Greetings all,
I have started building my first landsailer.
The buggy is done for the most part, still need to rig the steering, build the mast base, mast and make a sail and rig it all.
The design is some what modified from the plans I found on the IRCSSA site. I can’t read French but have no problem with good prints, I converted the dimensions from Metric to SAE and used what I had on hand; ie, round tube instead of square…
John
One more pic of the bottom.
A few questions;
What to do with the antenna? Attach it to the frame?
What is the min & max angle for the boom from center? Need to figure how long the arm on the sail servo should be.
What material should the sail be made from?
Thanks,
John
John,
It looks like you’re off to a great start! What are the dimensions of the platform?
I like your choice of wheels, steering gear & overall simplicity. I’ll respond to your questions when I have more time, as I’m getting ready to go to work now.
Bill K
Bill,
Thanks for the quick reply, looking forward to your complete reply.
The platform on the plans is 100mm x 200mm so that comes very close to 4" x 8" and
that’s what it is.
John
Hi John,
First off, I should clarify my earlier question about size of the “platform”. What I meant was the overall dimensions of the chassis, but you (understandably) thought I was referring to the electronics board. Regarding your other questions:
1)attaching to the frame should work fine. If you have problems you can always run it up the mast.
2)I don’t think there’s a need to go more than 30 degrees either side of the centerline. Since these things usually exceed true wind speed, the apparant wind is normally forward.
The amount of angle will also be controlled by the attachment point on the boom.
3)I’ve developed a preference for 3 or 4 mil Mylar, which is fairly stiff but holds is shape well when running on rough surfaces. But pretty much any non stretchy fabric will be fine. Check out kite fabrics, or even Tyvek building wrap.
Regards,
Bill
ps; You may find that the small servo will not be strong or durable enough for a larger sail
Bill,
The overall length and width is 29" x 25". Not quite class 1 specs.
The sail material will be 24" high and about 12" at the boom. Wouldn’t 3-4 mil mylar be a
bit too stiff for such a small sail? I considered Tyvek, which is probably easier to get.
Kite material; isn’t that like rip-stop nylon?
I heed your warning on the sail servo, just didn’t think this small of a sail would be a problem.
Also, I didn’t want to fork out the dough for a high torque servo. I’m sure I will when I build
a bigger boat.
Finished rigging the pull-pull steering cables and working on the mast base. Boy, epoxy can
take a long time to cure!
John
Hi John,
Yes, you are correct: for a sail of that size the heavier Mylar is not necessary. Something like 1.5 or 2 mil would be fine, as would rip stop nylon. Also, the 3003 servo will work, especially if you have some sort of vang to resist boom lift.
As far as attaching it to the mast, a sleave will be the best way to go, as suggested by Bob Starr at rcgroups. I would make it large enough so it will start to assume an airfoil shape, which will reduce turbulance (drag) at the leading edge.
Regards,
Bill K
http://www.iceboat.org/RCBoats/rc%20boats.htm
Bill,
Thanks for all the excellent advice.
I think I might move this exclusively over to RCGroups since it does get more traffic, tho I was hoping for more here. I’m new at this and have a lot to learn but I do want to get this going ASAP.
I have material to build a couple more so my two sons and I can race each other, then on to full scale!
John
Link to RCGroups thread on my land yacht.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=752215#post8316806
John