Hi thanks guys for all that. So the bottom line is, as my wife has proven, I'm a fussy prick!!! But only in the shed. It just seemed strange to see the gap. I will chuck one up in the lathe and see if I can re-invent the wheel, just so I sleep better. Thanks for taking the trouble to measure yours for me men. Yeh Nikrum I love the fat tires. These steel rims and turf tires came off a ride on mower and as Paul stated, they are heavy, but it's for a "recycle regatta" my fire brigade is hosting in Esperance. I did get 2 extra fallshaw wheels for when I convert it back to a single seat. I've made the axles ready. I have the Sismic (from Briskites) 8"x8" alloy rims with 21"x12wide tires on the rear of my kite buggy and a 4"x 8'' with the same tire on the front. This tire/rim set up runs so true and smooth. I use 1 psi in the rear and 2 psi in the front. This set up has lived on Pink Lake and our local beaches for over 12 months and they still look brand new!! I rinse them after every run with the hose when I get home. They have done 2,732 GPS clocked kms and the bearings still feel fantastic. Bloody pricey to purchase, but they are quality and were freight free. Many thanks for your time fellas. Chook

Yeh, ha ha, the "21 inch Beach Racers" made a huge difference over the original ones I had on the buggy. I have even had two sessions riding over the Wylie bay dunes and they have fantastic flotation on the deep powdery sand. Well the 30 replacement bushes turned up and your on the money Paul, they are the thicker ones to take 6004 bearings. I turned 1.25mm long by 2.5mm deep off the inside shoulder and they seat up against the face of the rims spot on. They are far more snug than the 6204 bushes, with a new measurement of 106mm. I'm a very happy chappy now. This has finally allowed me to drill the front axles. I made a jig to get the wheel lined up with the centre of the steering shaft. For a final check before drilling, I take the jig off the axle, flip the jig 180 degrees and put it back on to make sure it is the true centre. It's knocked up from the centers of a couple of old 6204 bearings, some pipe cut to the correct length and some 6mm rod with a point on the end, threaded into the nut that's welded on. It made it easy, to work out how much to file off the inside face to get the wheel centered. Just add the outside washer and you can mark the hole for the clip. Unscrew the rod and use it to mark the rear axles as well. I'm nearly bold enough to say the frames and seats for the 5, LLmini's are completed. I took me ages to recut my first sail (making your template etc) but it's on a mast ready to fit a boom. It's no princess, but should work, I hope. Chook

Hi, the wheels have a 4.80/4.00x8 4ply rating tire fitted. The wheel stands exactly 16" high (I have a bit of an angle on the phone camera) and the tire is, exactly 4" wide. I finally got the last of the 6004 bearings today, so at long last I can assemble them. Cheers

finished one wheel (finally) so clem can have his 19" imac wheel back (thanks clem)

Some basics of wheels for land yachts are... The larger the diameter the less rolling resistance...Wheels are like "flywheels" if they are heavy they take a long time to get rolling and up to speed. Tyres... the most ideal is a radial tread [with groves around the tyre and no cross treads] chunky or block treads add to drag and slow a yacht down. Bicycle wheels are NOT strong enough for land yachts they wont take the side forces. Wheels are often have a slight "camber" to assist in the tyre / working better [it doesn't twist the tyre as much], to much camber will load up the bearings and will actually add drag and slow the yacht down. The rake on the front forks, "caster" is often about 30 deg. this gives a layover type steering that works better than being more upright. Layover steering is like a motorbike or a bicycle turning at speed. [the tyre contact point needs to be slightly behind a line drawn from the steering column bearings to the ground] The idea of a gyroscope is interesting but to get the wheel spinning would to add to drag and have no beneficial benefit.

Just another thing to keep in mind with land yachts is that most classes have limitations and sizes on wheels. While its often interesting to use non standard wheels and perhaps create a rocket of a yacht, one day you will want to race another person and its even better if you are sailing one of similar class specs. Or even worse you go to a championship and your yacht doesn't meet specs and you have to sit on the sideline.

I LIKE them. They LOOK great. What is the cost for rim and tyre??

Yep, the wheels are the same azusa spinners I had before, just put the new tires on it to get rid of some cracked rubber. The tires were $23.99 or so here, but You might be able to source them on OZ at an even better rate....