Home » forums » How To

DN Ski modification?

Submitted by cowardly skipper on January 30, 2004 - 12:45. How To

Has anyone built an iceboat adapted for snow using a ski/skate modification? I'm a first time DN60 sailor as of last week on the Hudson River...wow...but the new snow has put the kabash on sailing. Just wondering if anyone has experimented with a snow design. thanks

Peter ...Hudson Valley NY

» login or register to post comments | previous forum topic | next forum topic | 1570 reads

Snow iceboat or snowboat

Submitted by snowrider on March 19, 2006 - 07:46.

Hello !
I made a snow sailboat 9 years ago, it performs well only with a great wind (20 mph and more). The boat is about 24 feets lenght and 14 feets wide with 2 sails, a main and a jib, with full suspension, on a 16 inches wide, 8 feets lenght rears ski and 16 inches 6 feets for front one. It weights about 350 pounds. I rode up to 60 mph on a storm with somes friends who used kites and ski buggys. I'm really faster than the the kites and I go upwind with no problem, but sometime the directionnal ski (in front) slides off because of the jib. The challenge for ride on a snow is the blade concept with a large ski surface, I began building a new one with a new ski/blade concept. Il will be lighter, because I'd like to ride on snow or ice with lighter wind.

Excuse my english !

Snowrider

» login or register to post comments

every year someone should try..

Submitted by us5214 on February 6, 2004 - 19:36.

i hope every year someone tries to do this until a solution comes along.

Wouldn't that be great?...

maybe giant snowboards for aft runners, with a super skinny, barely sticking up ice runner down the middle.. And then the longest widest ski possible up front..

I hear the problem is you sink in too far in just about all snow..

» login or register to post comments

I have sailed with skies

Submitted by dn4297 on January 31, 2004 - 21:08.

We sailed at chandler park golf course a couple of years ago. We did not have enough wind but we got some rides. I think sarns made the skies or Skip had them made.

» login or register to post comments

dn ski modification

Submitted by the IceMaker on January 31, 2004 - 15:29.

Peter...

$0.02, the answer is yes and no... and every season somebody no doubt makes another attempt.

Some of the snow sailing machines actually have some success, in the 1870's or 80's they actually put skis on a stern steer (of the Hudson River style I believe) around Devil's Lake, in then, Dakota Territory and delivered the mail, at least often enough to have been written about. I suspect they didn't really have much to do in Devils Lake in the winter of 1876. :) Nobody's yet come up with anything that people choose to regularly sail on snow.

If a design had ever demonstrated the ability to do so well, ie. sail upwind & down, not come apart, it would have been adopted more universally I suspect. An optimal snow sailing machine will not most likely look much like a DN.

Most sailors prefer to sail on ice... better ride, more speed, more fun... never mind the driving.

4695

» login or register to post comments

Smoke stack 1313

Submitted by cowardly skipper on May 30, 2004 - 13:12.

I tried some old water skis once boat would go until you jumped in . end of experiment, I think the only possobility might be cross country skis with a plate runner sticking threw for steering and 15 t 20 mph winds probably 20 mph plus.

» login or register to post comments

Skis - revisiting

Submitted by spideyak on February 19, 2007 - 17:44.

Hello, all... my first post here!

I know this is an old topic, but I'm super interested in any answers anybody may have.

I live above the Arctic Circle in Alaska, where there is always hardpack snow on the ice. I was thinking of buying an iceboat & modifying it to use snowmachine (snowmobile) skis. They have lightweight, carbon-strength performance skis now that are used to steer snowmachines & ought to do the job (in my mind) for iceboating in these conditions.

Am I off track or does this sound plausible?

Thank you =).

» login or register to post comments

Ski project

Submitted by snowrider on July 22, 2007 - 06:16.

Hello !
I test somes types of ski for the snow, I have a 23 feets mast with
near 150 squares feet sails (main & jib) a large flat ones slide
well with a light wind but the directional effect was the problem.
concave surface with a sharp metal edge on each side work better
but for going side or upwind it's slide off on new soft snow and
need wind about 25 MPH for riding, the snowmobile ski may be try
but the snow condition in my area was soft to hard and snowmobile
ski doesn't slide well on soft snow it's like an anchor.
I intend to built a stern steerer style iceboat for have more
weight on directional ski and put a large ski for larger snow
condition. see my article Snow iceboat or snowboat
Excuse my english.

» login or register to post comments