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Windsurf sails can be used on ice boats or ice boards. If you can't find a DN ice boat or you have welding and/or wood working skills and some windsurf sails, making an ice boat or board might be a consideration. Halyard type masts and halyard style sails are easier to deal with but you may find that you will have to design and build the sails and mast systems yourself with prototype ice boats so windsurf sails make it a bit easier. Search you tube if you are interested in trying this. Lake Newell isn't known for good ice but occasionally conditions serve up some prime ice for this sport.
Ice Board using windsurf sails
Ice Board using windsurf sails
Visit boardtests.com for more info on ice sailing
Built with 3/4" plywood plus an extra 3/4" strip of plywood stringer, metal strips, skate board long board trucks about 10 inches wide axle to axle, 1/8" thick blades from Brooks Industrial Metals, steel tubing to fit over the axles, steel 3/8" cross rods, washers, nuts, lock nuts, etc., carpeted deck for traction. The board is steerable like a skateboard and more forgiving than water windsurfing although the landings are much harder. You must have some knowledge on windsurf sail handling or you will have difficulty learning how to handle the sail as well. Take up windsurfing to learn sail control. I wear motorcycle pants and jacket because they have armour in the knees and elbows. I also wear a ski helmet or windsurfing helmut and windsurf harness to help protect the hips. Hockey or other suitable equipment would work as well.
Use easy to rig (non camber induced) sails because of the cold. Hard to rig (camber induced) sails will make it harder to get ready. If it is colder than -15C your sail windows are vulnerable to cracking/breaking so I don't go out when it gets this cold or colder.
Latest modifications to the board pictured.
Lowered the deck by cutting out the reinforcing strip of plywood where the trucks are attached and placing the mast base further back. The bushings can be tensioned with a wrench and this was done to minimize the wobbling that happens sometimes when you are going fast in a straight line. It is something like fishtailing and can knock you off your board if it gets bad enough.
Carry ice picks/rope and stay away from open water. Make sure there is enough ice if you have to cross a pressure ridge.
Remember to sharpen your blades regularly. Colder temperatures mean harder ice mean sharper blades. When the temperatures are warmer and the ice is warmer/softer blade sharpeness doesn't seem to be very important.
I have a second board that has 1/4" thick blades on an even lower board. The blades have a bit of rocker and this board works well. Lower means better stability. I am working on a third board with a mountain truck on the front and a long board truck on the back. Not quite ready yet but hope to use it in 2026.
The elusive thing on Newell is good ice. It happens in the late fall but always it snows. Chinook winds help to level the ice by melting the snow or top layers of ice and if the chinook goes on and off for awhile really good ice can happen. The picture on the top is from a number of years ago and it was later in the winter. That was good hard ice and fast. Some years are good and some years have you scratching your head and building something with skis because the lake surface is covered in snow. It works but not nearly as good as the skateboard and blades on hard ice. Pictures to come later. The two videos above are recent, Jan 17 2021. That is good ice.
Thinking that standup windsurfing on ice might be a little bit dangerous I built the ice boat at the left over the last while. The sail is about 6 square meter. It is important to have a balanced sail plan over the blades so that either the front or the rear isn't getting the most "push" from the sail. Care must be taken not to have too hard a landing when you "fly" a blade as well as the metal can be bent and the "Thing" probably wouldn't work very well after that. It isn't perfect but is fairly simple to build. It breaks apart for storage. Blades were made by Brooks Industrial Metals. The blades must be set on wood to prevent them from melting/freezing into the ice.
After some work in December 2022 and January 2023 prototype "the thing" has evolved into the "Ice Runner". An inaugural sail in almost too light winds/rough ice was encouraging. More mast rake and a few other adjustments to work on but overall it works and it works better than the somewhat awkward windsurf sail setup from before. The original windsurf sail setup would have worked better with modifications too. I had a sail that could be cut down so the choice was made to go with a halyard style sail. The mast was an extra Seaspray mast cut down to a similar sail plan of a DN iceboat. More mainsheet purchase may be necessary as well.
Now with a bit more mast rake. Added some seat back padding. A heavier steering rod is needed after bending the rod on the second day of sailing. A bit more wind and a little bit of rocker on the blades heped with the rough ice conditions. Hopefully we will get a chinook and smooth out the ice for later in the season.
Below video March 8th 2025. Winds about 15mph and higher. Chinook starting. Temperature above zero and hard but rough ice.
March 9 2023 First time use of the Kitewing a 5.5 Skimbat. Winds were a bit light but occasionally gusted up to the 15 mph necessary for proper power.
Jan 11 2025 The ice was covered with on average 4 inches of light loose snow. I was pleased with some of the speeds estimated 20+ mph. I found it controllable and easy to manage. The wing is set up with harness lines and I wore a chest harness. You get a bit of a workout judging by how I felt afterwards,
The kitewing is an additional method of getting fun out of winter conditions and makes a good fit when the ice is covered with snow. At least six good sessions on the kitewing this 2024/25 Season.
Video below, March 8th 2025. Hard but rough ice. Good conditions and fairly fast. Winds 15mph and gusting higher. Temperature 5 above C. Chinook starting. Speeds up to 25 mph. Used harness lines and harness after video. Sailed around 25 km. Fun.
Above pictures show a simple enough rig to build. Using skateboard trucks with an attached axle rod using stainless steel hose clamps is fairly simple to do. A metal shop can cut out the blades and perhaps put an edge on them. A tap and die set can help with threading the axle. This set up was claimed to have worked well with the kitewing and would work with the newer hand held inflatable kites. These pictures of this setup may help those using windsurf rigs on ice sleds as well when contemplating building a sled.
Not sure how important having boot straps is for this type of winter sailing so it may be necessary when using with wings that they will be very important. I don't find them necessary when using windsurf rigs however on the deck of the sleds boot traction is very important.
Jan 16 2026. Sailed in higher winds and over torqued the mainsheet which results in high downward force on the mast base as well as significant sideways force as well. The result was a sideways bend on the main beam that supports the mast. This beam is braced longitudinally for downward forces below the mast base but needed sideways bracing as well I found out. I straightened the bent 2" square tubing and added a sideways brace. Since I don't have any black paint at the moment I had to paint the new brace grey.
I have been thinking about replacing the cross 2" steel square tubing with an arched two piece wood beam as it is less likely to bend upon hard landings. Maybe for next year.
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