Anyone else out there sail ice boats too? Had a DN deal come up I could not refuse. Been reading about them I guess it will be a real lesson in apparent wind sailing. Excited to have a second sailing season.

Never thought the Tornado would be our second fastest boat!!!

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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~~ ME ME ME ME ... I live in up-state NY. You have a bunch of guys in yer neck of the woods that ice sail... Drop me an e-mail >> popeyez7@aol.com

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~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
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When I lived in Michigan, always had 3 DN's at my house on Lake St. Clair. Sadly seldom ice there any more. But here in Ca. have several landsailors for El Mirage, best dry lake in the West. John, you will have to obtain or make a sharpening jig and own a 4" belt sander to keep the blades sharp. Pete

Thanks Pete. Belt sander I have, jigs I can make. I like hobbies that require stuff to be fabricated.

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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2 DNs, Nite, J14, Bantam Lake Ct.

Upwind, downwind, always fully sheeted in.

Nice stable of boats you have there!

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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I have a Mini Skeeter and a custom big boat, Johnny's Rocket (21' x 15', pictured on the left), both run on dirt and ice. Huge fun, the MS has been over 60 mph, and JR over 80. I sail on lakes around Spokane, where I live, if it's a cold enough winter. If not, I chase wind with buddies in MT, Flathead Lake, Canyon Ferry, Ennis Lake, small lakes east of the continental divide, and a few more in the Flathead Valley. Perfect compliment to soft water sailing. Desert in spring and fall, ice come winter.



Edited by davefarmer on Oct 16, 2018 - 07:34 PM.

Quote

Huge fun, the MS has been over 60 mph, and JR over 80.

And that’s mph, not wussy kilometres that we use! I’m itching to try that at my Western place, (Canada, north of Kalispell), but not many of our lakes get blown clear. There are some ice sailors up near Kananaskis, Ghost Lake, but that’s a bit far for a days sail.
In a very misspent youth, I spent many a day in the Flathead Valley, & Glacier Park. I didn’t think that big lake froze over enough to be safe.
I’d love to try land sailing....thinking seriously about selling one of the properties, & buying another further south.



Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 17, 2018 - 06:19 AM.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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Dave, can tall guys fit in a Mini Skeeter? They look great and warm, but at 6' 5", I don't always fit in tight spaces.

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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John,
The Mini Skeeter plans also include specs for a large cockpit design, which is a 1" taller deck and 2" wider fuselage and opening. Length is not an issue, movable pedal bar for steering, and plenty of room. Popular with bigger guys, such as yourself. You could also contact John Eisenlohr and chat with him, he's always willing to counsel builders. There's a Mini Skeeter page on facebook, or PM me for his phone number. We're gathering at his shop in November to build 3 or 4 more boats, Always a good time!



Edited by davefarmer on Oct 24, 2018 - 10:39 AM.

Edchris177

Quote

Huge fun, the MS has been over 60 mph, and JR over 80.

And that’s mph, not wussy kilometres that we use! I’m itching to try that at my Western place, (Canada, north of Kalispell), but not many of our lakes get blown clear. There are some ice sailors up near Kananaskis, Ghost Lake, but that’s a bit far for a days sail.
In a very misspent youth, I spent many a day in the Flathead Valley, & Glacier Park. I didn’t think that big lake froze over enough to be safe.
I’d love to try land sailing....thinking seriously about selling one of the properties, & buying another further south.Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 17, 2018 - 06:19 AM.

Yeah, come south Ed! Flathead rarely freezes over completely, we've been sailing on Somers and Lakeside Bays, as well as Big Arm, when it's cold enough, and we catch them before it snows on them. Lst winter we got three spectacular days on Lakeside Bay before the wind shifted to the southwest, built up a big sea, and blew out the ice entirely overnite. There are a number of smaller lakes in the valley, Smith, Lake Mary Ronan and Little Bitteroot which are great for the smaller boats. We also drive over the divide to small lakes around Browning, which is much drier, less snow, and can blow in the 20s and 30s off the east face of the mountains Catching that window between freezing solid enough to sail safely, and before more than 2 or 3 inches of snow is the key. Gotta be quick and flexible!

Dirt is more forgiving, good surface most of the time. We race on Ivanpah Dry Lake Bed, south of Vegas, the third week in March every year, a week long event. Mini Skeeters have been gathering at the Alvord in June lately, and a bigger event the first week of Oct is a long tradition. The guys in CA and NV have a dozen other playas to play on, and they run much of the year. You're a catsailor, so you like power and acceleration, and living on the edge, icesailing and dirt boating is more of all of that, on a big scale!

Been out several times now. The DNs acceleration is really something else.

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John

Nacra 5.0
CT
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