Here a little update on my progress. After some search work, I finally found a front wheel (aluminium, 20", the tire is 2" wide) and a damper.



For my first rear wheel, I followed the procedure as Paul does. I cut the rim in 2 halfs and added them again with aluminium spacer strips in between. Added some plastic material as spacer and then glassed it (16 oz, chopped) on the inside and on the outside. I made material for 6 spokes (2 times chopped, 16 oz) and made 2 side plates (2 times chopped, 16 oz with woven (unknown weight) inbetween). It can be seen on the following images.



The hub still has to be made in a lathe, but I already ordered 2 stainless steel 6004 RS bearings.
I will make a copy of the disc truing machine Vic made (as I mentioned before, www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Yacht-Sailing/Construction/I-will-NOT-build-another-landyachtI-will-not/?page=3) to form the side discs.
Now I will need to build a support for the rim and the hub to hold everything square when I am glassing the discs and spokes onto the rim and hub. How did you build such a support that is exactly square and how can I do it best?

Then the mast, I think I'm gonna build it like Paul suggests at the end of this topic: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Yacht-Sailing/Construction/3-piece-mast-as-proven-by-Bill-Finch/, from aluminium tubes. I will use 3 tubes 50 x 2, 45x2 and 40x1,5. Where the tubes are brought into each other, there is some space left (0,5 mm inbetween the two tubes). How did you add them together and what did you use to to fill up the space?

US306 said...
the steering show in the above pic is not the same steering that Airtrack uses, Airtrack is a little defferent they take into account , caster and camber, I have some good pictures of the steering used by airtack and the rest of the yatch, we have two of the class 5's hear is the US which I see regularly on the playa. and they do as number on everything in that class and below. The two yatch pictured are the ones that came to the US., that steering is good, sweet, right on, I like it..the wheel stays very vertical and has a very high cridical angle be before tip over, 30 degree angle has a very low critical angle be for tipover. As soon as I figure out how to get the pictures posted I'll do it...Burt

You mentioned us306 that you have more photos of the rest of the yacht, I for one would be interested in seeing more of the yacht like the rear axles and wheels and any of the cockpit if you have them Thanks

some pic's of the airtrack class-5

good shots blokes ....tar, well made

I think it's a figure 8, or a clove hich

It's not either of those knots. A Figure 8 is usually used to terminate the end of a rope so it can't run away through a pulley block or such. It doesn't tighten enough to jam and so can be easily undone. A Clove Hitch is used to attach a rope to a bar or similar. Similar to two half hitches. John Wayne used them to tie his horse up to the outside rail outside the saloon when he needed to blast a baddie into oblivion!!

now ya got me tieing knots, think about a clove hitch slip knot, they work great.

cople of more pic's of the airtrack-5sq.

You should have bought "101 nots for New Zealanders" Hiko [}:)]

Bonjour,
We made this model in January 2011.
This design was second in 2010 world championship in Belgium.

A little update: I finished my first wheel yesterday. Made the following hub:


After which I made a hole approximately in the center of the side plates and put the hub through it. Build my copy of Vics disc truing machine and made the side plates at exact the right size.


By clamping everything tightly between 3 pieces of metal (as can be seen on the first picture of my previous process-post), everything is guaranteed to be on the right place. First gluing the first side disc onto the rim, then the hub (that was already wrapped in some fiberglass), spokes and finally the second side plate. When the hub and the spokes where glued, I also added the second side disc on top of the wheel, to make sure the hub came exactly in the center of the wheel.


When everything was finished, I spinned the wheel and am quite happy with the result. I will be definitely making a second one and will go on with this land yacht design.

US306 said...




cople of more pic's of the airtrack-5sq.

Hey US306 Those look familiar to me . Do you know Frank Marsh AKA FrankUS40?

SJK said...
A little update: I finished my first wheel yesterday. Made the following hub:


After which I made a hole approximately in the center of the side plates and put the hub through it. Build my copy of Vics disc truing machine and made the side plates at exact the right size.


By clamping everything tightly between 3 pieces of metal (as can be seen on the first picture of my previous process-post), everything is guaranteed to be on the right place. First gluing the first side disc onto the rim, then the hub (that was already wrapped in some fiberglass), spokes and finally the second side plate. When the hub and the spokes where glued, I also added the second side disc on top of the wheel, to make sure the hub came exactly in the center of the wheel.


When everything was finished, I spinned the wheel and am quite happy with the result. I will be definitely making a second one and will go on with this land yacht design.

have a think about making the ribs with a flange of some kind to increase the glueing surface onto the second disc. i laso managed to make a flange on the rim as well

Just a few tips on fibreglassing as related to me by a materials supplier.
1. When using Polyester resins it is ok to join Poly to Poly if the first Poly resin is still very green and not set hard (cured).
2. If first Poly has gone off and is hard, then surface must be thoroughly sanded rough or the next Poly resin will not adhere. (my failures back that)
3. Poly resin placed on cured Epoxy resin will not adhere well.
4. Epoxy resin placed on cured Poly is quite happy but suggest sanding the surface anyway.
5. Epoxy on Epoxy is quite ok even if the first Epoxy has cured.
6. Poly is cheaper than Epoxy but more brittle and not able to withstand impacts as well.
7. Poly resin contains a solvent which can dissolve a binder added to chopped strand fibre mat, that allows the mat to take on any shape.
8. Epoxy doesn't have such a solvent but can be used with chopped strand mat if you give it time to soften the binder.
9. Woven mat glass doesn't have the binder so can be used with Poly or Epoxy resin but is not as flexible to follow multi curved shapes.
10. If in doubt about suitability, then use Epoxy resins.

Hi Vic, fair enough, I did see your wheel not so long ago, who needs those expensive black doughnut things anyway.
I had built several boat rudders and a swing keel for a cat out of Polyester and under load one of the rudders failed when the two halves separated. I couldn't believe my eyes when one side of a rudder rose up vertical. Enquired from the supplier and found out the problem was not scouring the surfaces before bonding the half shells. Later the keel started to split when I hit something, so had to work on it too. Another problem with Poly that I forgot to mention...it has a relatively short shelf life compared to Epoxy so watch that one.