Boating on ice!

[Canada Jeff]

I'm new here guys, and impressed. The topics and information given on this forum is a little over my head. As I read this afternoon I thought to myself, what my father builds, some of you may be interested. If at the very leasted amused.
We call then air boats, not a new idea but one that not many have ever tried. Check out his web site.
www.polarairboats.ca
They are all hand built and asembled. I might be in the wrong thread area to post this, but here it is. Any questions?

[Willallison]

They look pretty damn cool to me Jeff! I'll take two (both red...)

When riding on the ice / snow, do the 'boats' simply slide along on their bottoms, or is some sort of air-cushion employed?

[ErikG]

We have the same kind of "ice boats" that are called hydrocopters here.

They are used for wintertime transports in the huge swedish archipelagos.
When the ice is setting in, and you live on a remote island it's way cheaper then having a large boat that can handle lot's of ice. It's also pretty quick.
With the hydrocopter you go over the ice and plane on smooth water.

It's only for transporting people since they are normally quite small.

Erik

[Canada Jeff]

Will, no, these are strickly a flat bottom boat with polymere atached. They come with heaters, radios, head set comunication, and anything else one can think of to put in. They are very fast, with the right conditions you can travel over 100 mph! Caution is needed when traveling towards ice from water, for obviouse reasons.
Erik, thats one of the main selling points here aswell, transportation. My father lives in the middle of the thousand islands, with that many cottages on that many islands, there are quite a few of them around.

[Polarity]

hmmm look like fun, one question - how do you stop from 100mph on ice?
yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgggg

Yeooooo Jeff...

Toronto here <smile>

I've been playing with an idea for an air boat... Actually electric with human assist.

Just thought you guys might find this amusing.

http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthr...p?threadid=813

http://media5.hypernet.com/cgi-bin/U...=2&t=001873&p=

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toront..._001031706579/

Cheers

Lock Hughes
Wards Island
Toronto

[Canada Jeff]

Polarity, There is a electric hydraulic cylinder attached to the transom that lowers a plate with snowmobile track studs fastened to it. Works pretty good.
Hey Toronto, first may I say the leafs are going down this year. Also, with your idea, in water I think you will have a hard time steering or keeping course. If you could take a ride on one of my fathers boats you would understand very quickly. Even better if you drove one. Let me try and esplain.
First of all, when you stop these boats on snow, the compresion of the ice and snow melts and then freezes. Most of the time the boat can brake it self free. When it can not, they use a bumper jack to lift the boat. Once you are free it takes WOT to get moving. You see these things acelerate ( don't mind my spelling) much like a plane. The faster you go the more it pulls. So when you are stoped it takes almost every bit of power to star moving. Once you are traveling 20,30,40 and so on, all that is needed is to feather the throdle. So if you had a manual type ice boat this may be your biggest chalenge.
Another piont I should mention is steering. As you are traveling in one direction, you are basicly a sled on snow. No real direct cotact to the snow to steer. So what has to be done is to throdle up turn the boat twice as much as needed and slide sidways untill you are heading in direction desired. Then strieghten the boat back. As this is done you are gaining speed.
Takes some practice in a big area! Hope this helps a little Toronto.

[lockhughes]

Hey Jeff...

Understand about steering and stopping (a bit!)... sounds like what the hovercraft/skimmer folks talk about.

The idea is to use two props at the stern. With the electrics, power can be varied to the props (joystick) for steering. With the right electrics, the props can be reversed also (braking/reverse)

Cheers

Lock

ps... sorry, don't follow basketball!

[Canada Jeff]

Hey Lock, that I believe will give you the same if not less control of steering. With the rudder, or twin props, the boat will turn, no problem. But turnning the boat isn't hard, you could turn it 90 degree's but still be traveling in the same direction, just side ways! You see you then have to throdle up to force your direction.
With electric motors (if I understand you right) You would need some large and heavy motors to get the same hp. Not to mention the battery wieght.

[fish2603]

I think I have seen, even though I still haven't been able to find it online, an outboard engine that has snowmobile type treads on it. The advantage is if you have a flat bottom skiff you can use a regular marine outboard in the summer and then change it to the tread engine for the winter.
Has anyone seen or heard of such a thing. If you have what would you call it so I could look up more information about it
Thanks