The mast is the foundation of the rig of any sailing tourist or sports craft, its most important unit. Its design and position determine sail area, configuration and aerodynamics, the ability to adjust sail thrust, and the design of the centerboard and the “ship” as a whole. When building a small sailboat, you have to Read more…
When designing and building the “Shmel,” the creative team “Vzlet” took as a basis the micro autogyro designed by V. Barkovsky, V. Vinitsky, and Yu. Rysyuk, described in detail in “M-K” (see: 1969, No. 6; 1970, Nos. 3 and 10; and 1971, No. 6). This very well-made machine, the first in our country of its Read more…
I decided to make this boat specifically for fishing in quiet lake backwaters — small and maneuverable. And, of course, lightweight, so I could handle it alone. The right material was already available: for several years, under the garage roof, there had been a large duralumin sheet 2700x1800x2 mm stored there, and cutting it into Read more…
The 12th–9th centuries BC are referred to by historians as the “dark ages”. During this period, the tribes living on the northern and eastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, meeting face to face, sparked numerous clashes between peoples. Some states dissolved into the mass of others; in free lands, new colonies arose. Art and knowledge Read more…
Whether it is a holiday or a weekend, we try to spend our free time as a family on trips: hiking and cycling, by car and on the water. We have been to the Baltic countries, Karelia, Crimea, the Caucasus, and the steppes of Pryazovia. Over fifteen years of such journeys we have built up Read more…
Many rural outbuildings need ventilation. Without it, houses and sheds become damp, cellars and basements get wet, and using an outdoor privy without a fan is, to put it mildly, uncomfortable. Of course, fitting a toilet or cellar with an electric supply or exhaust fan is not difficult, but many dacha buildings are far from Read more…
In any courtyard you can see flower beds and playground elements made from old tires. On river cruise ships and at docks they are used as fenders. But that is far from all the uses for automotive “footwear” that has served its time. Take swings, for example… If you replace the traditional seat board with Read more…
Around the house you often have to make non-standard furniture, especially when bought pieces don’t fit the room. The author ran into this when it came to a shelf unit in the utility room of an apartment. If you took the traditional route, you could put up the shelf quickly and cheaply. But on a Read more…
I suggest motorists equip themselves with a shallow inspection pit that lets you repair a car while seated. It takes far less effort and material than building any “full-depth” equivalent — and it is comfortable to work in. The mini pit has two parts: a ramp pit with a sloped end (you slide under the Read more…
Designing internal stairs — for example, attic stairs — is often troublesome. For comfortable, large flights there is usually not enough room, and they end up very steep, which is quite dangerous, especially for older people. In one issue of an old Czechoslovak magazine, an interesting compromise design was proposed, which we offer to our Read more…
