I know I know this is a catamaran site... but does anyone iceboat. Winter is upon us so sailing is dead... for now.

I'd like to know what people are using and where.

I am almost finished an "Iceflyer". It uses a windsurfer rig. Got the plans off the web. The designer stopped making them as he was worried about litigation <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

It's a cool design but I know there are plenty of DN's out there. A friend of mine (he's about seventy something) gave me his old DN running gear for my landing gear <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> and I have my old windsurfer stuff for an engine. Once my 14 is in storage this weekend I will try to finish the ICBM <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Post some pictures.

I know they're fast, but how fast?

Frozen,
I've never been iceboating. We don't get ice in the Sunburnt Country.
From what I've read they will go 6 times the speed of the breese. I've read that the fastest speed ever clocked is 139 miles per hour.
Anyone out there who has actually done it may like to correct me if I've got it wrong.
There are a number of things that I want to do before I pass from this world and sailing an Iceboat is at the top of the list.
Hope you enjoy your speed machine.
Regards,
Phill

Regards,
Phill

<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> What kind of diaper did he wear!!!!!

At that speed do you think he would need a diaper?

Probably not for very long!!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Seems I read somewhere the DN's get up to around 70 mph. True?

web page

http://www.ateliermedia.com/video/Ciube02.html


Here's some vid of a prototype my friend's been working on for a while. Snowy that day, but the thing rips on clean ice. Fun boat.

sm

Is there a class or design (hopefully cheap or easy to build) that is a two seater? Something like a 2 person DN or something that uses a windsurfer rig? It would be nice to race singlehanded but have the option of throwing a passenger in the second seat for a ride. The F16 of ice boats???
cheers

passenger? "Throw in" the girlfriend you wanna dump or mother-in-law? Pete, another diaper please!

Alan,
There are quite a few people in the North east who sail cats and iceboats.
Once you sail iceboats a while you start to regard everything else as just soft water sailing.
DN plate runners are fine for your iceflyer. Have your friend teach you how to sharpen them correctly. Get a large sail. The iceflyer seems to be very slow unless it is windy. A big sail helps for the under 10 mph days. Don’t sail alone, and carry ice claws for safety

As far as top speeds go, A DN only goes about 60-65 mph tops.
Iceboats are at their most efficient in light wind conditions. In 5 mph of wind a DN goes upwind at about 15 mph and downwind at 25 mph. A skeeter which is a large, cool very aero iceboat will go about 20 mph upwind and about 40 mph downwind.

When it is blowing 20 mph a DN is going about 35 mph upwind and around 50-60 downwind a Skeeter is going around 50 upwind and around 85-90 downwind

These speeds are assuming “fast” ice ie smooth clear ice with no snow on it and good runners on a DN that you built in the garage with a bendy mast

When it is blowing 30 mph you get the hell off the ice and drink manly drinks like Irish whiskey and tell lies about how cool you are.

It makes my A cat feel like I am sailing in slow motion .

Eric Anderson DN US 5193

Hey Eric,

about how many ice boating days are you able to get a year? Where do you travel to? I've always thought DN's were really cool, but heard most guys only get a couple of days a winter on 'em...

Down here below the Mason Dixon, I don't think we would get any unless it is the coldest winter on record... (I miss the Northeast)

Yeah, there has maybe been one day during my life I could have used one around Oklahoma and even then I might have been risking breaking through the ice.

I didn't realize those things were that fast, that is insane, I think I will stick to the water so when I crash I don't break every bone in my body.

I've never iceboated either, but sure would like to try it.

Twister, the most popular two seat class seems to be the Nite. Video of Nites in action here and another here

Found this video of the big dogs racing: Iceboat Regatta

It was either in the late '70s or very early '80s that the Chesapeake Bay froze over hard. Supposedly they held an iceboat nationals (if there is truly such a thing) on the Chesapeake that year. Very stinking cold winter up and down the coast...

If you don't mind driving, you can get 20-30 days of iceboating per year if you live in new england. I have been averaging 26 days per year for the last 4 years.
I often drive 2-5 hours to get to the ice though. Anything within 300 miles is fair game for a weekend if the ice is good.
All you need to do is get good roofracks and snowtires and go for it.

Sail Fast
Eric Anderson

If you want a portable 2 seater, the Gambit is the thing to get. Another alternative is a DN with a sidecar for ocasionaly taking passangers.

Thanks, I found some info on the Gambit. It sounds great. Does anyone have any pics of one?

An alternative to ice-yachting is land yachting. On dry lakes, dry riverbeds, salt flats or firm frozen beaches near the waterline.

A relatively simple to homebuild class 5 landyacht will reach 90 km/h = 57 mph on a beach.

Wouter

Wouter:

Something like this?

http://www.blokart.com/

http://www.blokart.co.uk/

Doug Snell

The site for my iceboat is www.iceflyer.com

The site gives a good description of iceboating along with good construction descriptions.

I have not tried mine yet but I do know that they accelerate rapidly due to the low friction coefficient of ice. No brakes <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> so you have to plan ahead. Turning into the wind is your brakes.

Where I live (North 53 degrees, 33 minutes, West 64 degrees, 5 minutes) winter is so cold that any snow that falls collects on the ice and this makes it difficult to impossible to iceboat. I haven't seen any substantial success making a sail powered snow boat... ( go ahead make my day, prove me wrong <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />)

Back at my old stompin gounds Halifax, Nova Scotia, the maritime climate makes it good for iceboating because any snow that falls tends to melt and refreeze at night.