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The Vector


Bill Paxton

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I've been looking at the Vector land sailer on the Stevenson's website. Sure looks like fun. Does anyone know if you can steer the thing? From the photos on the site it's not obvious, but there must be some way to turn the front wheel.

http://www.stevproj.com/SpecPurp.html

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I bought the plans a little while ago, too much going on yet to get to any building. As I remember it, there is a steering wheel under the dash that is connected to an eyebolt of sorts that is the front axel. The axel is fixed on one end and slides in a groove on the other as needed for steering. A pretty good idea, less steering geometry and fork rake to deal with.

Anybody out there got one running? Near Bill and I in Minnesota would be even better? I've got the option to buy a wheel kit for my iceboat, but this looks like good fun, easy to build and somewhat cheaper than adding more iceboats to the fleet!

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The BYYB screensaver has a shot of knee with a nasty looking gash on it. The knee belongs to Konrad and that was a land sailing accident, not sure if it was the vector or not.

Speaking of history does anyone remember the story behind this picture? It came off of Konrad's website but I can't remeber the story-the title of the pic is Satandog satandog.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sheesh.

I leave this board alone for a month or so, and when I return, you're all talking about landsailing crashes. :lol:

So let's set the record straight for all posterity, and for those on this board that were not here during the Roaring Late-90's when I built my Vacationer...

Yes, my good buddy Tom did build a Vector, as per plans and specs.

Yes, I did get multiple stitches in my left knee from a landsailing wreck. But it wasn't the Vector, it was my own Isabella iceboat that I had converted to wheels. The short version of the story is that it was high winds the day I crashed and better judgement should have prevailed. :P

I would like to see the photo of my knee. I've long-since lost that image, anyone know where to find it?

The vector is a lot of fun. But I will tell you that I'm 6'-3", and I don't fit inside the thing worth a damn. I always sat on the side wings and sailed it that way. Tom lost his house and all belongings (including the Vector) last spring in the May 22 Hallam tornado, but that's another story for another day. (It was an F4 tornado, and I'm pretty sure that Vector holds the record for the fastest unmanned landsailer in history)

Anyway, I digress. The Vector was really cool, but if you're as tall as me, you'll want to stretch it about 3 inches. The included link is that Vector, and my friend Marlin (who's shorter than me) sailing it. We rigged it with a Sunfish sail. Build it, you'll really be glad you did.

http://www.geocities.com/bosch_232/MarlinVector.jpg

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The only place that I have the picture of your knee is on the screensaver that Roland Blais put together in the "Roaring Late 90s" He had a website at one time http://www.rolandblais.org but I haven't visited it for ages. Konrad was quite famous in that screensaver, a shot of his knee, the Little Red Monkey, the Explorer with the tongue heavy Vacationer, and a shot of a vacationer or two with the added ratlines.

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Hells-bells, you have a better memory than I do, I've forgotten about some of that stuff. What a riot this place was, lol!

I forgot all about that photo trick we did with the Subaru Forester and the boat trailer. I can't even remember why we had the front end jacked up anymore..

Did I really drink that much?? 8) Just kidding

Anyway, someone please find that photo of my knee. I have a permanent scar that looks like a freaking weld because the whole stupid thing got infected and took two months to heal. :x

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Konrad-I found this just poking around on the web. As Desi would say to Lucy "you got some splaining to do" with some of those photos. I remember most of the ice boats photos, with the duck and shooting trap on the ice, but some of them border on the paranormal.

http://www.geocities.com/bosch_232/

I think you should take some time to post the old photos with the short story to each one so the new builders can see just what kind of environment us old builders had to put up with while we were building. It would seem like we would glue up one piece on the boat and then race to the computer to see what Konrad and the rest of the Husker boys were up to that day. I remember expolding transoms and splintered rubrails on someones boat and how to overcome the bending limits of plywood.

I think it is only right that your kids should hear the story of "socko and numbskull" from the creator of that story-I laughed so hard pop flew out of my nose. Inquiring minds want to know if Lisa ever forgave you for that episode.

I await more tales from the "Adventures of Konrad"

BTW here is your knee KneeStitches001.JPG

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Yeah! THAT's the photo!!

The big transom clamp... I must say that was my one moment of inspiration, glad it helped other people out. :wink:

Sure wish my alma-mater's football team hadn't been eviscerated by Steve "Stinky Pete" Peterson. They're terrible now.

"Socko and Numbskull" How in the world do you guys remember all that stuff?!? It's like it comes into my head, I spew it out, and then it's gone, never to be remembered. LOL! Man, that goes back to when Lisa was still in college, must have been '99. We were starving back then, I remember having to borrow $500 from my parents just to buy groceries one month. :roll: Now she makes more money than ME. 8) 8) 8)

Remember when I posted the Christmas photo with the human skulls on the dining room table and the Christmas tree in the background? I'm going to have to write down some of these things. Just think: There's a 20-month old "Mini-Me" right now, and another one due May 14th. :shock:

I am a maniac, but I'm a blessed maniac. 8)

p.s. Someone please tell me how to insert a photo into these posts, I've never been able to do it right. I can do an "after" photo now that it's been healed up for 5 years. Hell of a scar. :x

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When you go to post a message, look in the box below, as shown in the picture. Click on "Browse", find the pic you want to upload, add a "File Comment" if you wish, then click on "Add Attachment".

After you click "Add Attachment" the file is uploaded to the server, and you will see a link down below the 'Add an Attachment" box. You can then add up to another five pictures by repeating the sequence. Then you just click on the "Submit" button to post the message.

[attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

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Well part of the beauty of the Vector is that it's an un-stayed rig.

So you can't go adding too much beam, or you're gonna bend a mast. :shock:

We clocked the Vector (by gps) at speeds above 30mph on a few occasions, so don't go thinking you've gotta start tweaking the design, it's just fine as it is. Un-stayed rig = low loads on all components.

A *little* bit of extra beam would not be the end of the world (I'm talking 5% - 7%)

But just try it as it is first, I think you'll be surprised how well it works. 8)

.

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  • 1 month later...

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