Eastern Maine Iceboaters

As I set at my computer and contemplate how to
start this story I think back to how I stumbled upon
the idea to build a rigid wing. As much as Fred
Wardwell will curse the computer, I find it to be the
worlds largest supply of iceboat information. There is
no limit to the stories, articles, and building projects
that are being shared at no cost to those who want
to expand and explore the world of iceboating.
In my cyberspace travels I stumbled upon a Yahoo
user group called Wingboats .The website started by
John Eisenlohr includes plans, photos, and the recent
addition of video presentations on how to build a rigid
wing. John has done wind tunnel testing on his
designs and answers any questions submitted no
matter how dumb they are. I know because I have
asked plenty. His user group includes some savvy
sailors and some great discussions have evolved
from his wing projects. I have followed Johns
progress in wing design and construction since I
started iceboating and tinkering with what I consider
to be the most powerful engine known to man.
My attention span is not great enough to tackle one
of the larger, tapered wings that John is currently
building but a discussion with him about a smaller,
easy to build class wing really got me thinking.
Waking to over a foot of snow and being a
decomissioned iceboater was excuse enough to start
printing off full size templates , rib patterns and rigid
wing building directions. As I watched my next
project eject from the printer I grabbed the phone
and made a few calls. "Hey you want to build a wing
this weekend" was all it took to fill my basement
workshop with birds of feather. I don't know how
much the discovery channel has to pay tattood
thugs to assemble premade parts and call
themselves custom builders but a few phone calls
and a cool project will bring out the kind of talent
never seen on television.
Funny thing was a few of the gang didn't even know
what a wing was, but they still wanted to help build
it.
After a 15 minute briefing, the familiar sound of
planers, saws and the occasional iceboater ribbing
were filling the workshop. Within an hours time we
had smoked a chopsaw, a mortising machine, and a
ball bearing on a router bit. In real life situations
craftsmen do break things.------- A dremel with a
roto zipper bit replaced the mortising machine,
Bonnie made a quick run to his place for a
replacement chopsaw and I robbed a ball bearing
from another router bit. Perhaps there are tool
manufacterers out there reading this that would like
to become the first to sponser a Cheapskates
project. We'd be happy to wear your colors for a
shop full of new tools. Hey it works for Nascar.
Bonnie, Larry, Mike and I worked for half the day
cutting parts and pieces of the wing framework. I
had to order a couple pizza's to keep the crew in a
jolly state of mind but they had made a lot of
sawdust so I didn't mind.
The neatest part of the wingbuild so far is the point
where you take all the parts and pieces, pound them
lightly together and bammmm, you have what looks
like a wing on the table. Within a matter of minutes
you get a great feeling of damn, I really am building
a wing and there it is.

Mike notching the spars for the ribs on Bonnies chop
saw.

Bonnie and Mike putting the ribs on the main spars.
Larry loading up the hot glue gun in the background.
The spars have 1/8" notches in them to accept the
ribs so everything just snaps in place if properly cut.

Larry hot glueing the ribs in place. Once the ribs are
squared the hot glue holds them.