Some iceboat history in the form of copied and bound scrapbooks arrived on my doorstep recently. Michigan’s Don Daller filled his scrapbooks with the early history of the DN class and the Detroit iceboat scene. Dallar was part of the original crew that built the first DNs in Detroit News workshops. What makes these scrapbooks a valuable resource to those of us who enjoy researching the history of iceboating is that the archives of the Detroit newspapers have yet to make their archives easily accessible. Dallar’s collection fills a considerable gap in iceboat history not only because of the newspaper clippings but also because of his hand-written editorial comments and corrections in the margins.
An article that immediately interested me discussed Joe Lodge’s contributions to the Stern-Steerer DEUCE (there were at least three DEUCEs and I’m not sure which one the article is referring to.) Another article provided a clearer picture of Claire Jacob’s DEUCE and the BULL’s whereabouts after they departed from Detroit in 1961. Today, Rick Hennig of Racine, WI, owns DEUCE, and the BULL is in Lake Geneva.
According to the article, Joe Lodge designed a spar similar to a wing mast, was the first to use a windlass on an iceboat, and designed three pairs of runners for specific ice conditions. He was also an early embracer of performance measurement, mounting three stopwatches on the DEUCE II to keep track of elapsed times, time against rivals, and time on the weather leg.
Tip of the Helmet for sending the scrapbooks: Robert Cummins US3433
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FERDINAND THE BULL Archives
DEUCE Archives
