An old skateboard, an old sail and some duct tape.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Like the title says…

I bought a skate(board) at a garage sale for my kids a few months ago.

A few days ago I picked up two windsurfers for free. Though servicable, they’re very old, and quite large. The sails on the other hand, a little dirty, are none the worse for wear.
We live near a lake, but I wouldn’t for love nor money actually go into it. Well, maybe for love.

Anyhoo.

I’m out in the backyard, finally getting around to cleaning it up. I’m looking at these two monstrosities. They’re lying there, killing what’s left of my grass. Obviously there’s an enormous fun potential, but how?..

I look down at the skateboard. It’s providing protection for a patch of grass about two feet square. The kid who mows our lawn, obviously not wanting to mulch the skate, gives it a wide berth. I believe he thinks we put it there on purpose, and don’t want it moved.

Hmmm…

skateboard… sail…

Of all the crocked ideas I’ve ever had… this one takes the cake. And I figure it just might work.

Drill a hole in the skate to accept the mast… wrap with duct tape. Lots of duct tape.

I drive over to Zaphod’s place, pick him up and we set off to find a big, deserted parking lot. Hmmm. It’s Saturday afternoon. So we find one, behind this mall. Reasonably secluded. Problem is, resonably secluded, is oftimes synonymous with windless.

We finally find a lot on a hill, with some decent wind and get set up. More duct tape.

So here we are, in a school parking lot, right next to a major street in this suburb. People are slowing down to look at us. We look like idiots.

For one thing, it’s hard enough to just stand on a skate board. It’s another thing to share that space with a ten foot sail. I hadn’t thought of that.

Finally, after much practice, we can remain standing (unassisted) and hold the sail with both hands. The trick is then to pull the sail into the wind so that it catches, and away you go.

Away you go alright, right off the skateboard (which remains curiously immobile). More practice, and we can actually hold the sail in the wind. The wind is strong. Stronger than it seemed. It takes quite a bit of force to hold the sail.

But the board is not moving. Ok, that’s because it’s perpendicular to the wind. So we’ll just turn a bit… and fall off the skate board. We’re taking turns and laughing so hard that our guts are splitting. People are starting to stare. One car actually stops and watches for a while.

“Hey dude, give me a little push, would you?”

If you have, at this moment, a mental picture of two seemingly horribly uncoordinated, thirty something guys fighting with a sail; one wobbling crazily on an uncooperative skateboard while the other pushed, then you are getting the right impression.

Zaphod figured it out, after we had finally given up. He gave the skate a little kick. It rolled about two feet. The wheels are shot. (Waddya expect for $10)

Anyway, we think it’s do-able. With new wheels and a bigger board, it just might be possible.

I don’t know if this qualifies as mundane, but I tried to keep it as pointless as possible. I just had to share it though.

2

It would seem that the sail on the skateboard isn’t a great match (the old Chihuahua/Great Dane conundrum); you probably want something smaller than the windsurfer boards. But, for prototyping purposes, I’d guess the next step is to put the (or maybe, new) skate carriages on one of the windsurfer boards.

3

Naw… impossible. These boards are huge. Very thick and ungainly. When looking at them, you’d get the impression that they could safely float a small car across the lake.

4

Your theory has merit. Back when I was a kid, with a gut I could contain within my center of balance, we would wait for a windy day with a skateboard and trashbag to see how fast we could get going. With an actual sail that can be used to tack for those less windy days, I think you have a marketable invention. Then its only a couple of years to an espn2 show.

5

Once again, I’ll note that I’m speaking of intermediate design/testing models: can you pick up an old boogie board?

Egad! Now my mind is really wander…, er, surfing…, how about a sail supporting sub-structure mounted between catamaran skateboards? Hmmm…, try the boogie board first.

6

I’m thinking of cutting a new board out of some 3/4 plywood. Probably about the size of a boogie, perhaps thinner. Skateboards tilt when they turn, so we’re kind of limited.

7

It was quite funny, though. That new board might be a good idea, but you’ll still need some decent wheels.

By the way…

Speak fer yourself, ya old bastard, I’m 28. :smiley:

8

You might try a mountain board, too (is that the same thing as a boogie board?) It looks like an all-terrain skateboard, wheels about 6" in diameter, about 3 or 4 feet long.

It sure sounds like fun, though!

9

http://www.windskate.com/history/frames.htm has a few articles written by people who seem to have done what you’re attempting. You might want to use 4 pairs of trucks, and increase the board’s track(width), that’d compromise handling but you’d gain quite a bit of stability.

I’ve seen kite style sails used with surfboards, skis, snowboards, skates, and on foot. It’s very cool, the participants can easily stay in the air for three or four seconds.

10

Well, I bet you never thought you’d see this thread again…

Prototype #4 is drying as we speak. The skateboard had been canibalized for #2 and #3 but has been replaced with a plywood laminate construction. The front wheel is off a kids bike, the rear wheels are 6" diameter with ball bearing thingies (that’s the technical term).

Our last two attempts worked. That is we actually got the damn thing to move. Not very fast, mind you, but it moved. Wind was a big factor.

This one should work well. The bugs have been worked out and with the bigger wheels it may even handle grass as well.

Lawmill, thanks for the link. I was not surprised to see that someone had already thought of this.

Oh, my kingdom for a desert.

11

A couple years back, I tried a similar approach. Standing atop a skateboard, instead of wind power I used hyperactive-dog-on-a-leash power. Starting was great, however the sound of the skateboard scared the dog into running faster, causing me to think, “hey, I forgot brakes”. I retired the idea after one ride and about 1.5 square feet of missing skin.

12

yep. I can relate.

My dog, not understanding the rules would get tangled in my legs or run off onto the grass.

13

Hi. Me again. Update for those even remotely interested.

Prototype #5 was taken out to a large parking lot with the winds gusting up to 50km/hr. Some serious speed was attained. :smiley: cars were stopping to look.

Zaphod and I discovered that the steering left much to be desired. I went careening into the edge of the lot at about 30km/hr. The 3/4" plywood base snapped neatly in two and I was thrown about 12 feet onto (thankfully) the grass.

Yippie-kie-aye!!!

Prototype #6 dispensed with the flimsy 3 wheel plan. I Bought 2 more ball bearinged wheels and implemented a new steering system. Our last tries saw me actually tacking and turning in a semblance of actual control. The wind was erratic though, too gusty to really get a good handle on things.

There are still a few fine tunings to effect, but I think I’ve got a working device here, and if the winds today are as good as they are supposed to be, I’ll have another update for y’all at the end of the day…

next step… hook up a video cam and get some mpegs up on the net for you all to look at for a good giggle.

14

try this one - they’ve already got some mpgs up -
http://www.windskating.com/default_e.htm

I’ve seen it before called landsurfing. Some of the landsurfers sit on their boards for better balance or more speed - like some of the newer bicycles, I guess. Look forward to seeing the vids!

15

hey fierra, thanks for the links. Great site!!!

(now I gotta learn me some new moves…)

16

I have nothing to add, other than to say I am interested in seeing some footage of your vehicle in action. And that I am a fellow build-unusual-stuff-for-the-fun-of-it person