Peter Rosenfeld's Icester #37

Peter felt that the plans called for removing too much stock from the bulkheads in order to fair the deck. He therefore applied the deck in several sections. While doing so, he used the forward section as an access lid to the forward steering pulley, and the mounting bolt for the springboard. This picture shows the mast support bulkhead with it's "columns" centered under the mast support . The bulkheads which sandwich the columns transfer the downward force to the sides of the fuselage. The fuselage is then, in effect, a bridge carrying the downward mast loads and the weight of the skipper and passenger.

The steering shaft extends from the dashboard to the forward opening. From there, lines run around blocks, then out to the bellcrank on the front steering runner.

Peter's steering wheel is centered on the dash. I suppose this would make it accessable to both the passenger and the skipper. The plans call for a set of pedals, but some builders opt for a wheel, and others a tiller.

I see from this shot that there is a clamp arrangement to hold the rear of the springboard in place, while making it removeable. Peter felt the curve at the rear sides of the fuselage was extreme, and difficult to make happen. It is a bit of a bend, but I liked the look!

Headed for an interesting test...
To see if an Icester FLOATS! I always wondered myself, actually. With Peter's steering arrangement he did not need the hole in the floor, though... mine would sink! He suggests he may consider floats to keep the boat level should it go through the ice. Of course, the wet stuff should be avoided at all costs. But this does raise an interesting question... should the floats be large enough, could the boat work on softwater? I doubt it! But wheels... always wanted to try that!

Here is a front view. Peter's runners are metal plate sandwiched between halves of a 2x4. I like the plywood bellcrank. Peter has a fiberlass/graphite mast he is going to try. I hope we get a picture of the boat under sail.