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What Is An Ice Boat?
An ice boat is a hull attached to a perpendicular cross piece called a
runner plank. Three skates, or runners, are attached to the boat, one on
each end of the plank and at the fore end of the hull. Ice boats are strictly
wind powered and need relatively snow-free ice to sail.
Timeline
of North American Ice Boating History
How Do I Get Involved?
We recommend that the novice purchase an inexpensive DN class ice boat
(watch the Buy and Sell Page of this website) a
relatively easy boat to transport and sail. Race with the club for a season
or two until you feel comfortable with ice boating. We maintain that club
racing is much safer than solo cruising.
After a year or two sailing DNs, evaluate your options. You may want to stay
in the DNs, or move to another fleet. By this time, club members can help
you make a decision whether to build or buy your next boat.
See "An Explanation of the Classes" below for more information
about the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club's various fleets. Eastern American,
Canadian, and European ice boat clubs tend to have a few different classes
than what we sail here in Madison, Wisconsin. Explore what your area has to
offer by seeking out a local ice yacht club.
An Explanation of the
Classes
Adapted from an article By Charlie Johnson-Nov.
1976
Webmaster's Note: The original title was "Ice
Boats In the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club" and was included in a booklet
published in November of 1976. The late Charlie Johnson was a long-time club
member and contributed a great deal to the sport. He is also a Four Lakes
Ice Yacht Club Honor Roll recipient.
 DN
The DN fleet is certainly the most numerous boat in the world. Being small,
light, and relatively inexpensive, the one-design DN has great appeal.
Carrying 60 square feet of sail, it offers spirited performance and a lot of
very competitive sailing. Though not as fast as the bigger boats, many ice
yachters, from veterans to juniors, find the DN's demands in competition a
satisfying challenge. In addition, the DN is the only current design which
offers truly international racing, with active fleets throughout Europe and
Russia. Learn more about this exciting class by visiting the International
DN Ice Yachting Association website.
 Nite
A relatively new [in 1976] one-design boat, the Nite has
enjoyed increasing popularity. The Nite combines a two seat side-by-side
fiberglass hull with a 67 square foot rig to make a versatile day sailor/racer.
Compact size, light weight, and a very active class organization increases
its appeal. Nites have a well-attended annual regatta and have made
excellent showings in the ISA regattas. Learn more about the Nite ice boat
and organization by visiting the Nite
National Organization
website
.
 Renegade
The Renegade is an excellent boat for those seeking spirited on-design
racing. It has been a winner and trend-setter ever since its unveiling in
1947, providing many of the design features found in today's Skeeters. The
Renegade bears 67 square feet of sail on a bendy wing spar, making it a
powerful racing yacht in a small package. It is compact and light enough to
be car-topped. The local Renegade fleet has seen tremendous growth as many
skippers move to perhaps the fastest of the one-designs. For more
information on the Renegade class, contact the Renegade Association.
Detailed plans are available on the International
Renegade Association website or from the IRIYA (for a mere
twenty bucks).
Skeeter
The Skeeter is the "Formula One" of ice yachting, a wide open
development class where state-of-the-art sailing is seen annually. The only
restriction on the Skeeter builder is a 75 square foot sail maximum sail
area. While the basic configuration for successful E Skeeters has long been established,
significant design improvements have been developed within the Four Lakes
fleet. Taller rigs and rear seat Skeeters designed and built by 4LIYC
members Bill Mattison and Paul Krueger have brought world championship
titles to Madison skippers. In 1989, New Jersey's Dan Clapp took the ice
boating world by storm with his first front-seater and dominated the ISA
regatta during the 1990s. Skeeter builders are adept with high tech
materials like carbon fiber, and Kevlar. The super powerful Skeeters are the
fastest boats on the ice. Sufficiently committed skippers find the greatest
challenge in these boats, where design, building, and maintenance skills
share equal roles with sailing ability.
 Stern
Steerers, also known as Big Boats
The big boats are where it all began. Other than the fact that these yachts
fly a jib and steer from the stern, they bear only a resemblance to past
giants of the ice. Modern hardware and improvements in aerodynamic rigs have
allowed today's stern-steerer to easily outclass its ancestors. The fleet is
divided into three classes: A sail area over 600 square foot; B 450 to 600
square foot sail area; and C 300 to 450 square foot of sail area.
Most Four Lakes big boats are of the C class; the immense A
and B boats still survive and are experiencing a revival. Tradition-oriented skippers and crews maintain an
active class organization, the Wisconsin Stern Steerers Association, and
organize a spectacular regatta and cup races annually. Read more about the WSSA
and the efforts of those who are restoring these historical ice yachts.
How Fast Do These Things
Really Go?
Ice boats, depending on
design and class, will reach speeds up to five times the speed of the wind. How?
Well, it has something to do with the low friction between the runners and the
ice, and the sail shape. The sail acts more like a vertical wing rather than a
sail. Volumes could be written as to exactly what makes an ice boat speed along
at five times the speed of the wind. As to how fast they can go, in the
right conditions, the smaller DN class achieves speeds of 50 to 60 mph.
The ultra-modern class A Skeeters (the "Formula One" class of
ice boating) reach speeds well over 100 mph.
Is Ice Boating Safe?
Any vehicle that can achieve such
high speeds certainly has the potential to be dangerous. However, learning
to properly sail an ice boat, sailing by the established right-of-way rules,
always using common sense, properly maintaining the equipment, and staying off
the lake during unsafe conditions go a long way towards making ice boating a
safe sport. For more on ice boating safety, read the Ice
Boat Safety Page.
Ice Boats Don't Have Brakes-How Do They Stop?
Ice boats while under sail do
not have brakes. In order to stop an ice boat, a skipper steers it
directly in to the wind. While sailing, it is often possible to slow a
boat down by easing the sheet rope (the rope that controls the sail shape). Ice
boats do have a parking brake attached to the front runner and it is employed
after the boat is completely stopped. The parking brake allows the skipper
to walk away from his boat when not sailing.
How Much Does An Ice Boat Cost?
Ice boats can range in
cost from a few hundred dollars for an old un-classified ice contraption or
perhaps an old uncompetitive DN class boat, to $60,000 for a modern,
championship winning class A Skeeter. Between the $200 beater and the
$60,000 championship contender are many fast competitive boats in various
classes that can be had from around $2500 to $7500.
Even though it is rumored
that ice boating is
mainly 75% building them, 10% talking about them, 10% waiting around on the ice
for the right conditions, and 5% actual sailing time, do you get to sail enough
to make the sport worthwhile?
Many ice boaters feel
the thrill of ice boating makes even one single ride per year well worth the
effort. On Madison lakes, a person can sail probably four to six weekends
per year. More in a "good" year, and of course, less in a
"bad" year. When conditions are good, taking a day or two off
from work during the week can increase your amount of fun sailing time. A
willingness to travel a bit to find good ice will increase your sailing times to
perhaps as many as ten to twelve weekends per season.
How Can I Get Started In Ice
Boating?
The Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club
holds meetings every other Wednesday night from November through late March and
everyone is welcome to attend. If you show up on the ice perhaps you may
be able to arrange a ride in one of the two-seater classes, such as the Nite
class. However, I must warn you that finagling a solo ride in someone's
ice boat is a tough sell. Generally after a ride or two, you will be
directed towards a used boat for sale. If you interest is till high,
that's the time to start looking for your own boat. You will be glad that
you did.
An Explanation of Apparent
Wind: How an Ice Boat is Able to Sail Several Times the Speed of Wind
Peter Barrett
Peter Barrett was born in Madison,
attended the UW, and graduated with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and
Law. He competed in the Olympics three times, wining a Silver medal in the
Finns and a Gold in the Flying Dutchman. Professionally, he worked for North
Sails and later taught financing and accounting at UW-Whitewater.
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