Ice Boats

[Fargo]

Have there been any ice boats on the lake recently?

[NoBozo]

There was a recent comment on the Forum about an Ice Boats sighting. A quick Search by me didn't come up with anything. I am an Old Iceboater. DN-1249. NB

[Little Bear]

Last weekend there were quite a few that launched from Ames Farm in Gilford. I thought one of them was going to sail right into the open water, which was not visible from lake level.

By the way, if anyone is missing a bob house, there is what appears to be one about 500 yards north of Ames Farm, semi-submerged, on its side. There also appears to be other debris out there. It looks like it blew down from out in front of Ellacoya area.

[mowtorman]

Got a friend here in Laconia that is looking to sell an old ready to sail DN he's had for a very long time.

[Knomad]

I saw one in Wolfeboro Bay yesterday morning.

[Smith Point]

I was wondering the same thing; the conditions look perfect for ice boating. Do you need to register a ice boat?

[chaseisland]

Quiet SP, don't give the State any monitary ideas.

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by Smith Point

I was wondering the same thing; the conditions look perfect for ice boating. Do you need to register a ice boat?

NO registration required. The DN Class is the largest ice boat class in the world. Many Ice Boaters keep their boats forever. You can build your own, or buy one from the Widow of an owner. I had mine since 1969..sold it three years ago. Too much work for an old coot.

BTW: Black Ice is THE Best ice for sailing and usually pretty hard to find, particularly in NH because of snow cover. Back in the day, we usually had to wait until spring when the snow was settled down and refrozen into "snow ice". The very last time I sailed on Winni was on April 1st or 2nd..don't remember what year....out of Glendale. We were OFF the ice by 11:00 AM because the ice was getting "Soft" and there were Bob House holes 30 feet in diameter.

NEVER Sail Alone. NB

PS; A DN will go over 60 MPH.

[SIKSUKR]

Maybe its the yankee in me.I was thinking about the danger of sailing iceboats with a chance to hit open water.I could see the ice runners installed just below some type of float pontoons to skim over that water.

[Sunset Bob]

Found this on YouTube from 2010



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HetR9WcKLPI

[NoBozo]

Here's another one. This is a modern racing DN with a Carbon Fibre mast. The mast bending is not an exaggeration. The first DNs had laminated two piece Sitka Spruce masts. Some were even hollow. They would bend a little. Then some people went to aluminum masts if they just wanted to sail around. Carbon Fibre is now pretty much required if you are serious about racing.

The bendy mast is designed to absorb the wind gusts so the boat doesn't pop up ..or "Hike". Hiking is considered in-efficient, in that the wind power is "wasted" in lifting the boat off the ice, rather than driving it forward. With a bendy mast and runner plank, ..All the winds power is directed toward driving the boat forward. NB



EDIT: I think I should Note...The Audio in the tape is not faulty. The noise you hear is the Real Sound of the runners Clattering over the ice.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

..All the winds power is directed toward driving the boat forward. NB

I beg to differ NB. That bendy mast is designed to actually dump that extra wind to keep from hiking but I understand your point. I'm being a picky Peter aren't I?

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

I beg to differ NB. That bendy mast is designed to actually dump that extra wind to keep from hiking but I understand your point. I'm being a picky Peter aren't I?

Picky Peter: I suggest that if the sail were actually Dumping wind in the puffs....the sail would be Luffing..am I correct.?

When a sail is Luffing.. A lay person would say it is "flapping", which in Heavy conditions can be harmful to the sail and rig. NB