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General Sail making Construction Blokarts Events & Competition

crunchy

2 posts

crunchy

2 posts

14 Mar 2012 10:59pm

Hi all,

I'm a novice land yachter (I tried it a couple of times in France about 15 years ago!) and maker of things (such as a big rubber band gun). It's time for me to try building a yacht. I like the look of the Lake Lefroy Mini so I think I'll try making one of those.

I'm currently shopping around for windsurfing sails, booms and masts, wheels and steel.

I have no idea where I'll use it (nowhere near a beach, so a field somewhere in Beds or Bucks, probably!) but I'll worry about that when I've finished it!

My rough plan is to get a stock sail, boom and mast at about 5 m^2, build the yacht to fit, and cut the sail once it's all working.

Looking forward to asking you all for help!

Cheers,
Ant

sn

2775 posts

WA, 2775 posts

15 Mar 2012 12:04am

Gidday Crunchy,

If you follow the lake lefroy plans as close as you can, (dimensions and steering geometry)you will avoid a lot of problems and expensive mistakes!

plans are found at the top of the construction pages.

mast leans back 10 degrees from vertical (its hard to spot in the plans)

Check with your local hisorical society for any old airfields in the area, they make excellent sailing venues if you can get access.

stephen

colk2004

317 posts

colk2004

317 posts

15 Mar 2012 2:42am

Hi Ant

Nearest club is Anglia Land Yacht Club, the club is located near Bassingbourn on the A1198 between Royston and Huntingdon. So not a million miles from the Beds bit. Nearly all of the LLF is do-able in the UK as far as I can tell...apart from the 35x35mm tube is a real struggle to find (if you find some tell me please). I'currently looking at 40x40 and sleeving down.

Cheers Col

desertyank

1264 posts

desertyank

1264 posts

15 Mar 2012 2:51am

Welcome to the forum!

The LLM is a great build. Print off the plans, read them through, then find material that's close to what's on the plans.

Then see a shrink, cuz You'll be addicted

Hiko

1229 posts

Hiko

1229 posts

15 Mar 2012 4:38am

Hi Crunchy welcome to the forum The LLF mini is a good choice You can vary the matierials a bit to suit local sizes but as desert yank has said it can be addictive
Watch out!
When you have some idea of where you will be sailing it pilot weight and average wind strength roughness of surface etc someone on here can give you an idea of sail size and shape etc
Reinventing the wheel can be a slow process
Many of us have done that enjoyable though it may be

crunchy

2 posts

crunchy

2 posts

15 Mar 2012 6:16am

Thanks everyone for your quick replies and advice!

I'll definitely read the plans thoroughly and obey them. I've had a chance to skim through them already. The seat will be plywood. I thought I'd seen the last of stitch and glue having built a Mouseboat, but evidently not!

Hiko, for sail considerations I weigh 9.5 st / 135 lb / 61 kg. Let's assume I'll use the yacht on a reasonably well-kept grass airfield (and I might want to use it on a disused one too!). I wish we had as much space and choice as in Australia.

The annual average wind speed in my area seems to be about 5 m/s according to the internet. As a probably meaningless and quite arbitrary example, the coming 5 day forecast is wind speeds of 10, 14, 3, 9, 10 mph in my area. So perhaps 5 m/s or 11 mph is a reasonable average. I'd be very grateful indeed for any suggestions as to what size sails to look for.

Col, thanks for the pointer, I'll check out the club. Where do you get your tube?

sn

2775 posts

WA, 2775 posts

15 Mar 2012 9:30am

Hi Again Crunchy,

A couple of fellas here have built to lefroy dimensions- but using cut down snow skis for the rear axle- making sailing on rougher surfaces a lot smoother.

For sailing on "high drag" surfaces you are better with unmodified windsurfing sails as they develop a lot more low down grunt.

We collect most of our sails and masts from recycling centers- you might be able to do the same, visit regularly- and get as many masts and sails as you can.
damaged sails are good for repair patches and donor materials for recut sails

barrow type wheels with 20mm sealed bearings are pretty much an international standard, cheapish and easily available.
Try and pick a type that is strong in the hub. plastic is most often better than steel.

stephen.

gibberjoe

956 posts

gibberjoe

SA, 956 posts

15 Mar 2012 7:28pm

Crunchy.......no worries cobber, just pack up and head out here.........

edit ...second thoughts dont pack up , just come, there's room aplenty

landyacht

5921 posts

landyacht

WA, 5921 posts

15 Mar 2012 8:02pm

looks like the team is right on to your potential problems.
I'll just sit back and watch

landyacht

5921 posts

landyacht

WA, 5921 posts

15 Mar 2012 8:02pm

looks like the team is right on to your potential problems.
I'll just sit back and watch

Nikrum

TAS

1972 posts

Nikrum

TAS, 1972 posts

16 Mar 2012 9:59am

welcome Ant, to THE FORUM of forums

No doubt you will find a bunch of good advice here for any build you care to choose and you have chosen an excellent build to begin you're addiction.
From what Paul has just said I think you will find that here and there you will find his experienced guiding hand occasionally showing up where required.. (He is getting a bit lazy these days[}:)]

) .
Me? I have appointed myself to bring you back to earth when you get a bit Big Headed about things in general or just poke Shiite at you for the hell of it[}:)]

. Don't be offended just find a suitable come back. I have maqnaged to offend just about all who dwell here.[}:)]

Ron

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