VIDEO: Mini Skeeter, a joy to build and sail

Notes by the video provider…
Another fabulous day of iceboating in the Mini Skeeter. Over the last few years I found small iceboats like the Mini Skeeter make iceboating much more accessible. I’ve iceboated more days this year than the past three years with my bigger iceboats. Most of it within an hours drive. You can still have plenty of fun on a plate of ice that’s 1/2 mile long. It’s compact in size and performs well in every condition I’ve sailed it in so far.

I’ve got a 5.5 sq m sail for light air and a 4 sq. m sail for heavy air. The boat all up weighs 157 lbs. The fuselage is about 10′ long and the runner plank is 82″ wide. The runners are 30″ plate runners. The boat is designed for a do-it-yourself type builder. It’s plywood and strip plank wrapped in 4 oz cloth that brings a classic wood iceboat look. The rig is unstayed and simple. Plug it in and go.

The sail and mast can be purchased through Sailworks. The cockpit is comfortable and warmer since you are not as exposed to the elements. There are 16 pages of plans available to build your own Mini Skeeter. A construction pictorial here. The Mini Skeeter has been a joy to build and sail!

Video published on Feb 23, 2015.