DN NA Class

Several of us DN sailors NE Ohio and NW Pa are building stainless steel angels / slush runners and we would like to here what seems to work best. Flat or crown, if crown, how much? And what about the pivot point, is there one measurement that works better than another. Any other constuction tips would be greatly appreciated.

I wish I were nearby, this is the only runner style I do not have for the conditions we often see.  I have a set of the first style from a swap meet years ago, but they are slow until the slush gets deep.  Everyone quits as these runners come into their own.  I have seen conditions where these runners were the best maybe five times in the last twenty years.  But when they are best, they are very best, and you cannot sail fast (or sometimes even move) without them.

There are two styles.  One has a long gentle lead-in and a profile much like the alligator-nosed sarns.  This profile is best for deep slush and salt water slush, when heavy air is needed to move.  Mike O'Brian won the worlds in the Ancient Days with a set of these in (I believe) Russia.   In the US, we see conditions best suited to these runners and decide it is not good enough to sail.  In Europe, they race in these conditions.

The style best for the conditions we have here, according to John Dennis, is maximum length, 100 degree edge (ground or bent into the angle), with the same profile as other runners (18 inches or 0.008 flat).  Many with the same profile and 90 degrees are around as they are good and far easier to build.  This runner is fast early when the ice is tight and bumpy, and stays on top of softening slush.  It also efficiently gets through deeper slush.  Very sharp edge is not required or desired in soft ice.  Wet and dry sandpaper is used to touch up and polish the soft stainless.  Bob Rast made a set with cheap carbon steel angle from Ace Hardware, and they worked great, except he has to keep them oiled when stored. 

The runner can be very light as the angle spreads the side forces over a large area.  Wood body, threaded stock welded to the inside of the angle inserted into holes in the body seems to work. 

To confirm or get the word from the horse's mouth, try an inquiry on the MN site:  www.iceboating.org

Good luck!  Build extras, they will sell well.

Dear Ken,
Mike O`Brien sailed 1988 In Leningrad/today St. Petersburg with angle runners on rather deep slushice. I was with him.
Andreas Bock 2007 European Champion sailed in his first race of this years competion in Haapsalu/Estland
with angles and changed after a very bad place to  slotrunners from noniron steel ? Look at the results. His worst
race with angle runners, place in the thirties his 6 best races with slotrunners.
After my experience thin T-runners are good on icesurfaces with a thin layer of crusty snow. especially thin
4 mm T-runners.
Thick maximum high T`s  (7,6 mm) are sometimes good on shlush ice too but they are used very seldom.

Horrido, Harald Stuertz, DN G 2

DN Sailors:  Any suggestion of the crown (.008") length to use on slush runners.  Should this crown be built into the body and the angle clamped tight to it or should the crown be ground into the angle itself?  thanks

Ben Shaevitz

DN US 5395

Harrisville, PA