With my ATB attempt a failure I decided to scrap it for my buggy, a dirtsurfer looks alot simpler, is it just two small wheels hardmounted (besides shocks) or do they pivot with weight shift? I would really like to try kite boarding to get used to snowkiting and kitesurfing but cant afford an ATB. Could I just get 2 16" pneumatic wheels and weld up a frame for them or does it need a special steering mechanism? I'm not super concerned with smoothness of ride so i will bypass shocks. This is the idea I had in mind.

(My god do I need CAD, apple works just doesn't cut it anymore :lol

I'm not a dirtsurfer GURU, but I'm pretty sure they have a fairly precise setup with the front wheel for turning. Rear wheel is fixed, front wheel is somewhat a free castering sort of thing with a frame to limit the travel. but the angle it's hinged on and the way it's supposed to behave with momentum in the front wheel somehow makes it all work when you lean the board.

I'd have a good look at something like the BaseBoard thread. A simple sheet of plywood and a little fab to get three wheels poking through with a bit of camber to them like a roller blade chassis.

I have no luck with anything with trucks, I get speed wobble at like 5mph. If the wheels were fixed would you still turn? I guess it wouldnt be that hard to make a rotating wheel tho, mount it back over itself and put it on one nut with rubber rings to keep speed wobble down. :?:

K made a model (out of legos :lol and you cant just lean to turn you need rotating wheel, but all you need for that is to mount the wheel at a 30*angle an the lean transfers to a turn (how I made my ATB) So I will have to do something more like this.

http://www.w3sh.com/archives/DirtSurfer.jpg

Not terribly hard, eaier than an ATB

basicly its a fixed rear wheel and a caster front wheel like a shopping trolly, as long as you get the wheel base right you should be fine.
The important thing is the centre of gravity low.
the caster looks like its at about 10 degrees from horizontal .

A BIG part of what makes a dirtsurfer so stable is that the pivoting swingarm and platform you ride on is BELOW the centers of boh wheel axles, whereas with an ATB you ride a couple of inches above the center of the wheels. The board steers by leaning your body weight and less by what you are doing with your feet. The steering is provided by a swingarm mounted to the front of the board with two pivot bearings. No return spring or tension is required on the swingarm, gravitional force pulls the wheel center with greater force the faster you go. In short, speed=stability.

The hardest thing most people encounter making a DS is getting both sides of the front of the frame evenly bent in order to achieve getting the swingarm below the center of the wheel, and even more importantly, mounting the swingarm bearing house staright and true in realtionship to the frame. This is not to say you can't use a straight frame, just beware that it will be less stable, possibly more prone to speed wobble, and will take less downward force (ie: jumping) than a DS.

The baseboard works by wheel camber and skidding,sliding, or jumping into the direction you are going. It's disadvantage over a DS is that it has no effective brakes for downhilling and 3 smaller wheels over 2 larger ones which increases rolling resistance. However it is probably much easier to make at home. Though I have seen some impressive homebrews.
If you make one I'd love to see some pics of the progress. Good luck!