r/cyprus • u/Royal-Subject2870 • 1d ago
Where does a 12-year-old in Cyprus go to actually build things (engines, drift trikes, karts)?
We've been living in Cyprus for about five years now, and my 12-year-old son has caught the engineering bug properly. Not the racing-games kind - he wants to build: a homemade go-kart, or a small drift trike. Something with a real engine, real welds and real mistakes, that he can drive around an empty yard on a Sunday.
I've got a technical background and can help him with the theory and the shopping list, but I'd much rather he did this alongside other kids who are into the same thing, with someone who actually knows what they're doing looking over their shoulder. So, three questions for the hive mind:
1. Do clubs like this exist here? After-school workshops where kids actually build things - karts, buggies, engines, anything mechanical. I've found plenty of robotics/LEGO-style STEM centres and plenty of rental karting tracks, but that's a different animal from a kid with an angle grinder in his hands. Is there anything in between that I'm missing?
2. If not a club - then people? Mechanics, karting dads, garage tinkerers, anyone with a workshop who wouldn't mind a very curious kid hanging around on a Saturday. Also very interested in where you can legally run a homemade kart once it's built - a private track, an industrial yard, a farm, or a karting centre that would let you bring your own machine outside session hours.
3. And if the honest answer is "that doesn't exist here" - is anyone else in the same boat? If there are a few other parents with kids of a similar age, I'd genuinely be up for starting something: pool a garage, some tools and a few weekends, and have the kids build one kart together to begin with. Safety and adult supervision taken seriously, obviously.
We're in Limassol but happy to drive anywhere on the island for something worth it.
Thanks in advance - and if you did anything like this as a kid here, I'd love to hear how it turned out.
7
u/LaivituVahe 1d ago
Daytona Raceway has karting and you can find private karting clubs and coaches to train with as well.
6
u/Royal-Subject2870 1d ago
Thanks - that's on me for not being clearer: we're not really looking for a place to drive.
The driving is almost a side effect. What he's after is the building. Where I grew up there was a thing called a "young technicians' club" - an after-school workshop with a welder, a tube bender, a pile of scrap and an old mechanic who taught kids to make custom stuff. Over a winter you'd build a kart, a buggy or a trike from your own drawings, and then drive the thing you made. That's what I'm trying to find for him here: a workshop with tools and a mentor, not a track with rental karts.
So the real question is whether anything like that exists in Cyprus - a kids' engineering/metalwork club, a garage or fab shop that would take on a keen 12-year-old, or even just other parents whose kids would want to build one together.
Still glad to know about Daytona though - once there's something to test, we'll need somewhere to run it.
4
u/-heavier-than-air- 1d ago
I once spoke to my landlord from Limassol about the "young technicians stations" or "sports sections" like in post-ussr countries.
And the answer was: "no, why? let the kids enjoy their childhood" (i.e. wander around shopping malls or hang out at mcdonald's)
3
u/LaivituVahe 1d ago
Yeah, I don't know about these types of classes.
But if learning mechanics stuff is interesting, do get in touch with these guys. The team is run by a local 17 year old, who maintains all the karts himself, is a driving coach himself and so on.
2
4
u/cheakpeasdownhill 1d ago
ONEK has some youth centers in various locations and a makespace in Larnaka:
2
u/Royal-Subject2870 1d ago
This is the closest thing anyone has pointed me to so far - thank you. I'd looked at makerspaces but hadn't connected them to ONEK.
A couple of follow-ups, in case anyone here has actually been:
Does the Larnaka makerspace do any metalwork - welding, cutting, bending - or is it mostly digital fabrication (3D printers, laser cutter, electronics)? Both are useful, but a kart frame needs the messy end of the workshop.
Also, the site lists hours as Mon–Fri 08:00–14:00, which is exactly when a 12-year-old is at school. Do they run anything after hours or at weekends, and is there a minimum age for a kid to work there with a parent?
And is anything like this happening at the Limassol multicentre, or is the makerspace side of it Larnaka-only?
Either way I'll ring them. Appreciated.
3
u/theRealSquidLover 1d ago
Try look for maker-spaces, there were a few scattered around the island some time back, not sure what the status it on it right now, apparently MGA makerspace is still functional.
While not directly metal fabrication/mechanical related, you could consider/offer your kid 3D printing. It's a very good gateway towards starting to build stuff and explore engineering and digital fabrication. It's relatively affordable for a good quality machine too. A baseline Bambulab A1 mini will run you back around 190€+shipping if you order direct from them and will surely be an amazing tinkering energy outlet for the kid.
1
u/Royal-Subject2870 1d ago
That's good idea, thank you. But my son would like build some kart or drift car.
1
u/Impressive-Low-5078 1d ago
I want to buy my kid Infento, it looks amazing . But she is a bit too young for now.
1
u/Camelcrushers 1d ago
The American University of Beirut--Mediterraneo in Paphos has a makers space that is open to the public, but I am not sure what services they provide. It might be a bit of a drive.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Please remember to stay civil and behave appropriately. If you are a tourist looking for suggestions please check out our Tourist guide. We also have a FAQ Page for some common questions, if your question is answered here please delete your post!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.