Tips & Tricks
Where it all started … blokart sailing rules … blokart tips and tweaks … so much to learn. The information on this page will help you understand some of the history behind the blokart, key sailing rules and how to get the most out of your blokart from sail trimming, to batten shaping, to wheel bearing treatment.
History
The blokart was developed by Paul Beckett in his garage in September 1999. Paul was inspired to build a wind powered toy that was portable, fun and easy to use for people of all ages. At the 10th birthday celebration in Tauranga in 2010 it was announced 10,000 blokarts had been sold in 10 years of manufacture.
With its One Design concept it has become a popular land sailing craft around the world with Blokart World Championships held every two years. Most countries also have their own local events and National Championships.
As well as racing it is also a great family craft for sailing on the beach having fun and there are many in garages throughout New Zealand.
Karts
Blokarts come in two main setups of Production (which is straight out of the factory) and Performance (which has a pod and Carbon masts as well as a range of adjustments to gear). There is also a Shadow unit that can be added to the production Kart allowing two people to enjoy the blokart fun.
The Blokart is made of a range of parts that can be replaced if broken during use or racing.
Key tip is to make sure all bolts and clamps are tight when sailing.
The Blokart comes with its own compact bag that it breaks down into and can be easily carried and transported in the boot of a car or on aircraft.
Sails and Mast Configurations
Depending on the wind strength there are many permutations and combinations of mast sections that can be used with the different size sails. It really isn’t as complex as what you may think. Check it out here.
For those new to sailing, the image to the left shows a lot of the common names around a sail to help understand what people are talking about when they are assisting in making you sail faster.
Below shows a range of sail size change over with wind rated in kph.
There is also sail bags that help to keep your range of sail gear together and is great for traveling.
Sail and Batten Settings
When starting out the two key things to remember is when sailing into or towards the wind is to keep the sail pulled in or seated in. When going away from the wind the sail should be let out allowing it to twist and create a bigger belly to catch the wind.
The angle of the sail to the wind is the most important for the speed of the kart. An easy tip is to keep the angle within 15° of the wind angle. Most novice sailor tend to pull the sail in too far.
The shape of the sail or foil setup can be changed with the battens. The more tension to the end of the batten will create a deeper foil shape and give more lift.
In addition to batten tension the batten it self can be shaped to produce a different shaped foil when tension is applied in the sail batten pocket.
Rules Overview
Below gives you a high level view of the rules when sailing to prevent altercations and collisions. For the full set of BIA rules please follow this link. BIA Rules.
Tips and Tweaks for your Blokart
Here are a few tips and tweaks, to get your blokart pumping. Thanks to the Capital Blokart Club for permitting us to link to their excellent guides to getting the most out of your blokart.
Tips for starting out – beginners guide to blokart sailing.
Intermediate tips – the physics of blokart sailing.
Advanced tips – tell tales, sail tuning and battens.
Kart tweaks – the “Inox wheel bearing treatment”.