Ice Boat planning.....

To help other builders, please list the boat you are building in the Thread Subject -- and to conserve space, please limit your posting to one thread per boat.

Please feel free to use the gallery to display multiple images of your progress.
narfi
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 2433
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 6:55 pm
Location: Bush Alaska
Location: Bush Alaska

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

Got the mast up and rigged and all the finishing touches done (I hope) this weekend.
Last couple hours yesterday Landon was hovering behind my every move wearing his helmet ready to go. By the time I was happy with it the sun had set and dusk was turning to dark so to both of our disappointment I decided it would be wiser and safer to wait and do it in the light..... Hopefully we get some wind and I'll leave work early, we will see :)
20220102_162536.jpg
20220102_162202.jpg
20220102_162341.jpg
Didn't realize how much extra stick we have sticking up there, I think we had the boom higher on the trimaran.... Lots of room to grow a bigger sail if we build a longer main hull for the trimaran next summer :)

Jeff
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 8436
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:17 pm
Location: Vero Beach

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by Jeff »

Looks great Narfi!!! Can't wait to see you in it!!! Jeff

TomW1
Very Active Poster
Very Active Poster
Posts: 5844
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 10:57 pm
Location: Bryson City, NC

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by TomW1 »

Looks real good Narfi take it easy on your first run out. But have fun!! :D

Tom
Restored Mirror Dinghy, Bought OD18 built by CL, Westlawn School of Yacht Design courses. LT US Navy 1970-1978

narfi
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 2433
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 6:55 pm
Location: Bush Alaska
Location: Bush Alaska

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

The stars finally alligned!!!!

After months of too much snow or not enough wind or too much wind and most of Feb out for vacation, we finally got out Monday night.

Was pretty easy to control speed, but had plenty of power.
We had about a 2 mile run across the lake before turning around just before a big heaved up pressure crack.
We were on our fourth lap so about 14 miles in when we started skidding skipping sideways straightening out of a jybe and broke off one of the main runners.

Tons of fun and we were still gaining confidence and speed each 'lap' no measurements but felt like we were going 30+ not scary yet but definitely focusing on the turns..... Will hopefully get some repairs done and go again soon. Need to up the ratio on the sheets as well, took some strength to hold, probably more than Landon can do yet.

Friend saw us out so messaged my wife a picture,
20220307_181413.jpg
Ride was super smooth, the springs are probably too soft at least the front one, it twists quite a bit as well so probably need to reinforce it somehow. Blasting through drifts was super smooth just slows you down a little bit no feeling of going up and down at all.

Jeff
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 8436
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:17 pm
Location: Vero Beach

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by Jeff »

Great Narfi, glad you got her out on the ice!!!! Jeff

TomW1
Very Active Poster
Very Active Poster
Posts: 5844
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 10:57 pm
Location: Bryson City, NC

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by TomW1 »

Wow Narfi great report, glad you were able to get her out speed is good for a first time. Tom
Restored Mirror Dinghy, Bought OD18 built by CL, Westlawn School of Yacht Design courses. LT US Navy 1970-1978

Fuzz
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
Posts: 8921
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:23 am
Location: Kasilof, Alaska

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by Fuzz »

That is a really cool thing to do. How often will the snow be blown off the lake enough to use it?

narfi
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 2433
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 6:55 pm
Location: Bush Alaska
Location: Bush Alaska

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

Fuzz wrote: Thu Mar 10, 2022 1:50 am That is a really cool thing to do. How often will the snow be blown off the lake enough to use it?
Well, as you know there is no normal and nothing is unusual for any given year.......
This warm spell has helped a lot, and its not unusual to have a warm snap sometime mid-winter, so maybe this is normalish...... I don't know :)

narfi
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 2433
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 6:55 pm
Location: Bush Alaska
Location: Bush Alaska

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

We went out again last night, there was 1.5-2 inches of snow crust on the ice, but we had enough wind to overpower it.
The repaired skate attachments worked well, and we stayed out until Landon was too cold for more, we had decided on one more pass across the lake then call it a night....
We got confident enough that I let him manage everything while I dug my phone out and got our speed to display, set it on the bench between us... we were averaging around 25mph and got up as high as 29(which makes me think we were easily doing 35+ the first night when we were on clean ice). I kept glancing down at the phone display and up to where we were going and adjusting the steering etc... and caught something odd out of the corner of my eye.... I just happened to be on the leeward side and the shroud cable was just hanging down swinging from the mast beside me, NOT attached to the cross-beam. Landon took over controls again, and I was able to lean out and get it re-attached and keep pressure on the cable so it wouldn't come off again, and we slid into our parking spot, pulled the sail down and put blocks under the skates. A good evening and no walking back this time :P
61e5dNBeyfL._AC_SL1263_.jpg
We were using something like this to attach the cable to the eye bolt on the plank, and it had stretched and allowed the latch to extend outside, then when the cable slacked leeward it was now just a 'hook' and easily fell off the eye bolt.

Lots of fun though, and still learning :)

narfi
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 2433
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 6:55 pm
Location: Bush Alaska
Location: Bush Alaska

Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

Saturday took some of his buddies and father's out, but conditions were pretty bad, lots of crust slush and not much wind. The boys spent more time pushing each other than sailing, but had a great time anyways. They did get a couple good passes in, and Landon lost his phone, we searched our tracks, we searched the road and trails we took to get there, he walked the route to the ice and around where we park the boat again on Sunday but no luck. He was pretty bummed.

Yesterday ice was good, wind was a bit strong, and so we talked momma into going with us. Of course when she is there to watch is the one time I forget to put my helmet on and left it on the Honda, I realized about half way across the lake and told Landon we had to get it before going again. We finished the run and turned to come back and the wind picked up, we were really going and I was starting to wonder if I should angle upwind or downwind to loose a little power when we started skidding and skipping sideways, I yelled at Landon to hold on we were going to crash. His response? "My phone!!! I saw my phone!!!!" Then we skidded around facing into the wind to an anti-climatic stop and he jumps out and runs back to pick up his phone, obviously with none of the addrenaline I had pumping through me.

Turns out we had folded the leeward skate under and without it the windward skate didn't have enough bite to keep us from sliding, which provided for the wild ride I felt.

We drug it back and I built a new skate block last night so we are ready to go again when wind is good and homework is done. :) (Ok.... Maybe I don't ask about the homework when wind is good)

So momma(my wife) still hasn't gone and is even more hesitant now :) I still want to get her out there this winter.


20220328_165740.jpg
20220328_165755.jpg

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests