Ice Boat planning.....

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narfi
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Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

Well, I know less about ice boats than I did floating boats when I started here.... Gotta start somewhere.

I have a heavy home made mast and boom and an 85ft2 sail.
I figure winter one should be cheap and quick not built for beauty or longevity and build a better one next year.

Maybe 20ft long 12ft wide? Large enough seating platform for a full grown man and a man child or two medium sized men?

Is there any concern with sail balance when on skates? I would assume their lateral resistance would make balance very forgiving?

Its a thought process at the very beginning, looking for some help thinking it through and not doing anything stupid.

2x 2x6x20 lengthwise in a 'V' for the hull sheathed with 1/2" plywood 4-5ft wide at the back for the cockpit.
2x6x12 for the beam centered under the seating area to help reinforce the plywood. heavily reclined seats probably add enough rigidity on their own though?
Runners made from angle iron ground down (ive seen somewhere online where the proper angle for the skate is described)
Steering cables from front runner run to a tiller that faces backward from the front of the cockpit?

In the cold with a life expectancy of one season, is there any need for glue or epoxy or glass, etc...? or is a lot of screws enough? Or say tightbond and a lot of screws?

Its been below 0f for most of the last month, warmed up 50degrees yesterday to get into the 20s and is zero right now, supposed to get cold again soon..... so I expect the lake will freeze early and maybe be a good year to try our hand at sailing on it.

Jeff
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by Jeff »

Go Narfi, just another adventure!!! Jeff

narfi
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

Jeff wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 2:45 pm Go Narfi, just another adventure!!! Jeff
hopefully just the right level of adventure.... enough to have fun and learn stuff and not enough for any permeant injury.

So reading some, it looks like the beam is called a 'springboard' and needs to have some built in springiness to keep the skates attached to the ice when going over bumps.
Interestingly, the shrouds are also attached to it (or I assume would be) so the leeboard skate and springboard would be sprung 'up' somewhat, does that pose an issue? the mast would be pulled that direction by the sail so perhaps it doesnt matter if that one is loose? An other idea would be a more solid shorter beam with spring boards extending from them and shrouds attached at the ends of the stouter beam?
Does the front skate need to be on a springboard as well?

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cape man
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by cape man »

The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before - Neil Gaiman

narfi
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

cape man wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 3:22 pm Go big!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzf-jeKhk4Q
hehe, not to start with.
but.... if talking about big fantasies...
it would be fun to build a huge one with a 'fantasy' themed Norse ice yacht (dragon figurehead, etc...) capable of hauling ~6 people or so in luxury would be pretty fun to take people out on, maybe even auxiliary power somehow if needed for starting or getting home when becalmed o.0

narfi
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

Roughly along these lines,
http://www.isabella-iceboat.com/isabella.html
Their plans start out with this,
The directions are only recommendations ; all measurements are consequently approximate and the yacht can be built to suit personal wishes.
Which is right up my ally....

Roughly 2x the size using my own mast and sail..... ill read up on it, springboards will have to be scaled which won't be as simple for me.....

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Jaysen
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by Jaysen »

Even on water boats, the lee shrouds are relaxed compared to the windward. That said, I would think you want wider beam, some type of leaf between the skate and the physical beam, the ability to shift cockpit weight to windward, and really good medical insurance.

It will be interesting to see this one develop.
My already completed 'Lil Bit'. A Martens Goosen V12 set up to sail me to the fishing holes.
Currently working on making a Helms 24 our coastal cruiser.
“Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens” wrote:Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
Jaysen wrote: Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:44 pm I tried to say something but God thought I was wrong and filled my mouth with saltwater. I kept my pie hole shut after that.

TomW1
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by TomW1 »

Just remember medical insurance, medical insurance. An ice boat can create tremednace forces and speeds and if the wind shifts suddenly they can flip. Put lots of tells tales on the sail. I was on one in OH that reached 50mph but I was young and foolish then. :lol:

Have fun building it and using it, they are a blast. Tom
Restored Mirror Dinghy, Bought OD18 built by CL, Westlawn School of Yacht Design courses. LT US Navy 1970-1978

pee wee
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by pee wee »

narfi wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:40 pm In the cold with a life expectancy of one season, is there any need for glue or epoxy or glass, etc...? or is a lot of screws enough? Or say tightbond and a lot of screws?
That sounds like a really fun project!! I'd be thinking in terms of through bolts rather than screws or wood glue, but I can't say I've ever even seen an ice boat in action in person, so I'm just imagining what kind of forces need to be dealt with.
Hank

narfi
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Re: Ice Boat planning.....

Post by narfi »

pee wee wrote: Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:11 am I can't say I've ever even seen an ice boat in action in person, so I'm just imagining what kind of forces need to be dealt with.
Me either.... But in my primitive mind I see it like an oversized go-kart going 60mph with a big mast sticking up out of the middle of it....

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