When you mentioned the size of the landships you had in mind, the first image that jumped to my mind was of Rodney Matthews' "Terrestrial Voyager" poster. Of which -- aaarrrgh -- I haven't been able to find a good-sized picture anywhere on the 'Net so far. If the crew are normal humans, the mainmast looks like it's somewhere around 100 meters from deck to the upper crow's nest -- which is actually enclosed like a cabin.
But the problems with this design are legion, even if you do without some of the more fantastical elements of Matthews' vision. (The bat-wing sails won't catch nearly enough wind, the axle spikes serve only to look scary, and that towering sterncastle -- .)
Just to name the first difficulty that comes to my mind: friction. You've got massive inertia to overcome in order to start moving. The axles will have to be humongous to support the vessel's weight, and lubricating them to such a degree that the landship could make good use of any but the strongest winds would be an appalling task. Especially crossing deserts. Yes, I recall you saying that there're very strong winds, but those winds, you also said, are carrying lots of sand and dust and grit -- to get in everywhere and mess up the lubricants.
It's really cool visually. But could it ever be workable?
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Big Brother is watching you. And damn, you are so bloody BORING.
But the problems with this design are legion, even if you do without some of the more fantastical elements of Matthews' vision. (The bat-wing sails won't catch nearly enough wind, the axle spikes serve only to look scary, and that towering sterncastle -- .)
Just to name the first difficulty that comes to my mind: friction. You've got massive inertia to overcome in order to start moving. The axles will have to be humongous to support the vessel's weight, and lubricating them to such a degree that the landship could make good use of any but the strongest winds would be an appalling task. Especially crossing deserts. Yes, I recall you saying that there're very strong winds, but those winds, you also said, are carrying lots of sand and dust and grit -- to get in everywhere and mess up the lubricants.
It's really cool visually. But could it ever be workable?
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Big Brother is watching you. And damn, you are so bloody BORING.