Hi Jay, Seems like you have had a lick of the ice cream and now you want more. Also you have learnt a couple of things along the way.

From personal experience of starting out with a blokart, which are a good thing, to then building a Lake Lefroy Mini, if you decide to build one and stick to the plans downloadable from this site (free), I am sure you will be more than pleased with the result.

I made a couple of variations with mine that you can see in this thread www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=48684, but I did stick to the main dimensions. One thing that I did which is not quite successful was to use 1" solid axles. Paul's set up with 20mm axles with retainer clips I think is the best way. Happy building and be sure to post some pics. Cheers Cisco

Look what i've been doing
I altered my 6.2 metre sail down to a 5.2 metre , and in doing this it I reduced the boom length from 2.2 to 1.6 metres long. Im hoping that this will help things slip along better. I also will be adding full battens as well
Not only but also,
I started making a "landyacht" mini yacht. As everyone else is naming theirs I will be calling mine "The Long Pom Special" as I have had to add 150mm to the front of the main pole due to me being 6'7" tall and the mini's only going up to people 6'0" tall. The plans are very easy to follow thanks landyacht, and got most of the main welding work done in a day. More photos to follow once I progress. I tend to spend more time grinding away bad welding and starting again, my excuse is i'm only joiner





More later
Jay

Hi Hiko.
I did wonder about the extra length but in the end I left it alone as the back end of the yacht from the mast step backwards is a per plan, all I have done is move the front wheel forwards 150mm so I am open to more ideas on this one please.
Good idea about the sail, I will do that I think. Its just a matter of adding another row of eyelets.
Thanks for your input
Regards
Jay

landyacht said...

Jay , given your size , can I suggest you add a "U" shaped strap of flat bar or 3/8 rod under the mast step and chassis. we have found that heavier sailors who really push their yachts with big sails have had some cracking at the mast step,
its only happened when sailed on hard clay pans, with really hard sailing and oversized sails.
isnt that right TP1

Thanks Landyacht, fair point that! The main beam is a heavey post as well but it needs all the help it can get what is your opinion on the front end being 150mm longer? do you think it will make any difference to its handling? will a 5.2 metre sail still be too Big?
Regards
Jay

landyacht said...

I think it work just fine. Its a pity you couldnt squeeze into the spec, but it would have been a squeeze, better to go for comfort without going to too big a class of yacht.

So is the spec the same over here in the UK then? I have now sewn the sail to the size show and its come out ok. I managed to find an old machine to use and its all gone very well. Photos to follow, but one more question is are what are full lenght battens like? do they have the same flex all the way along?
Regards
Jay

Hi Hiko,
Thanks for the quick reply, I should have asked what to use for the battens. im guessing some kind of glassfibre rod? I did wonder about using a peice of carved bamboo pole and shaving it to shape. i say bamboo as I have a nice 75mm round pole i could split to use. I guess its one of those try it and see jobs, I can let you know if it works. Will you be out this weekend in your yacht?
Regards
Jay

responderman said...

Hi Hiko,
Thanks for the quick reply, I should have asked what to use for the battens. im guessing some kind of glassfibre rod? I did wonder about using a peice of carved bamboo pole and shaving it to shape. i say bamboo as I have a nice 75mm round pole i could split to use. I guess its one of those try it and see jobs, I can let you know if it works. Will you be out this weekend in your yacht?
Regards
Jay

Hi Jay
Modern battens are usually glass fibre or some other composite matierial but they used to be made of wood and you could make them that way by perhaps laminating two pieces together to form battens say 25mm x5mm or thereabouts By laminating them they should be more durable and stiffer I seem to remember you were a joiner? No wind this weekend here for sailing we are in the middle of a large anticyclone Havent been out for a while actually
regards Hiko

Jay you may wish to think about moving the seat back a little to give you the leg room, you will need about 10kg+ approx downward force on the front wheel to enable turning. Just need to make a slightly different "tail" for the LLMini to enable the seat to go back, give it a try... nothing to lose

Yes the steering does self centre a little bit, the front of the frame drops about 10-15mm in the centre position.

I just thought of another question about my mast and it being to long.
I read landyachts write up about cutting and joining the mast, and all seems fine but does it cause a weak spot at the join over time? My mast is a dark grey/black in colour, and I think its made of glass fibre but not fully sure. its construction is like a shallow spiral up the mast. I would hate to cut it and have to get a new one, if I messed up. We have some good strong wood over here I can use, but just nervous to try.
Regards
Jay

Hi there,
My wheels are just peter Lynn buggy wheels I took off my old crap kite buggy (the best bits on it) the axles are also cut from my buggy, so I guess what im saying is, I have no crap buggy any more. You may well notice that all the bits that are supposed to be square are round on mine, I only did this as it was already available and it fitted in well with the bits off my buggy. if I do another then it will be as landyacht says. I recon square would be much easier to make, but up to now I have spent nothing apart from the welding rods I used.

When I was on about my mast being to long I was refering to it on the car, but I guess you worked that out. thanks for the heads up about cutting and rejoining the mast, I will give it a go. last time I went away with it I spent much time making sure no body hit their head on it. It only was a foot to long, but people seemed drawn to it

just the paint job to do now and then its down to the seat, and I had a good idea there. I wondered about making a plywood laminate seat, made from layers of 3mm ply stuck together in an shallow S shape to support behind the knees and come up behind the rear to provide a bit of back support. Then again out of ply make a curved back to hold me in a bit. It should be quite easy, and I will post photos of it in progress.
Last of all, here are photos to show the progress.
Be happy
Jay

Hi Hiko,
Good idea about the plug, if it works OK then I will maybe give it a try. One question I do have is how important are sides on the seat? if I do make this seat will sides be a must.
its quite amazing how few people have seen a land yacht over here on the east coast, even though we have a club that has run here for years I'm not in the club myself as they all seem to run about in real big rigs, It seems much more serious than myself. still you never know it could catch on, less than a month ago I hadn't heard of a Landyacht's Lefroy mini now I have one nearly!
Have a good day
Jay

I concur with the sides. deep is good. If your body is snug in the seat, you (and the kids) will feel all the more secure, add a good seat belt and you will lose all fear and start really pushing the yacht in turns( that the best bit)
I do love a good long drift turn.
If you are good at ply laminating, or coldmoulding the possibilities for a truelly beautiful seat are endless.
feel free to impress us (and the rest of the world)
especially as you are about to become our first official ambassador.
On foot pedals, I would recommend a plate of some kind for your feet. better grip makes steering easier, especially over bumps. if your seat is open at the front, thn a small sideguard helps

Here are the photos of the work ongoing, the seat is made of four sheets of laminated ply glued together over blcks of wood and screwed down. it is left to dry over a day and then taken off and cut to shape. no fancy equipment, just lots of glue.
Cheers
Jay