Land Sailer

MY New Land Sailor Design.

Design Requirements

A primary design requirement was that the Land Sailor operate in wind speeds below 10 mph. Down to as low as 6 or 7 mph if possible. This meant that it must carry a large sail. I checked Windance at Hood River for a large reasonably priced large sail and was able to come up with an 8.8 m^2 used windsurfer sail in good condition at a good price. Another primary design requirement was that the system be easily portable, not easy for a yacht that must carry a large sail.

Design Implementation

I next went seeking the materials to construct the yacht with. I found some 6061-T6 Aluminium tube with a 2.375 in. I.D. Since I wanted the unit to break down into small sections so it could be easily transported, I looked for some smaller tube to fit inside to act as a ferrule. I first tried some PVC schedule 80 pipe that had an O.D. of 2.375. With just a touch of sanding it made a perfect fit. Alas it seemed to flexible to me so I went to some Aluminium pipe of the same dimensions and though a little heavier it was stiff enough. I then conducted so load tests to see what a good width for the rear axle should be. I settled for a width of 9 ft. 8 in. rear tire tread center to center. I allocated 26 in. to the center "T" section for width. The axle tubes are then 42 in long on each side. With the seat mounted right on the rear axle I looked for a mast location that would allow the bottom of the sail to clear my head. This resulted in the mast being located 81 in. in front of the rear axle. I also selected a mast location for a 6.7 m^2 sail that I also picked up at a bargain price. It is located at 60 in. in front of the rear axle. The steering bar was located at a place I could comfortably reach, 43 in. in front of the rear axle. I then looked at a lot of different yacht designs and found length/width ratios of from 1.1 to 1.5. I settled on 13 feet based on the amount of flex I got in the forward frame. It turns out to have a L/W of 1.34. The center "T" section was allocated 26 in. The next two sections that contain the steering bar and the mast base plates were each allocated 42 in. The front section was then made 46 in. from the front axle to the ferruled joint. Each of the ferrules were made to extend 10 inches into the connecting tube. To hold the system together I used 1/4-28 bolts, one one each side of the joint. By removing only 5 of the 1/4-28 bolts the main structure can be disassembled into sections no longer than 46 inches. By removing 4 more bolts the seat can be removed. I originally was going to support the mast with steel wire, but decided against such a scheme because the mast flex would be more in keeping with a windsurfer sail if I put the support lower on the mast, and I felt it would be easier to setup and disassemble with tubular braces. This means four more small bolts must be removed to breakdown the mast support tubes. Finally two more bolts must be removed to separate the steering tube.

New Land Sailor Design

http://users.techline.com/lord/yacht6.html (1 of 2) [8/07/2002 12:42:36 PM]

The picture on the left is of the "T" or center section of the yacht. Aluminium plate 3/16 in. thick is bolted to both the top and bottom to provide structural stifness. The picture on the right is of the rear axel tubes. They have a plate welded on the end to which a steel plate is bolted. The steel plate has a 5/8 in. bolt with the head welded to its back side.

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MY New Land Sailor Design.

Design Implementation cont.

The picture on the left is of the two center sections of the main body. The angle pieces of aluminium welded to the tubes are for mounting aluminium plate to support the steering bar and the mast base. The section with the four angle pieces is for the steering plate and the alternate mast base position for the 6.7 m^2 sail. The picture on the right is the forward section. A steel fork with a 5/8 bolt welded into its top that passes through a nylon bushing provides the steering. A steel rod welded on the side provides a connection point for the steering rod.



Here is two different views of the assembled yacht. I hope to get some pictures of it sailing on the beach soon.

Additional Discussion.



The seat was purchased from Summit Racing, it is made of high density polyethelene and comes in several colors. A seat belt was added from an auto wrecking yard. The mast support tubes are 6061-T6 aluminum with an I.D. of 7/8 in. The ferrules and the part that bends around the mast are made from solid aluminum rod 7/8 in. diameter. The mast support tube brackets on the rear axle are made from 3/16 x 2in. wide aluminium strap. The wheels are from Azusa. They are 6 in. x 5 in. wide bolt together aluminum wheels with 5/8 diameter precission bearings. The front wheel is 8 in. x 3 in. wide.

Estimated Cost.

The estimated cost is as follows:

Sail = $140 from Windance at Hood River Ore. Alternate 6.7 m^2 sail $30

Mast = $ 50 from Windance

Alum = $200 from Floyd Equipment Co. Tacoma Wa.

Seat = $ 38 from Summit Racing Akron Ohio

Weld = $130 Humbyrd welding Westport Wa.

Bolts= $ 50 local hdwe store

Boom = $ 50 from Windance

Wheels $ 84 from Azusa via local Go Kart shop

Misc = $100

Total =$842

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Land Sailer

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