What do experienced karters think is the most effective value for money improvement when developing a performance Kart from a production model? What order would you develop a Performance Kart? EG
1. Carbon Fibre mast sections
2. Rachet Block
3. mast Crane

etc.

Looking forward for your opinions!!!

InlandSailor said...

What do experienced karters think is the most effective value for money improvement when developing a performance Kart from a production model? What order would you develop a Performance Kart? EG
1. Carbon Fibre mast sections
2. Rachet Block
3. mast Crane

etc.

Looking forward for your opinions!!!

Greg best improvement i can suggest is two karts the same set up and practice practice,time in kart is the first step.

We have had this discussion on the beach at Bucasia many times with newbies and experienced karters.

While Barak has always said Pod first, I added a Carbon mast first (Ultras were not available at the time).

If you have to fold your kart down each time and you use it regularly, pod removal will slow setup/pack up time down a little and the windscreen clips will eventually suffer (silicon spray on the clips helps).

We now leave our podded karts assembled on short axles for convenience.

I think the pod is great but on short course is not as much benefit as a stiff mast.

On long runs, the pod helps top end speeds and is much more comfortable on wet runs. Upwind it has a definite advantage, but so does the Ultra Carbon.

The carbon base is only available as an Ultra Carbon now.

My two sons and I all run Ultra masts with a carbon second on top(no first and an extra 1/3 and the crane with the insert in the carbon second) and our weights vary from 60 to 90+kg. While Lachlan at 60kg has a bit more work to do to keep the wheels close to the ground, he still manages very well with the hard mast.

I jumped into one of the boys karts recently (with a pod) and could not work out why I couldn't get it to go as good as mine. When we were packing up and I took the sail off and I found the mast had been set up softer for some learners we had
out (It wasn't just me!).

I don't bother with cleaning bearings or balancing wheels. When you put a new tyre on, move it around until it is running smoothly on the rim. You may have to inflate and deflate it a few times to get it right. Lead weights can be glued into the spokes to balance the wheels.
Tyre pressure is very important. We run around 30-32 psi in the rears. Don't be tempted to max out the tyre pressure as blowouts and buckled wheels will be the result.
Front tyre pressure depends on the race surface. If the front is sliding out, let some air out. We run 25-30 psi in the standard wheels and 26-28 psi in the bigfoot. We mostly run on the beach.

I do recommend a good ratchet pulley (and they are legal in production as well). If you are spending the money, pay a bit more for the larger (around 60mm I think) pulley as they perform better and last longer.

The mast crane is still a mystery to me. We run them but others have said you can get some of the benefit by shortening the turban string to lift the sail up. Replacing the string with a shackle may help lift the sail.

For starters, I would buy a good ratchet pulley, then the Ultra base set (base and one third) and add the extra ultras as need and budget allows. Once you have those bits add the pod and enjoy the fun.

As all have said, get out and practice as that adds to the fun of having a blokart.

Darren

My two cents worth.
With out a doubt the single MOST IMPORTANT! thing before anything else is sail shape and your battens and a ultra carbon mast are fundamentally the most important components to your Blokart, both these two items determine the sail shape, get that right and then get a pod, everything else will fall into place.
I experimented racing with carbon and no pod against a kart with a pod and glass, we swapped around karts and there was no comparison the carbon beat the pod hands down.
Forget any glass /carbon combination, go fully ultra carbon all the way and get rid of the top section and use the second section as your top, you can't have too stiffer mast with the Blokart sectional mast.

Just out of curiosity, has anybody sailed a blokart with a one piece mast??

souds like its time to get the wallet out