Learn about the sport of ice boating. History, equipment, technique and information about sails and racing.
Sailing on ice is called iceboating. Iceboats can be used both for pleasure sailing and for racing. Both are sure to bring you fun and excitement. The sport will require you to have an extreme love of the cold winter weather. It will also require you to have fast reflexes, common sense, and a sturdy boat.
Those who are brave enough to ride on an iceboat will get a wonderful feeling of speed. Somme of the fastest iceboats have reached speeds of up to 155 miles an hour.
Iceboating got its start hundreds of years ago. It was possibly started in the Netherlands or another country that is adjacent to the Baltic Sea. It originally started as a means of transportation.
In the mid 1700's, the Dutch mounted a sailboat on runners and used it for transportation on the rivers and lakes. In Canada and the United States, iceboats were used in the Great Lakes for transporting lumberjacks and food during the winter months. The days for using iceboats for practical purposes are far in the past. The iceboat is now a pleasure craft.
Iceboats will need ice that is at least four inches thick in order to run. They will also require a lot of room because of their high rates of speed. This makes using ponds or small lakes for these pleasure rides impossible.
Today, there are tow categories of iceboats:
(1) The triangular-shaped iceboat, which has three runners.
(2) The oval-shaped, rounded-bottom boat that is called the scooter.
The triangular-shaped iceboat is then subdivided into tow groups:
(1) The stern-steerers: These have a steering rudder that is mounted at the tail end of the boat.