Hardened vs. Unhardened Runners
DNewbie:
I'm at the darling mark in my DN build and now have only to get hardware and install it. At the moment I'm thinking about runners. The Collected Wisdom seems to suggest that Sarns Bullnose runners would be a good choice for starters. At this point construction fatigue is setting in. I've done hull, mast, boom and plank, so building inserts isn't appealing at the moment :P. Seems that Sarns runners come in hardened and unhardened versions. Is this true? I've tried contacting Sarns but get no response. I live and will sail in the Northeast. Any thoughts on which would be better?
Bob Gray:
I was told his later runners including bullnosed runners were induction hardened. His later runners had that yellow coating ( I can't remember what it's called). Bob
Geoff Sobering:
Sarns Bullnose are definitely the first set of runners to get (IMHO).
If you're in the NE, I'd suggest contacting Steve Duhamel at Northwind Iceboats - I believe he's a Sarns distributor:
http://www.northwindiceboats.com/
Somewhere recently I seem to remember seeing a post about a set of used Sarns runners for sale (here? Maybe the Yahoo "Iceboating" group?). I'll see if I can find it.
Cheers,
Geoff S. - US 5156
Geoff Sobering:
I'm not sure when Sarns started hardening runners. Bob is correct that recent (at least ten years - probably much more) runners were induction edge-hardened. The most recent runners I've seen from Sarns have all been black painted (some kind of tough epoxy or the like). My set was bought just before Bill Sarns sold the business to the current owner, and they are black.
Hardened runners will hold an edge longer than unhardened ones, but they are more difficult to sharpen/re-shape. I don't think it's crucial to get a set of hardened runners (for example, if you get a really good deal on an old set).
For that matter, the "Bullnose" profile isn't really critical either to get started. It allows for a longer crown, but you can have a lot of fun on a old set of "Alligator" runners...
Geoff Sobering:
Here are the for-sale postings I remembered:
http://dnamerica.org/forum/index.php?topic=668.0
http://dnamerica.org/forum/index.php?topic=674.0
http://dnamerica.org/forum/index.php?topic=672.0
Some inexpensive inserts (maybe still available?): http://dnamerica.org/forum/index.php?topic=589.0
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