Hi Guys,
Sorry if this seems like a bit of shameless self promotion, but I thought some of you might be interested in seeing a shot of my latest model landyacht.
The “K1-SS” landyacht/iceboat is a radio controlled model of the full sized versions. It measures 75" long X 56"wideX 72"tall.
The hull is framed with 3mm plywood & skinned with a paper backed birch veneer, entirely held together with West System Epoxy.
The airfoil shaped double taper wingmast is also birch veneer vacuum bagged over a foam core. Masts have also been bagged using 6oz glass & carbon fiber. The sail is made of 4 mil Mylar with battens. These things are a big thrill to sail & race, & are developing as an emerging hobby worldwide. A smaller version (the SS stands for “supersized”) has a GPS documented speed of over 35 mph on ice, so I’m hoping this unit can break the 40mph barrier this winter. The landspeed record of 30.3 mph was set last March on Dry Lake Ivanpah on the Nevada-California border.
ps; A group of us are planning to have a regatta in October, probably in Rockford, Illinois. The DIY Network cable tv channel is interested in filming the event to be featured on their “RC Hobbies” series
Well done mate.
Bill there is nothing wrong with a bit of shameless self promotion when you have something as good as this to brag about.
Your leadership and insperation are ledgendary, keep up the great work.
If I can get off my fat ar*e I should finish my class II and have some dry fun.
Best wishes from the deep deep south.
Thanks, Ian. Yeah, you need to get off your butt & get yours running…;-).
What sort of surfaces do you have available? Sand or carpark? I know the Northern Island has miles of hard sand beaches. Anyway, here’s another pix for your perusal: http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/6797/k1ss0bn.jpg
Bill, I have only so far sailed on hard surfaces, I can not imagine using inline skate wheels on sand, even hard packed sand.
I do have some old pram wheels which I have been hoarding for use on an unlimited size landyacht but as you will have worked out by now I am one of those blokes who starts a project and often never gets it finished.
I am my own worst enemy.
So before dreaming about an Unlimited I should finish my class II and get some stick time in.
I did last summer have a drive of my friend Paul`s “BLOKART” which was a great fun experience. www.blokart.com
Wis,
That looks like a wonderful area: large, flat & wide open. What I can’t really see is the quality of the surface which appears to be hard packed dirt. There appears to be small chunks of dirt or gravel scattered about, which would be a real speed stopper. If not, hard packed dirt will work just fine, although you should expect more “crabbing” than you would on pavement. This is analogous to “leeway” with softwater boats & in more extreme conditions can result in spectacular spinouts.
Ian,
I’ve seen the Blokarts at Ivanpah. Very well thought out design, nice & compact, but able to handle a wide range of wind conditions. I’m not sure what sort of wheels would be best on sand. I’ve found that foam model airplane wheels work great on pavement & dirt. Here’s an image from Ivanpah
with my short high wind C rig: http://www.iceboat.org/RCBoats/ivanpah04/12k-1.jpg
if you can latch on to some lightweight but large diameter tires/wheels, that bit of gravel should pose no problem, other than top end speed and maybe light winds.
Problem is finding bigger tires that aren’t too heavy.
