anybody have some sail plans or patterns for the mini. i would like to build my own sails.
where is the best place to get masts from here in canada
thanks
wayne

Yer Got it Col'
I think if we all Kiss the Appropriate Butt we may get Paul to Draw up a P;an for a Scratch Built Sail. Me?? I'm not into Butt Kissing but in this case I will make an exception. Can we rely on you Paul to do this??

Like Col said we generally Re-Cut older wind surfer sails for cheapness sake as until you have figured out the conditions you will be sailing on expensive sails can be rendered redundant quickly. Me?? Yes I stand accused of this mistake, luckily I have 2 machines 1 class 5 and a mini so the mistake was a re-cut of a re-cut.

If you have browsed these pages you would have noted that sailing surface can greatly affect your sailing ability ie. Short close course sailing would require a fuller sail as would softer sandy areas, A speed sail just would not have the power to accelerate quickly where as the reverse is true of the Fuller sail.

Build your LY decide on the above and construct accordingly. I would also think it expedient to contact the likes of Brian (He will see this post as will Desertyank) and I think they will be willing to chat with you as well.
Ron

Its very hard to come up with a sail design without knowing lots of info like....

Luff length
Foot length
Desired sail size sq m
High or low aspect ratio
Type of mast (straight tube or tapered)
Mast material
Mast flex (even or soft / hard top)
Mast rake
Centre or End of boom sheeting
Wind conditions to be suited to
Surface conditions
Size of the person sailing
Mast pocket.. large or small or tapered.
Foot of the sail with or without pocket.

Unlike water yachts, land yachts have a great amount of variability, with all of these variables make it more cost effective to use ex-sailboard sails in the beginning.
I have found some sail makers are out of their depth with land yacht sails as they are actually quite different from water yacht sails.

OK my suggestion for a yacht is the Lefroy Mini chassis.... the reason why, the design has been a culmination of probably 100+ yachts over many many years. Many people think they can design a better chassis but remember it might be your first or second yacht and yes you might crack a brilliant design but there is a 98% chance you wont.

Now rig design is just physics and observation of things around, I will try and work through things step by step.

Sails are just a wing on edge, and the way a wing works is it creates a low pressure zone on the back side (down wind side) of that sail and that low pressure actually 'sucks' the yacht along just as an airplane is actually lifted (sucked) upward.

Mast.... the stiffer the mast the more it can withstand the forces placed against it but it also makes the yacht tip easier, so you might think go a soft mast but the energy generated by the wind / sail is probably lost in flexing the rig rather than transferring to the chassis. But there is a balance between stiff and soft as you also want a rig that doesn't shake the sail to much and disrupts the laminar flow across the sail.

Aspect ratio... A high aspect ratio wing / sail has a higher glide angle and can operate closer to the wind than a lower ratio rig. For example a Glider aircraft flies better than a light plane (eg Cessna) with out the engine working. But with a sail on a yacht it puts the Centre of Effort high in the rig making the yacht tip easier.
A low aspect ratio sail give more power but less speed with less tipping effort than a high aspect sail.

Sail profile.... The most effective profile for a sail / wing is an elliptical shape (think Spitfire aircraft wing) this is also very evident in nature, have a look at soaring sea birds like the Albatross or Seagull or even Eagles, they all have elliptical shape wing tips. Having a large top sail like some sailboards can be counterproductive as it actually adds drag to the sail at speed as it flaps about, sailboards need this large top it catch the wind above waves. If you sailed a land yacht in an area with bushes and trees that block low down wind it might be beneficial.

Luff Curve... The luff curve of the sail should ideally match the mast flex shape as when the sail is sheeted on the mast flexes backward and the sail 'fits' the shape reducing the draft reduces the power but increasing yacht speed (a bit like a car auto transmission) and if the sail is pulled down tight along the mast the draft of the sail moves forward giving forward effort rather than sideways (tipping) force.

fujimo that should give you something to get your head around for the moment.... but ask questions of what you might like to know.