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Build a Landyacht. Lake Lefroy Mini Yacht

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Created by landyacht > 9 months ago, 5 Jan 2008
landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
5 Jan 2008 3:01PM
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I'm starting this post to do a step by step building lesson as I build a Lake Lefroy Mini. I intend to go through it from tools materials, wheels, steels, sails, masts, pulleys and ropes including building hints and "dont's".

PLEASE DO NOT POST TO THIS THREAD as it will get too long with repeated questions. Please post all questions, suggestion, or disagreements onto a separate thread and I will endeavour to keep the world in eternal happiness.


Lets start with the history of the design.

The project started 3 years ago as a challenge to equal or better some of the great design aspects of a BLOKART, without the pricetag. One lesson we learnt was that the blokart actually represents excellent value and is a lot harder to replicate than you would think.

The self imposed rules were to use the same wheelbase and sail area as a starting point. Materials were to be sourced as locally as possible and be materials that others could also source in their area.

Utililize recycled materials as much as possible.

The "final" product looks and sails great and managed to come up to many of the standards set by the BLOKART but certainly not all.

This yacht was designed by a team of up to 20 people in WA and SA over the three year period. I am indebted to the input that each person has put in.


PLEASE NOTE: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT TO PAUL DAY. YOU ARE WELCOME TO USE AND DOWNLOAD THIS INFORMATION FOR PRIVATE USE FREE OF CHARGE AND WITH MY BLESSINGS. YOU MAY NOT REPRODUCE THIS INFORMATION OR IMAGES FOR COMMERCIAL GAIN.

regards Paul Day

Photo's and step by step instructions to follow.
PLEASE DO NOT POST TO THIS THREAD BUT START A NEW ONE FOR QUESTIONS.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
5 Jan 2008 6:42PM
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This is the yacht we will build. this one features a slick fibreglass seat but along the way we will give info to buid a similar wooden seat ,and/or a fold up seat to make your yacht more compact.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
5 Jan 2008 7:05PM
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Tools to build with.
MINIMUM LIST
Large square
Small square
Bevel marker
Good protractor
Round file
flat file
large centre punch
small centre Punch
Hacksaw &/OR 100MM GRINDER
Drill with 13mm chuck
Good metal vice
Welder capable of a good weld with 2.5mm rods
A good flat level surface that you can weld on

RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Drill stand, 6 0r 12 speed
325mm metal drop saw

CONSUMABLES
good quality 2.5mm welding rods, Clean new wire if MIG
100mm metal grinding disk
100mm regular cutting disks
mega line cutoff disks( very thin cutting disks)
(Hint -Dont buy cheap Disks)

photo of tools below. note fingernail trimming tools for copyright enforcement support. The round object is a mystery. If you know what it is there is a prize. it has the ID of M-8 and patent march 23,1915.2221. I think it may be a machine gun mount but I dont know

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
6 Jan 2008 6:00PM
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WHEELS.
the yacht will be using 4.00x 8 rims commonly known as wheel barrow wheels. they are the most universally available wheels we've ever come across, usually reasonably priced and offer good rolling ability on a range of surfaces.
the Bearing most commonly seen is the 2"OD,1"ID low speed bearing. which is the easiest to build with . with a bit of work the wheels can be retrofitted with precision bearings , which will give longer life and higher performance.
In Australia expect to around the $50 per complete wheel. You may have to buy rim/tyre/bearings separately to get the best value .
The next post is a photo of what we've got hold of in the last 2 years. as you will see by the details and opinions of each wheel , price does not determine value.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
6 Jan 2008 6:37PM
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wheel 1 Fallshaw 4.00x8. steel. fitted with 20mm ID precision bearings. heaviest wheel in photo. Also available with2"/1" wheelbarrow bearings(2/1WBB)
Rated Excellent

Wheel 2 Fallshaw polypropylene 20mm ID precision bearing. also available with 2/1WBB
Rated Excellent

Wheel 3 Wheel ProductsS.A. steel with 2/1WBB. this wheel first used in 1985. and was fitted to cl 5 yacht in 1st place at 1986 Pacrim NZ. wheel still in use
rated Good

wheel 4 Polyplastics W.A. Polypropylene with 2/1WBB.
Rated Good

Wheel 5 Experimental polycarbonate/ABS wheels by Poly Plastics W.A. wheels tend to explode But I would like to thank the company for being willingto do the experiment at thier own cost .. modified and fitted with 20mm ID precision bearings

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
6 Jan 2008 6:46PM
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Wheel 6. Unknown brand ,polypropylene, to suit 25mm solid shaft.. also available in20mm,12mm.
Rated Very Poor unsuitable for landyachts or wheelbarrows

Wheel 7 Westmix replacement wheel from leading WA hardware retailer. note large quantity of lead glued to rim to attempt balancing.
Rated Very Poor. unsuitable for landyachts
Kalgoorlie steak knife and Kambalda toothpick shown for size comparison

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
18 Jan 2008 11:43PM
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MAIN CHASSIS /MAST TUBE STEEL.
photo below is of some suitable steel types for your lefroy Mini

The top tube is 60mm,2.5mm wall hot dip galv steel pipe from Smorgan steel. it is available in shorter than 6m lengths as fenceposts. this is the tube we will use for the mast tube. It MAY be suitable as a main chassis tube and I will build a chassis with this as well as one with one of the other tubes.
Tube 2 is NQ CORE TUBE recycled from a Diamond drilling company. it is a seamless tube, 57mmOD and 3mm wall. Often refered to as seamlessERW.
this is great tube for a full size class 5 yacht ,probably a bit too big for a mini, but if you can find some as salvage get as much as you can.

Tube 3 BQ CORE TUBE Same deal but49.5OD 2.1 mm wall. the best tube Ive yet found ,but a bit rare. ideal for a Mini

Tube 4 Underground diamond Drilling Rod. Seamless ERW tube of 46.8mmOD with 3mm wall. . Found as 3m drill rods.

for hose who are going to research sources for the seamless tubes I would recommend trying to ring around drilling companies in capital cities first. many bigger companies are city based despite the work being in the Bush. . You will need 300mm of the Galv Fencepost material for the mast step so if you cant locate any of the other material,dont lose sleep over it

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
20 Jan 2008 11:31AM
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Heres a couple of photos to demonstrate the simplicity of the yacht we're building. A seat in wood, plastic or fibreglass will be added after construction. what you see in the photos is the whole chassis. No extra 'A ' frames to be added later
The foot steering has an adjustable pedal arrangement with 250mm movement fore and aft. this allows for a pilot of 5' to 6' in hieght (excuse the flipping between measuring systems.)

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
20 Jan 2008 11:12PM
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The simple steering system shown in the previous photos was originally devised by a BLOKART owner in Esperance who only has one hand. Name of Shane Mortimer.He was having difficulty with steering and sheeting with one hand. He devised a simple cross bar clamped to the lower end of of the hand steering gear.
. Whilst I stuggling with a short system on the new yacht it was described to me and a simple sketch completed the design.we Have come to call the system "ROLL STEERING" . withe the feet on the steering the movement is actually up and down rather than back and forwards. It only takes one or two turns in the yacht to get the feel of it.. You can actually steer easily with only one foot.
when the yacht lifts a wheel your feet just flow along with the surface you are sailing across.
here is that original sketch.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
23 Feb 2008 10:50PM
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Apologies for slow work folks, Ive been off sailing.Almost back in the real worldand promoise to get thing moving soon.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
30 Mar 2008 7:42PM
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The rear axle is built from 35x35x2mm galv square tube, 500mm long. 2 dropsaw cuts which dont go all the way through will give the right wheel layover angle when welded back up


cut and drilled rear axle ready to weld.

clamp on a flat surface and weld up cuts. this should give a bend of up to 4degrees on each side.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
30 Mar 2008 7:56PM
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onto the rest of the chassis. Im using the 47mm drill tube for this chassis and the next one will use 60mm galv fence post material. The yacht I sailed at Gilles wasnt quite up to the blowies but when I pulled it down to measure the parts I realized that the boilermaker had let the rear axle warp to give toe in. Lesson do it yourself.
I have a welding Jig that i build my chassis's in . you can clamp the axles in tight to avoid warping and the chassis comes out nice and even every time.

here is the rear end completed. note the lugs to mount the seat. The 2 diagonal rods are 12mm round but 10mm would do the job just fine.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
30 Mar 2008 8:05PM
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The mast tube. I will be using 60x2mm Galv nominal bore pipe. this is commonly used for fenceposts. The next chassis will use the same tube for the chassis.
the top of the mast pipe should be flared out on an anvil or your vice . this helps to prevent the edge of the steel digging into the fibreglass mast you will be using later. All the sailboard masts I have come across so far will fit. the biggest I have seen is a Kilwell BL3 one piece with a heavily reinforced 100mm base
flaring the mast tube will only take a few seconds with the right tool
more tommorow.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
31 Mar 2008 10:41PM
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Guys , PLEASE dont post to this thread. put comments ,questions elswhere. the thread will get too big and full of bits to distract from the thread which is Build a Lake Lfroy Mini.
Thanks heaps

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
31 Mar 2008 11:00PM
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Day 2 of chassis number 1 build. A bit late finishing work so not too much achieved. ( chassis is finished though)

Im concentrating on finishing the front of the chassis. here is the drawingof what Ive done . NOTE not to scale tonight

heres a better view of the welding jig I use. its raised up so I no longer need to bend and the frame rotates through 360 degrees, so I can flat weld all the joints

The mast step I flared and cut has now been welded on. I weld the tops of the joint first then use a ball peine to work the pipe against the main beam tube. this wont be necessary with the Galv chassis as they will be the same size pipe

The main beam tube had previously been cut on a 30 degree angle( see plans) and now a piece of 3mm plate is marked, cut with a thin cutting disk and welded to the front

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
31 Mar 2008 11:20PM
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The jig has been rotated 180degrees to fit the front seat mount. on the wooden seat model this plate will go on top

There is no need to weld this all round ,just on the underside as seen in the photo.
next we need to fit and align the 30x30 square tube that will carry the front wheel. the piece is 130mm long. I place a piece of 25x25 inside and line it all up withthe centr of the mast step to make sure the steering alignment will be good and accurate

2 1 inch welds along each side will hold it all happily in place.
thats is . the main chassis is done . need to make front fork and rear axles, but I will repeat the chassis process with the galtube next and add the rear assembly for the wooden seat.

PLEASE dont post to this thread, Questions/comments /suggestions as a new post in the construction section thank you
Building a Jig maks life so easy. I managed to build a chassis in 2 sessions after work,and draw plans,take photos,and post it all.
You may now compliment me on my welding

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
1 Apr 2008 9:51PM
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or not

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
1 Apr 2008 10:25PM
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Started on the Galtube chassis tonight. the main beam pipe is the same as the mast support 60x2mm nom bore galv fence post.
the rear axle is the same as the drill tube chassis (chassis 1) the rear seat mounts have been move further outboard to accomodate the flat seat base.
just like that
the front seat mount has moved to the top of the chassis.
this drawing shows the addition of a mount for a rear seat support in 30x30RHS. it will give you a removable seat back that will pack down nicely.

here if the front detail.
Ive fitted a 12mm round mast support to the mast "just in case" and instead of that tricky 30degree cut in the main beam tube this yacht has a simple 90degree cut. A round 3mmthick plate finishes the end and 2 triangular plates support the steering tube. simple and neat. Instead of plastic bushes (on chassis 1) this simplified front has2 thick 20mm washers to support the front fork. ie no machining on the entire yacht.

this is the rear of the galv chassis. Very neat

the galv mast step assembly with "just in case" support. and the squared front of the pipe

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
8 Apr 2008 8:24PM
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there might be a delay in th continuation of the 2 minis were building of a few weeks. sorry.
due to a slight mishap i qualified myself for the %^#@!$ stupid idiot award of the year by slicing and dicing a few fingers. due to the bulky bandages(refered to as a stump bandage) i wont be able to fit a welding glove on for a month or so .
i do apologise to all,but will get the rest of the photos and plans done ASAP.
fortunately long term it will only affect my ability to pick my nose ,which may disrupt my bulls**t detecting abilities slightly.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
13 Apr 2008 8:14PM
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here is the seat mount in real life. it will hold a simple bar that supports the seat back and rear pulleys

here is the completed front end showing the 2 triangular plates that will support the frontfork arrangement.
just to make things easier later i have altered the chassis slightly with the addition of a plate to mount a childs steering pedals,or hand tiller. i havent built or designed them yet but it it was easier to add the mounting now
its the bit circled in green

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
13 Apr 2008 8:35PM
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REAR AXLE TIME. This is the bit gizmo was asking about. The material is 30x30x2mm galv RHS . It doesnt really look strong enough but it hasnt bent on rough salt,rough sand,supergripping asphalt, or when slammed into a Toyota. 2 axles per yacht ,the right one if fitted with a mount for a simple handbrake. this is not designed for stopping at high speed ,but is designed for slowing when planning to stop. If you plan to sail on Lake Walyungup do fit this brake as it will chew up the lake. have a look at the wheel brake system they use there instead.[
the axle stubs are 20mm dia. to fit the 6204 bearings in my fallshaw wheels. the 20mm round is fitted into some 25x25x3mmRHS which then slides cleanly into the30x30x2mmGALV RHS of the axle
the finished item.

next drawing are some alternative axles i have tried in both 1" and 20mm axles
the wheel I'm setting it all up for is the Fallshaw wheels discussed at the start of the execise
this be them. other piece is the simple handbrake.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
15 Apr 2008 7:56PM
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Here are the drawings for the rear seat and pulley support built from 25x25x2mm galvRHS. you could save weight and build in 20x20x1.6galvRHS. if you do that you should make the base piece welded to the chassis in 25x25x2.
for pilots over 90kg I recommend th25x25x2.
please read the note about Lake Walyungup on the drawing.
the simple handbrake can be built in 25x25x2mm or in 20x20x1.6mm. doesnt matter

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
16 Apr 2008 7:03PM
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THE DREADED FRONT END.
this is probably the trickiest part of the whole construction process. because the steering is a "lay over " type steering it is very important to get all the components aligned. If you get it wrong ,the quickest fix is usually to throw the fork away and start again.

heres one built by the JOHN WAYNE team. NICE paint job and welds, but you can see where I had to cut and reweld it to align it.
Ive decide to go back to basics for these 2 minis and use square RHS.
I'll build 2 front ends from 2 different size steels. As youll see in the photos right angles are used as much as possible and the angles can be checked for movement throughout the build.

Here is one I built for a 16" bike wheel. some of the measurements are different ,but the process is what matters.

Top view showing the right angle components.
In the next post I'll explain how I established the angles seen in the side view. it is important to understand the process in case you want to try a different diameter wheel to the wheelbarrow wheel i'm using.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
21 Apr 2008 9:31PM
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building the front end.
GET your wheel, pumpit up to about 20psi and measure the diameter.
set up the rest of the chassis with the rear wheels attached. get the mainbeam parallel to the ground and measure the hieght of the front of the steering holder. when you have these measurements you now need to find a large sheet of board or paper and draw a full size ,accurate side view of the front.
this is done so that you can measure a critical angle for the steering.


the angle measured will vary from different wheel diameters and even brands of tyres. A good accurate protractor and bevel tool is important here.
the plan shown here is for the 4.00x8 fallshaw wheel and good quality ribbed tyre.

the forks are now welded up in 2 sections. firstly the axle shaft and side fork are welded and checked for right angle true.
[
To keep the bearing running true a small bead of weld has been added at the front of the axle and then filed to seat the bearing. people with lathes will probably do something fancier. Now the wheel is fitted to the shaft to measure the distance to the centreline of the tyre.. on this tyre the measurement was 60mm.

next the steering shaft is welded to the base of the forks with the center of the shaft set to 60mm. this is checked for right angle true then a 20mm washer added so that the steering will sit flat on the steering head of the chassis.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
21 Apr 2008 9:49PM
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now copy the angle from the drawing(in this case 128degrees) to the side fork. the steering shaft half is then tacked into place and eyeballed to check the alignment of the axle shaft and the base of the fork.

the 2 components should have obvious parallel alignment . if not adjust with hammer. the wheel sould be fitted back on to check the tyre centreline alignment.

looking good so far!
Now finish off your welds, recheck and adjust your alignments and do a test fit to the chassis.

it fits!
This set of forks were built from 30x30x2mm galv RHS.
You could build the same forks out of 25x25x3mmRHS. we have used this size for some years now with no bent units

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
22 Apr 2008 10:27PM
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now we need to build the steering pedals and the connecting shaft. the pedals are set up as an adjustable system ,to give adjustment for the height of your pilot.
this set up allows about 200mm fore and aft movement. not shown in the plans is the cut along part of the length of the pedal shaft to allow clamping of theset up when installed on the yacht.

this drawing shows a side view. at the lowerleft is the steering head that the fork shaft slides through..
the pedal shaft is cut from 25x25x2mm galvRHS and the pedals sit on 30x30x2mm galvRHS. the sliding fit is held in place by the 8mm bolt threading into a nut welded to the 30x30.

this shows the pedals in more detail. the cross bar is built in 20x20x1.6mm galvRHS but could be happily built in 25x25. the 2 plates for the feet have a small turn over at the top and bottom to grip your shoes better( yes you should wear shoes).

bad photo ,but it shows the bends in the pedals.

photo shows the finished set up. note that the pedal bar has to be parallel to the fork components further forward. the 8mm hole for the locking bolt has yet to be drilled because tommorrow I will pull the parts off the yacht and tack them together to get a really accurate fit . I will also get a better drawing/ photo of the slot cut into the connecting shaft

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
29 Apr 2008 10:24PM
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The chassis have been put aside to be painted and while that happens you can start thinking about your seat.
The 2 options Ive drawn are the basic measurements that we used to create the fibreglass seat . With the photos you will get the idea of what to create in Glass or ply or a combination of both.

Heres the shape on paper and some photos.

from the top you can see how the seat is a really simple shape.

and from the side you can see how well it comes out of the mould.
In the next post I will put up a drawing of the cheap, easy to build wooden alternative that fits the Galvanized Chassis

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
30 Apr 2008 9:39PM
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The wooden alternative. Material cost including glass and resin should set you back about $50. ( hope thats not too pricey)
the base and reinforcing plates are all 6mm ply and the sides are 70x19 maranti,durian,pine or even 12mm ply pieces are initally glued and nailed with wood glue. If you used epoxy you could reduce the amount of glass/resin to just the corners the seat is in 2 pieces and there is plenty of room for you to customize the final shape.

Having drawn the plans ,when I built the seat I made mine slightly narrower with higher sides at the back. Since there will be lots of kids sailing this yacht,the higher sides will hold them in better. the seat width in the plans will fit most wide and/ or long landsailors.

the sides will be rounded to look more graceful after glassing.
Notice the recycling of the plywood. the base is in its 3rd reincarnation as a landyacht seat.
When choosing your timber for the sides look for softer,lighter heartwood rather than the harder springy outer wood. Pine is the last choice as it will be the heaviest of the 3.

If you wanted to get clever you could put a bend in the sides, maybe increase the height of the sides to 150 or200mm. this is a chance to really customize your yacht

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
1 May 2008 10:27PM
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for those who want to know what a mold looks like here is our mold for the seat in the specs. note on the underside the valves to plug in water hose when removing the seat from the mold. the mold is quite open in form to allow ease of lay up and removal.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
5 May 2008 9:51PM
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the wooden seat had all the seams and edges glassed with 2" tape tonight. Actually it was 2"strips of chopped strand . this is perfectly adequate for a seat of this type. just polyester resin , no fancy epoxy. i weighed out 550gms of rein in total and 0.3m2 of mat. the resin soaks in quite heavily to the soft light wood. make sure the surface of the wood is not smooth finished,you want a fairly rough surface to glass to.

once it is all sanded I will prime paint and name the yacht,

the chassis's (chassi) have been hung up and primed . the final colour will be a sad ,pale blue colour as I still have 3 litres left in a tin I found at the tip. Its an ALKYD ENAMEL that is used for handrails etc and Ive found it very tough . I just wish it would run out quicker.
.
Note the next door neighbour has his pool area directly next to my construction and design area. no complaints yet from the nieghbours. Kalgoorlie is such a great town to live in.

landyacht
WA, 5921 posts
12 May 2008 9:14PM
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Everything is painted and Ive started assembling the yachts. rear axles simply slide in and a 8mm X40mm bolt and nyloc nut hold them in place. the seats are drilled and fitted with holes cut for the mast step.bolts should be 8x30mm. I use large plastic washers that I make myself with a hole saw. usually 40mm OD and whatever centre hole is required. between the seat and the chassis I place a rubber washer cut from an offcut of belting rubber or if available some SYNTHANE from an industrial scrap bin .

it is a soft polyeurathane rubber sheet used for lining chemical tanks, but I use offcut scraps from the bin of an industrial rubber company.
the plastic washers are cut from a scrapped 200l plastic drum and are a nylon type plastic.
next we need to fit the wheels to the axles. on these yachts I will be using a washer and pin. the pins in the photos are known as MINSUP clips ,used as safety clips on minsup type airline fittings. you can buy Rclips in hardware stores or salvage pins from old fire extinguishers.
try to get the thinnest,skinniest diameter 20mm washers you can find . place the wheel and washer in place and lightly punch the hole position. after removing the wheel give it agood punch and then drill a bit bigger than the pin thickness
the finished job should look like this.
these wheels are narrower than the Fallshaw I built the yacht for ,but Ive run out of them and I am using up the last of the polycarbonate experimental wheels .



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"Build a Landyacht. Lake Lefroy Mini Yacht" started by landyacht