You can find out more about DN's by joining or finding out who are members of the local clubs in your area. If you are from New England, one of the regional clubs is the New England Ice Yacht Association.
The volunteer Club officers are elected annually and run the activities of the club.
The volunteer and area managers and committee chairmen are appointed by the commodore annually.
Dues are 10.00 and that gets you on the mailing list for all the activities
to join NEIYA e-mail the Secretary or fill out the membership application and mail it in with your membership fee.
There is also an international club called IDNIYRA -International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association. They put out a year book that lists all the regional clubs both in North America and in Europe. The yearbook identifies everyone in the club, and is indexed by name, area, and sail #, which is pretty useful out on the ice... The club is active sponsoring annual regattas alternating annually between Europe and North America. You can get plans to build a boat from a number of places. We've got a copy of them on one of our other pages called DN plans.Both the IDNIYRA and some boat works who are listed in the directory sell them - from $5.00 and up. Also the international directory has a listing of all the members world wide. The listing includes names, numbers and addresses so you can find the members in your area and learn more about sailing. That's how I met people in my town, learned how to build a boat and got pointers on how to sail it without falling out of it. -- Thanks Bob.
Club membership is cheap - $10-$12 per year and with a membership you can also buy a book called "Think Ice" by Lloyd Roberts and Warner St. Clair that is a step by step story of how to build and have fun with a DN - Its a really good way to wet a soft water sailors' appetite for DN sailing. The book may be a little dated but still a good jumping off point. The web page of IDNIRYA is: http://www.paw.com/sail/ice/ be From there you should be able to find out more National and International DN class Ice boat information.
If you've got any specific questions e-mail our web page NEIYA@aol.com or if you want to know what your local club is doing let me know I can look it up in the directory and let you know. (until you get your own directory)
Other information: Most people make their own boats - but if you want to buy one you can usually buy one starting boat for $1100-$1500 or buy a new one from one from one of the few yards that make them commercially. Depending upon how competitive you want the boat rigged they start around $2200-$3500. If you want a carbon fiber mast add another $750-1800. Did you say $1800 Jeff? Yep! - Time is money.
More information on Land sailing is available from the North American Land Sailing Association. 1680 Manzanita Lane, Reno Nevada 89509 President Kent Hatch 702-825-1530. You can also try our other sites page which has some links to land sailing pages.
Re: Iceboat plans: Norton Boat Works, 535 Commercial Ave., Green Lake, Wisconsin 54941 has plans and also very nice pre cut kits. For around $600.00 you get everything you need to build a great, race quality boat. All you need to furnish is the mast, sail, hardware, and glue.
WHO -- The New England Ice Yacht Association: its purpose is to serve and promote the sport and to sponsor races. Newsletters are published from time to time, sent to all members. Dues: $10.00 per year. The NEIYA is associated with the International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association. To join NEIYA, contact our Secretary, Amos Heckendorf, at the above address or Commodore, Matt McCauley - US DN 4762
WHERE -- There are dozens of dozens of lakes throughout New England that are great for active racing and casual day sailing from December through March. There is an active telephone network among New England ice boaters which helps us locate areas with the best sailing conditions. That information is put on a recorded service line each Thursday and Friday evening.
HOW -- Ice boats come in many classes and sizes, and can be home built from scratch, using readily available plans, or from a kit. They can be bought completed, new or second hand. Prices for used boats may range from $500 to $2500. New boats, fully equipped, cost upwards of $3000. Depending on the boat and the conditions, ice boats can reach speeds of two to five times the speed of the wind, except when going directly downwind, in which case the boat slows to the wind speed.
Ice boating is a great way to have fun outdoors in Winter and enjoy the good fellowship of a great bunch of people from all walks of life. You can experience the unique thrill of speeding across the ice without expending precious fuels, constructing interesting, but not overwhelming, home workshop projects; and sailing high-tech craft at minimal cost. The sport also affords the racing sailor unusual access to National and International competitions.
THEREFORE . . . if you are a "Type A" person, busy making it in the world; have an unusually high frustration tolerance; possess reasonable "do-it-yourself" ability; enjoy the outdoors; appreciate the exotic; like to travel; and have a competitive nature . . . we would love to have you join us! Contact our Secretary today!
Commodore: Greg Cornielius Tel. 781-356-9755; e-mail: GREGDN1019@aol.com
Vice Commodore: LukeBuxton Tel 978-927-3289; e-mail ?
Treasurer/Secretary: Amos H. Heckendorf Tel. 508-481-6223 e-mail: NESTGRP@WORLD.STD.COM
Area Managers 2001-2002 Season:
Maine: Lloyd Roberts 207-596-2095
Maine-2: Peter Ashley 207-361-1320 : p-s@cybertours.com
Vermont: Paul Gervais 802-863-5440 e-mail:
Connecticut: John Vendetti 203-744-2198 e-mail:
Rhode Island: Ernie Dessaules 401-847-0904
Massachusetts: Steve Duhammel 617-826-8004
New Hampshire: Ron Buzzell
There are a few common misconceptions about the sport. Many people think sailable ice only occurs once in a while. When the lake you see every day still has ducks on it or is under a foot or snow, you can often find another pond, lake or bay in your area that has sailable ice. In many areas you can sail on half to three quarters of the winter weekends. Portability of the boat is important.
People often wonder if it is possible to be warm on a windy, 20
degree day. We sail in temperatures down to about zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Being warm at these temperatures in apparent winds as high as 60 mph is
just a matter of dressing for it.
The sport is safe if you know what you are doing and are careful.
There are lots of ways to get hurt in any craft that is capable of 60+
mph. When people get in trouble, it is usually because they don't follow
the safety rules.
Ice comes in many forms, some if which are very safe and some very dangerous. Ice boating safely requires understanding of ice conditions, sailing skill and good judgment. Sailing with experienced sailors is usually the best way to learn.
There are a few commercially produced boats and several types you can build yourself. For most people, the best answer is to build or buy a DN. It is by far the most popular and widely raced boat world wide.
Some people think they need a two man boat. If you are primarily interested in taking friends for rides, a two man boat may be a good choice. If you are more interested in sailing, build a side car for your DN for those times you want to give someone a ride.
If you are thinking of sharing a two man boat, consider building two DNs instead. It will cost about the same. In anything other than heavy wind, a two man boat is faster with only one person in it and will tend to get sailed solo.
The DN was designed in 1936 to be easy to build, light enough to be easily transported, ice worthy and inexpensive. The modern DN still meets these tenants although it has evolved considerably over the last 50 years. The cost to build one has evolved to, from about $25 in 1937 to about $1800 now. It takes most home builders a month of part time work to build a DN. (See supplier list)
The DN gets its name from the Detroit News newspaper. In 1937 the newspaper donated their wood shop to build the first fleet of 15 DNs. Some of them are still sailing today.
The DN is light (portable) and quick to set up. It is a high performance boat but isn't so fast that it needs a huge piece of ice. You do not need to be a 20 year old Olympic athlete to be competitive. Many of the fastest sailors are in their 50's and 60's. The DN is a reasonably strict one design boat so this years winner will not be next years barge.
Most sailors find racing offers the most challenging and exciting aspect of the sport. The International DN Ice Yacht Racing Association (IDNIYRA) was formed in 1953 to promote DN racing. The IDNIYRA sponsors the DN North American and World Championship regattas. The class has approximately 1000 members in North American and another 1000 members in Europe. Annual dues are $12.00(US).
The Association publishes several newsletters and a yearbook each year. The IDNIYRA Yearbook contains the Official Specifications, membership lists and a local club listing among other things. The current newsletter and yearbook will be sent with membership.
If there is a club in your area, contact them. They can offer
ice condition information, racing programs and building advice. If you
do not have a club near by, call ice boaters that are in your area. You
can find their phone numbers in the yearbook.
IDNIYRA offers two great ice boating publications. "Think Ice"
is a 100 page book on all aspects of DN sailing and ice boating in general.
"Reprints One" is a compilation of informative newsletter articles over
the past several years. They range from technical aspects of DN construction
to DN racing techniques to safety on the ice.
Sail numbers are issued through IDNIYRA for $5.00. Sail numbers are not required unless you plan to race. Many people get their own sail number when they buy their first new sail.