I am new to this sport, having only recently tried a Blokart for a hour or so.
I have noticed that there is much discussion on reshaping windsurf sails to use on sandkarts. Is this to ensure that they meet the design rules for a particular class or do they simply not work in their original guise?
Thank you.
James.
Welcome James,
The reason that landyacht sails are different is the speeds that they travel.
A sailboard sail is normally set up for the wind conditions that you sail in on the day and may change slightly eg. 15 knots +/- say 5 knots, a land yacht sailing on that sort of day with the wind of 15 knots may be able to do up to 60-80 km/h, A landyacht as it moves infact generates its own wind called "apparent wind" and this makes the yacht go faster which then generates more wind... but there is a limit to the maxium speed.
By using a "standard" sailboard sail in its uncut form on landyacht is like driving a car stuck in 2nd gear.
I hope this answers your question.
Gizmo,
Thank you for the reply.
So, if I understand correctly, a standard sailboard sail will simply slow the landcraft down, but a recut sail could help to release the potential speed of the machine?
Regards,
James.
Yes, a standard sailboard sail has normally got quite a lot of "draft", "belly", "shape" all the different names used for the same thing, this will give you a lot of power but not huge amounts of speed where as a flatter sail will give you speed but not huge amounts of power.
Think about a tractor with lots of power but not much speed where as a F1 race car has speed but couldn't tow a load.
Often a fuller sail works to your advantage on a landyacht, if you sail on grass areas or soft sand you need more power to get you up and going, where as a hard surface like a salt lake, hard beach or sealed carpark you would be wanting a flatter sail to obtain the maxium speed posible.
Often yacht design and sail shape are dependant on your local sailing area.
Thank you. That helps no end.
I may have a go at building a small landyacht as I can get hold of most of the materials quite easily. The most likely place that I will use it is the local park where it is all grass, so the fuller sail would probably be the more useful.
Regards,
James.
Hi Catceefer,
if its of any help, I am VERY new to landyachting and found altering the sail easy, and if you have an old sewing machine you can finish the task in an evening.
I did try to use an unaltered sail and as gizmo said, there was lots of power but not much speed.
Regards
Jay
Jay,
That is reassuring.
I am only contemplating making a yacht at the moment, but am very tempted. I can get hold of metal easily and have a welder and general tools. The sail was the only thing that was really puzzling me, so your comments have reassured me.
One thing that I need to find is somewhere to use a yacht, first. There is a Blokart club at an airfield nearby, but I am not sure whether other designs would be welcome or not. Failing that, I need to scout around for a large carpark. LAst resort would be the local park, but it grassed which would possibly be a problem. Any one have any ideas? Regrettably, I live at the part of the country that is reknowned for being the furthest from the coast in any direction.
Good luck with your yacht and I look forward to seeing pictures of it when it is done.
Regards,
James.
Hi James,
I cant say that I have a lot of choice locally when it comes down to a place to sail, But I live in Lincoln and so I'm only 45 miles away from the beach, and the east coast has some of the best kite buggy/landyacht beaches in the UK. So I consider myself lucky. Where abouts are you? Birmingham? I cant see there could be a problem joining the blokarts, its being a bit select if they do mind, and you would be sailing in the same class of yacht. You could even start them off making as well.
The sail was one I was given from my Father in law and is quite old so not a very good shape. So I set about it with a knife and some double side tape to stick things back together before sewing, but I must confess to drawing confidence from the guys on this forum. I was very worried to try but if you plan ahead there are no worries, and I now have a good sail. The one thing I do say is that sails can be a bit tough in places, so get an old machine from the tip or second hand shop.
Keep us posted
Regards
Jay
Jay,
I live in mid-Bucks. There is a beach about an hour and a half away, but it is on the Thames Estuary and I think that it is mud, rather than sand. The nearest other beaches are all about two hours away at Littlehampton and Bournemouth. The Blokart club has another open day soon and I should be able to ask then about joining in with them.
I shall not be starting on a kart for a while as I have an old motorbike to finish building first, but early next year could be possible, so I have time to look around. The local school has a large, open playground and is only ten minutes away and may be worth a visit.
I will keep you posted.
James.
Here you go,
This is Huttoft beach in the rush hour
this beach goes on for 20-30 miles. Its fantastic! Its me in my crap kite buggy, and thats why I started making a good one.
Regards
Jay
Catceefer, where are you more specifically?
Try contacting BFSLYC (British Federation of Sand and LandYacht Clubs) the y cater for Sand yachts, buggies, landboards etc, so should be able to help you find something.
Not all Blokarters are quite so parochial, just some!
