DN Iceboat, 1964

George Fournier, Red Bank, New Jersey
Gift of William T. Caldwell

Sailboat racing is not just for sunny summer days. Iceboats compete at great speeds on “hard water” during the winter. Numerous classes of iceboats have been developed over the years, the DN began as the result of a contest sponsored by the “Detroit New”s in 1937.

The DNs are one of the most popular classes because they are small, they can be quickly assembled, and they are fast, lively sailing craft. The pilot steers the craft using the large yoke that controls the steel runner at the front of the boat. When the sails are pulled in tight, the boat will often raise up, racing across the ice on just two runners at speeds over 30 mph.

This is very rapid transportation, an iceboat being the fastest surface vehicle known to man that does not utilize an engine for power. – S. Calhoun Smith – Iceboating, 1962