| IL MAL’IDER CAV 01/02 The making of the Mal'ider 01 was long and elaborate. The main problems one had to face in its assembling were a concerning lack of information (the Internet was not as widespread as it is now), and the objective limit of being forced to use low cost components. In the initial project a wooden structure was planned, but when the whole gear was first installed, with its hulking Vaurien mast, heavy and incombering, it was soon evident that a more solid frame was needed. An aluminium chassis was then chosen, with hollow rectangular bars taken from the remains of a lorry, bolted and riveted to each another. The rear axle came from the bridge of a Fiat Panda, cut for the purpose, which provided tyres and wheels as well. One of the next changes in the design was to be the use of spare wheels, which were lighter and presented less friction thanks to the different profile of the pneumatic tyres. The front fork was the only component that was custom made . The steering system was taken from a bicycle, to which iron tubes were soldered, leading to something similar to a moped wheel. The considerable distance between the steering axle from the point where the wheel connects with the fork was the cause of the failure of the first test, which ended with an inglorious crash against a wall. The present version has a simpler fork, the wheel having been taken from a barrow, and is very similar to the Class 4 char a voile. The Vaurien gear was chosen for its greater availability and lower cost, even though this is not the ideal solution, due to the presence of shroud and stay. Besides the greater weight of ropes and wind-braces, the main problems come out in full open sailing, when, leewards, boom and sail compress the shroud and, in swift manoeuvring with strong winds, when there is the real danger that - with the landyacht on two wheels - the bar where the ropes are fastened might get stuck in the sand. Moreover, a second person is necessary for its assembly .The ideal solution would be a Laser-like gear, with a dismountable mast, but that would entail higher costs. |  |
| Cav01 02 had its first contact with the sands on December 19, 1999, on the Lido dei Pini beach, chosen from those on the coast south from Rome because it is easily accessible, relatively wide and near to the place where it was made. Given that it is a three metre long mast transported on the roof of a VW Polo, it is definitley safer to avoid long drives and being fined en route. The lack of wind forced us to call the landyacht sail off. A lively northern wind was blowing two days later, on Tuesday December 21st. The winds blew parallel to the beach, and therefore not leading to the most ideal of conditions, but it proved sufficient to let me feel what I had felt on the Saint Brevin beach. The landyacht can work up a good speed without showing any signs of wear or stress, certainly not with regard to durability of the craft. The steering gear effectively guides the way and yet the restricted nature of the space (in the part furthest away from the shoreline, where the sand is less compact, the craft proceeds in a straight line, even when the wheels are turned totally sideward) together with a wind that is coming from an unfavourable direction, have ruled out weaving and turning and therefore working up the wind. I bide my time and wait for a good cross-wind. | |
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