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MattD
Joined: 25 May 2011 Posts: 33
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:46 pm Post subject: Winter windsurfing |
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Following on from the discussion in this thread, I finally finished my winter windsurfer based off the Savo Sledge.
Photos of the board can be found here. The board is a carbon fiber / foam sandwich with custom brackets. My friend built a board with plywood and angled 2x4s which worked just as well so I'd definitely recommend that as a first attempt. The skis are 210cm straight steel edged, though others had smaller skis which worked fine.
I've only sailed it on uneven ice with patchy snow but the board performed great. You need to keep your weight over the board, leaning out can cause spin outs (I didn't have this problem but others did). It takes a little finesse to head downwind, helped by not being too overpowered. Not game to try jibing it yet, though it can be done (might need more snow?). If we get more snow I'll give it a go with my massive 2.5m ski jumping skis, but might have to wait until next season. I'm ready to put footstraps on as it feels a little pitchy particularly when going over snow (more pull on the sail).
Definitely recommend building one of these if you get similar conditions over winter!
Check out a video of it in action here, with a little iceboating thrown in too. |
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joethewindsufa
Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 1190 Location: Montréal
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:09 am Post subject: |
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i went the simpler, cheaper route and used snowboards, 2x4s and skis.
here is a pic
i built one for snow and the other for ice
still working out some minor details after 3 or 4 years #$%^&*
busted my shoulder the first year on ice - too fast
so, be safe !!!
you are fortunate to have such an expanse of ice
that happens here rarely and as such i use the snow sled more
am considering adding fins and removing the centre ski
as you said it is worth the fun of making and trying it
in my neck o the woods no-one windsurfs on the local river
i do so summer and winter and people freak
are your hinges mobile ? |
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w8n4wind
Joined: 12 Nov 2008 Posts: 278 Location: canada
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inf2003
Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 148
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:23 am Post subject: |
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Quote: | this could be a good deal for someone, if you get good ice. |
It didnt really turn out to be such a good deal. It went for over $200. Its probably something that you can only use occasionally as Ice conditions are seldom good enough. If it had went for much cheaper it would have been worth it. I did bid but stopped when it got crazy. Probably posting it here drove up the cost. You did do the seller a good turn. |
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mickeboone
Joined: 09 Aug 2001 Posts: 18
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: | It didnt really turn out to be such a good deal. It went for over $200. Its probably something that you can only use occasionally as Ice conditions are seldom good enough. |
$200 certainly is a very good deal for this board. But, if you do not live near an ocean and associated "melt-belts" or mountain ranges that ring out wet weather systems, clear ice might be hard to come by. |
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w8n4wind
Joined: 12 Nov 2008 Posts: 278 Location: canada
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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i paid a lot more than 200 for mine...
but its been a great winter for it here. |
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joethewindsufa
Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 1190 Location: Montréal
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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for me this means this is a demand for stuff like this !!
[youtube]VQuJuwSakX4[/youtube]
likes like youtube ne fonctionne pas - s't
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQuJuwSakX4 |
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MattD
Joined: 25 May 2011 Posts: 33
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Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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joethewindsufa wrote: | busted my shoulder the first year on ice - too fast
so, be safe !!!
you are fortunate to have such an expanse of ice
that happens here rarely and as such i use the snow sled more
am considering adding fins and removing the centre ski
as you said it is worth the fun of making and trying it
in my neck o the woods no-one windsurfs on the local river
i do so summer and winter and people freak
are your hinges mobile ? |
Yep I'm pretty serious with safety. I wear a helmet, padded pants and an armored shirt. Took a few falls but didn't feel a thing.
The hinges are mobile in that I can change the slant of the skis by changing the number of thick washers used. It sure was a lot of effort just to have this feature.
Previous winters the lake has been covered with snow but this winter has been quite different. I imagine I'll have to wait until next winter before I can try it in deeper snow. |
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jingebritsen
Joined: 21 Aug 2002 Posts: 3371
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:26 am Post subject: |
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hockey suit or motocross armor may be worth everything in this endeavor?
how big of a board would be needed for windsurfing on snow? terrain would make the need for lots of wind, perhaps? maybe after a big dump up in the plains of idaho and montana?of course, there's plenty of ski resorts for snowboarding or skiing there.... _________________ www.aerotechsails.com
www.exocet-original.com
www.iwindsurf.com
http://www.epicgearusa.com/ |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:02 am Post subject: |
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jingebritsen wrote: | motocross armor may be worth everything in this endeavor? |
Hell, yes. Both my wife and I have suffered many shoulder injuries from desert racing at even very slow speeds, and I separated my shoulder ... again ... surfing my street at a trotting pace on a finless WS board in a fresh foot of snow -- over bare asphalt. It's just plain dumb not to armor up for any sport on a hard surface or around hard objects; the price can be very high that season and may remain significant for the rest of our lives. Remember Craig Stroetzel. |
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