ICE BOAT WINGING RAW -- CROWSNEST LAKE, DECEMBER 2024

[@ArchistYT]

That looks like a lot of fun

[@respecttherisk2022]

It is a ton of fun. I have been having a blast with it!

[@downunderdan]

Looks like fun and maybe driving it back-to-front (driver sits on two skate axle with single skate ahead) would improve stability?

[@respecttherisk2022]

Thanks. Yes it is very fun. That's how I started in an early design. It was rigid, and I steered by moving center of effort wrt center of lateral resistance. This design sets it up to steer with the feet. I could add pontoons to the rear for sure. Would be heavier.... let me think about that!

[@bobjohnbowles]

There's a lot of research and experience with designing, building and driving tricycle cars. The consensus is two wheels in front is much, much safer, because when you brake it won't tip over. With only one wheel in front as soon as you start to decelerate it will try to flip, because the weight transfers to the single front wheel. With a wind-powered vehicle like this, the acceleration of the wind tends to lift you up, so acceleration is inherently stable and less prone to losing balance or tipping over. My opinion here is informed by many years of motorcycling and windsurfing, but YMMV.

[@respecttherisk2022]

Thanks for this detailed comment mate. Very interesting! Where I experience the most instability in this ice boat design is when I turn sharply down wind while jybing or upwind while tacking. I have to shift my weight to the inside of the turn, and often increase the radius of the turn or i go up on one pontoon, on two skates, or flip right over unless I mitigate the forces -- centigugal, or force on the wing. Sailing otherwise on a beam reach in a straight line is quite stable. A strong gust can lift up one out rigger as well. A weight shift and depowering the wing mitigates it then. Anecdotely, I think when the axis of rotation (the line between the front skate and down wind outrigger skate) becomes perpendicular to the wind direction, the craft tips easier on that axis, everything else being equal.

[@bobjohnbowles]

@@respecttherisk2022 Sounds like leaning into the turn on a bike or kart. I appreciate the laid-back approach you have lying down, but one way to make the turns better would be where you had more scope to balance the wind and the turn standing up, maybe like an adapted snowboard?

[@respecttherisk2022]

@@bobjohnbowles Thanks for this comment mate. Yes, exactly like that. I lean, and shift my weight to the inside, even sitting such that one buttock is off the seat on the inside of the turn. I started out with a "stand-up" design. (i have seen some other stand-up designs on line as well). It was tricky to stay in balance with the shifty and gusty winds at Crowsnest Lake which is at Crowsnest Pass -- a mountain pass at 4500 feet in Alberta, Canada. I have had days with winds ranging from say, 10 to 30 knots.... or 30 to 50, even, on the strongest days. Wind direction can shift up to 30 degrees in a single reach on some days as well. Having had a Total Hip Replacement two and half years ago, I felt it was safer for me to be low to the ground so I had less distance to fall or be launched in a crash! Even with that, I still wear hockey pants, helmet and other pads for protection. The instability in the turns is pretty minor -- I suppose like being on a Quad, or a Trike --- I can go a whole day and not have a roll over in say, 50 reaches! Very fun!!