Novi Snow Plates

[wnethercote]

When you just must go iceboating and neither snow nor class rules will get in the way ....

[DonTyerman1]

Very interesting. Do they work?  How are they constructed?

[wnethercote]

Yes, they do work, especially in really deep powder that would be over the top of Sarns plates.  These runners were actually made quite a long time ago and are rather rusty because they were 'stored' under the shed for many years!

To make them an old set of bull nose Sarns bull nose runners were disassembled.  A piece of 1/4 mild steel plate was fastened into the Sarns stiffener.  Three sets of tabs were welded to each side of the bottom edge of the  mild steel plate.  One of the tabs was positioned to align with the pivot hole in the Sarns plate blade and then the Sarns plate was simply bolted in between the tabs  via the pivot bolt.  I attach another, closer photo.  They are pretty rough and ready, but clearly indicate that making a taller plate runner would be good for casual sailing in deep powder.  If the snow is at all sticky you'll be toast unless it's blowing the dogs off their chains.

[Geoff Sobering]

I'd be worried about the extra leverage for side forces damaging the chocks... 

[wnethercote]

Geoff,

Point taken.  When they were used recently the owner dug out an old plank with a conventional set of chocks rather than abusing his his Kent-style ones.  The chocks are probably less of a concern than the original Sarns blades which largely float in those tabs.  But this was cruising around, which even with glory-boy hikes is probably less trying than one or two hot leeward mark roundings.