Dry Lakes Racers Australia

Received an email from Colin Clare today. Pretty bloody amazing what these blokes get up to. How good is this!

HI
Boxing day was full on & attached are a few pics (work in progress)
3 Bays
2 bays 36'x12'' for cars
1 bay 24'x12' for bikes

Tarps are rolled onto Aluminium tube that lets them roll up & be tied on overnight if wind picks up
Tarps are 24' x 12' (most economic )
All pole spiders the same so tent can be expanded any way at any time
Roof poles are all the same
Leg pols are all the same

Yours
Colin










For those that haven't been before, this is the ultimate in sun protection on the salt and has been designed after years of destroyed tents, easy-ups and other structures.
A flat roof is ideal. You don't need or want a pitched roof, the wind gets underneath a pitched roof and just blows it away and if it's raining, you don't want to be there anyway.
You want a roof that is easy to pack up at the end of each day. At night the wind is much stronger and gustier and howls over the lake. Every year during the first night, we have to pull down what's left of a dozen shelters that have been destroyed.
Tent pegs are useless on the salt, the salt is that hard you have to use stainless tech screws and a cordless driver to attach your structure to the salt. Same goes for the tarps that we use to put under vehicles.

Awesome work from the Clare family.
Well thought through and constructed - Well done!!!

Great work!!

(but does that mean the bikes will be closer than ever to the cars?)
.............. not trying to offend the bike guys, but we couldn't hear ourselves think at times this year.

Rocket wrote:Great work!!

(but does that mean the bikes will be closer than ever to the cars?)
.............. not trying to offend the bike guys, but we couldn't hear ourselves think at times this year.

No offence taken, we (bike guys) could 't hear you think either.

jon

Top work guys...been waiting for the flatroof to catch on

Good thinking 99. Looks to be very well though out.

Dave

I agree good work,

Pete

JonB wrote:

Rocket wrote:Great work!!

(but does that mean the bikes will be closer than ever to the cars?)
.............. not trying to offend the bike guys, but we couldn't hear ourselves think at times this year.

No offence taken, we (bike guys) could 't hear you think either.

jon

Colin is on to a good design.
For those that have been to Bonneville we use this type of standard flat top canopy and it is really great. It is somewhat more simple here in So. Cal. as many of the "swap meet" sellers use the flat style canopies so there are many standard suppiers of these parts. This makes purchasing supplies and erecting them very easy without having to fab special connectors like you have (very nice by the way). But this design will work well and the craftsmanship looks first rate! Peaked top canopies are nothing but a wing waiting to fly and every year we watch the inexperienced wad up a few of these pop-up canopies without fail. Its always good entertainment, we feel bad but you can only teach so many people each year and the lesson time is short if you learn the hard way. Colin's concept is a good way to design a canopy to be sure. Nice job guys. We have a few people that have found a way to incorporate a spring (like a bonnet, OK hood, latch spring) into the tie down rope to allow for some flex during windy conditions, really cool and inexpensive to do too!
10 days and counting.
Scott
SCTA President/Chief Timer

10 days

10 Californian days perhaps. Things must happen faster there.

Chris

te Hee!!
Maybe he is our visitor we are having? (that everyone but me knows about)

Hi guys,

could you let me know what size of screw is needed to secure tarps and tents. We have cut a bunch of disks to screw through for more leverage, how deep we need to go to secure?

Cheers JP

we always use "roofing screws", the short ones, used when screwing into timber battens,,,

Horses for courses John. For a tarp under a vehicle 25-30mm hex head tech screw preferably stainless. Or gal roofing nails.
For holding down a structure 75mm.
With the corflute markers out on the track we use 25mm gal flat heads.
The most important thing is to make sure you pick up all you nails and screws when you leave.