hello,
I want to build a 5.6 mini out of okuome plywood and spruce.some of the old style ice boats in north America were stern steerers with the two wheels up front. appearantly this design would spin out and toss the driver on occasion!!!! I built and raced hydroplanes, and have an idea for a transom mounted rear wheel with a drum and pulley steering system.any thoughts on this idea?
thanks
coffeejohn
Tucson , Arizona usa

test pilot,
great advice. thanks much
coffeejohn

hiko,
thanks for your imput.i was thinking of a pedal steering system vs a steering wheel,so both hands to pull in the sheet.
coffeejohn

I just found a 4 wheel version from seagull of france.2 front wheels wide ,2 back wheels close in back.it must work if they have brought it to market with all the liability issues a company faces these days.any thoughts?
thanks for your imput........
coffeejohn

hiko
yes . I was thinking stern steer .i t hought the seagull was interesting with the wide axle up front.
thanks

Hiko,
Sounds like you have a physics background.I really appreciate your input. I have a scirroco sprint land yacht made in Wisconsin,USA.very well built.I love woodcraft , so wanted to try building a landyacht on my own.
Cheers,
Coffeejohn

Physics background? No not really just a backyard blunderer
Building landyachts is a fun thing to do
Plenty of info on this site but it takes a bit of finding sometimes

aus230,
so many helpful people on this site. thanks for telling me about the class 3 section.I need as much info as possible!
coffeejohn

landyacht said..

Ive had a good read of your first post and and whittled it down to those few words that really summarized it. you know it will go wrong yet your busting to build it

Afghanistan, Iraq, Nuclear Power, GMO Food, I think its an American thing Paul.

landyacht said..

Ive had a good read of your first post and and wittled it down to those few words that really summarized it. you know it will go wrong yet your busting to build it

Ahh you party pooper LY.
Some nice fresh ideas................... and you squashed them with science. Just build it and you wont die wondering.

Like Vic "AUS 230", if........ I ever live long enough, I will eventually get round to build a traditional "turn of the century yacht".

I just love the look of them.

(Got the family names as well. It there anything we should know Paul?. )

This one below would be exciting to sail too!!!


From the website.
Windward side view
I decided to go weight to windward, it is a speed machine after all! The layout was one fixed wheel to windward, and two counter steering (just like counter steering rudders) wheels to leeward. You steer with bar operated by foot. The whole steering system was connected by cables in tension—for easy adjustment of steering ratios and a bunch of other stuff I couldn’t guess in advance. So whichever tack you were on, pushing with your back leg headed up. I found this comforting, because it felt like using a tiller extension—that made sense to me. The idea was that at maximum speed, the windward wheel would lift, and it would ride on the two steering wheels (a feat my fat ass never achieved, but a friend of mine did) For a rig, I used a 5m windsurfer rig that I got for $100. I had control lines for canting the rig (the fore and aft stays, rigged 6:1), two mainsheets each with fine (6:1) and coarse (2:1) adjustments. The coarse was for shunting. The fine was for playing the main. So there were 6 control lines total on the console—which in a moment of sleepless fetishism is made of blood-wood (rare red rosewood—it was pretty!).


Much to my amazement, it worked right away. I saw 26mph (by GPS) in about 12kts of wind at the rutted field that passes for the Shoreline Amphitheatre parking lot—right next to Moffet Field. Something that I hadn’t expected was how important canting the rig was. With the rig centred, it would just sit there. Cant the rig forward (for whichever tack) and the thing would take off! Under way your could cant the rig back, and see TONS of dust smoke coming off of the back tire, until you slowed to a stop. Shunt the rig, and it slowed down pretty fast. But my preferred method for slowing it down was to spin it. The steering control was really great.


proafile.com/archive/article/palindrome_a_land_proa

My all time favourite would be "The crabber" with no boom, it is still the one I would love to have a sail in.

there are some really great slotted plywood machines out there which would b a fantastic project also

Chook2 said..

landyacht said..
there are some really great slotted plywood machines out there which would b a fantastic project also

You have lost me with the slotted plywood construction landyacht.

I googled it and I'm still none the wiser. Can you elaborate for this poor peasant please.

gizmo found some pics a few years ago of a great kids project . the whole yacht was from ply panels that slotted together

It goes very well ! Actually appears to be centre steer like a loader Not seen that configuration before

Whole machine makes good sense to me, 4 wheels to share load, mast well supported, wide front axle resists tipping, easy to steer with the tiller arm. From what I can see there is no reason for it to not have a reclined seat and foot steering. He looked very comfortable and I'm envious of the hard sand he has with wind straight down the beach.

I'm sure that could be worked around TP1.

I'm amazed!!!
It's really smooth through the turns. Not a hell of a lot of wind or speed shown.
Gotta love this design for being out there and giving it a go.

So how about a timber one, also from November 2009.
"landyacht" you are going to all that trouble to build your new ply seat and look what you "could have" to sail in style here.

Has hand and foot steering, so fantastic for the disabled as well. Just wouldn't want a foot to slip off the steering bar, that would be really nasty.
I love em!!!

brilliant. I am hereby wrong , I admit it