
dont forget that the yacht hasnt sailed yet
and there is a history attached to skinny 20" wheels on really light yachts( and they were big heavy 5's),
You will note that I havent gone to 20" , letting others do the experiment
. will that seat be trong enough in a spin
my first one ripped in half.
I cant yet hear a fat lady singing
Pauls right the thing hasn't sailed it may very well be a dog.(it was a winter project to keep me amused) I have beefed up the seat and can only hope it does not break in half. Hey Paul can you bring a couple of spare sails not sure if I will get mine finished or if it will work.
Cheers
AUS230
I guess with a racing beast if it never breaks you will always wonder if its too heavy If it breaks you at least know where its not strong enough and can strengthen that place Sure doesnt look like a dog to me
Looking forward to seeing how it goes
You are gathering up quite a fleet there Vic
Not meaning to be picky but, I thought part of the reason to use this size was for portability??
Not quite, but almost as awkward as a 5? Now if you made a top almost the same perhaps everything could go inside the "suitcase?
Transporting is not a problem it fits inside my patrol roof rack with room for another and other stuff. It is light not stripped it weighs 24kg.
The old yacht is more for lending out to people that may like to try land sailing and hopefully join the sport.
Paul you mentioned some history with skiny wheels what was the problem
Cheers
AUS230
What do skinnies perform like on the beach? im guessing they sink in the sand easier than my peter lynn types. The skinnies do look much better than mine, so I may make some for hard surfaces.
regrds
Jay
Select to expand quoteIts still got pull out axles, you jst have to pull em out
Even with a big 4x4, I can pass the body of the yacht up onto the roof rack with one hand, and Im usually too lazy to take the front wheel off. I get 3minis , lots of sails and 2 swags on top with skill. I do prefer the 2 piece seat for portability and packing, even the new 5 has a removeable back
Ah, but there we have the point that Paul Beckett portrayed to me when he evolved the Blowie.
You should not need to have a 4x4! His premise was that you could fold it up and put it in the back of your Starlet, motor home etc. One of the reasons for the lowering of the numbers of sailors with the Auckland Land Yacht club way back was that you NEEDED a 4x4 to get to the sailing venues. And who needs one for day to day running round? Owning a particular vehicle to allow for your toys is not a positive way for the masses.
Now perhaps he was wrong, BUT Clemco tells me there are likely to be about 4 or 5 Class 5's and a few less bigger yachts at the event on 90 mile beach in a month or so. How many Blowies go to their events? (Rhetorical question).
If I had a smaller car I would have made the yacht fold in half and if the need arose I would do that. I feel a lot better traveling on country roads in my patrol which has nothing to do with my hobby. actually my class 5 fits on a garden trailer that could be towed with a mini moke as there is no weight. and I think most people own a small trailer. and all sailing areas that we use are 2 wheel drive accessible.
Cheers
AUS230
This one folds/disassembles to go in the boot of a commodore
www.seabreeze.com.au/Media/View/9750/Land%20Yachting/All-terrain-mini/
Ah the great Aussie Tank! Take this all the way I intended, ie not too seriously.
I think that the situation for many of you guys may be a bit different. The mini in all the "stuff" is build it as cheap as you can, recycle, re-use etc. The cost of running 4WD is pretty harsh over here, so most people choose to use a smaller vehicle. The 5 was originally a "car topper" for 2 door cars, and some of us (me included) grew it away from that. Having said that my 5 was carried for a long time on the roof of the TR7 in Europe!
I must have got the wrong end of the stick when I read Pauls "Mini Yacht Reasons"!
Well the mini beast did not turn out to be a dog. It preformed well but needs some small changes , as to be expected I guess. It was very stable (was what had me worried about having a small yacht.) I found that it can point higher than other yachts. I am quite happy about the wheels they performed well. The y frame design gave a very comfortable ride which is what I was after with the design.
As for the cost of building, less the sail was around $180. If I had to purchase the materials I guess it would have been around $700 including the mast but not the sail.
Cheers
AUS230
Do you think this is a more "flexi" yacht than others (ie LLM built to the plans).
As I have referred many times (ad nauseum) I think flex is the answer and wonder if you have cracked it!
Very ineesting in the marathons
frst race started with Crazy trav in The standard LLM "fencepost modernist bues"taking off into the blue and actually lapping us all. ( thats the first time ive ever been lapped!) Unfortunately a helpfull spectatotr drove out on a quad and told him the race had been cancelled due to no wind, whilst the rest of us kept sailing.
in the rerun race Vic got away to a good lead and would point well upwind , but Iseemed to catch himon the downwind leg ( never enough) the legs were 5km of open lake, so on a shorter , more complex course It will be very interesting . certainly no fat ladies singing at this time
no more lending out my good sails either
I think they are 20 inch bike wheels which would make them 100 mm bigger in diameter than Fallshaws
Rims and tyres are from a 20" bmx with the spokes and hub removed and replaced with fiberglass discs, and scaff tube hub turned out to take bearings.
In the mini marathon Travis actually got away first. But I managed to overtake on the upwind leg. Paul passed me on the second leg, I thought Dam, but then realised he was not going faster but taking a better line around the markers so changed tactics a bit and over took him on the upwind leg and made sure I did not make the same mistake again. All in all I was very happy with the yacht for its first outing and it should get quicker as it gets modified/tuned.
There are a few changes I am going to make before our next encounter.
Modify the steering a little
Cut the seat and lift at the back a little for better vision
Double down haul the front of the sail
Hopefully borrow/buy a sail of Paul
Just wondering how your modifications are coming and if you can post a picture of minibeast rigged and/or sailing (this is a sly way of asking to see how you have rigged your mainsheet/blocks )?
Finished most of the modifications to the mini.
Cut and raised the back of the seat .
Cut and hand sewed the luff of the sail .
Installed double down haul to the front of the sail
As I use a fair bit of rake on my mast I did not see the need to cut any of the foot. may have to add a small piece to the back of the foot, I have not adjusted the top battens yet .
Wish I had somewhere around here to test it.
Cheers
AUS230
