Tag Archives: iceboats

Mini Skeeter

by Randy Rogoski

There is only one solution that comes from the ache of seeing iceboats ripping around on Mona Lake all your life: give in and buy one. If the thrill doesn’t quite meet expectations, build one that will be faster.  Pat Filius has lived 20 years on a now-flooded celery flat fed by Black Creek, the main tributary of Mona Lake in Norton, Michigan. In 2014 he bought his first iceboat for $400. Sailing it just once was enough to convince him that he wanted a faster boat. Continue reading →

Readers’ Project, Issue 44

Larry Columbo built WILDEST DREAMS, a 30′ tall, swan-shaped floating sculpture on his front lawn in Brewster, New York. The unusual watercraft has a cabin that sleeps two just below the neck. The swan’s wingspan is 60′. Larry is a commercial artist who has built other boats, including a 16′ Viking ship and a 42′ Roman Galley. He uses WEST SYSTEM Epoxy. Continue reading →

Reflecting on Sailing Days Past

by Captain James R. Watson
Epoxyworks 30

Cover Photo: One of LADY B’s first sails on the Saginaw River near the Gougeon Brothers boat shop.

Lady B is a sailing sharpie I launched on August 20, 2009. On one of the first sails, I asked Jan Gougeon to come along with me to see what he thought of her. That sail brought back many memorable sailing moments that Jan and I have shared over our lifetimes.

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DN Iceboating

How the Old Guy Won

By Meade Gougeon — GBI Founder

On January 18, 1997, Gougeon Brothers Inc. co-founder and CEO Meade Gougeon, 58, became the oldest person ever to win the North American DN Iceboat Championship. He explains how he managed this feat in what is essentially a young man’s sport, in this article excerpted from the DN Newsletter. —Ed.

I was still out on the ice watching the last two races of the Silver Fleet for the North American Championships when word got to me that I had won the series. To say the least, I was shocked. I figured at best that I might have made the top five, but the fact that I was in the hunt to win never crossed my mind, even up to the last two races where I managed second-place finishes. Continue reading →