My homemade ski-sled

That's a good story Ron! I actually "pictured it" as I read... My sled steers very well. I'll take an old "Flexible Flyer-Airline series"... over a snow-tube any day! Spinning around backward going like a "Banshee" down a steep hill with NO STEERING... (at 53 years old...) is not my idea of a good time.

Roddie, I hate to be an old jerk, but this screams and cries for helmet use.
Looks like a blast, I'd jump on it in a sec, but consider the possibilities.

Yeah, my mother worked in the E.R. at the nearby hospital.

Bob

I remember the Flexible Flyers growing up. Not one of the sleds my brothers and I had were completely original. The deck on them was only 3/8 wood, and we upgraded to 1/2 inch as we went. Every few times going sledding a piece would need replaced. If we didn't have the right wood, we would MAKE the right wood by resawing, planing, or sanding. No fancy equipment other than a drill, table saw, and a jig saw, everything else was hand tools.

Sometimes the metal would need straightening but not often.

Cool sled, suitable for all kinds of things and more than one person it looks.

Phil

anyone remember crazy carpets they were blue rolled up in a tube ,now that was a danerouse piece of material,espically if you hooked up behind a snowmobile and had yourBIG brother haul you around,those were the days back in maine:lol!:  

dckrsn wrote:Roddie, I hate to be an old jerk, but this screams and cries for helmet use.
Looks like a blast, I'd jump on it in a sec, but consider the possibilities.

Yeah, my mother worked in the E.R. at the nearby hospital.

Bob

Yea Bob... you're right. Rhode Island is one of the few states that doesn't have a "motorcycle" helmet law either...

If I was running the sled down a wooded trail, I'd certainly wear some kind of helmet (probably a cyclist's)

This sled has the advantages of great steering and brakes... which help avoid accidents.

photo shows #1 r/h strut; (2" x 4" x 6") showing brake/steering assist lever (1" elec. conduit). When the lever is pulled back; it digs down into the snow.
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Thanks for your concern though... Because having a "head-first/laying down position" of the rider; this sled is capable of faster speeds than a downhill alpine skier would experience, due to less wind resistance.

pkrankow wrote:I remember the Flexible Flyers growing up.  Not one of the sleds my brothers and I had were completely original.  The deck on them was only 3/8 wood, and we upgraded to 1/2 inch as we went.   Every few times going sledding a piece would need replaced.  If we didn't have the right wood, we would MAKE the right wood by resawing, planing, or sanding.  No fancy equipment other than a drill, table saw, and a jig saw, everything else was hand tools.

Sometimes the metal would need straightening but not often.

Cool sled, suitable for all kinds of things and more than one person it looks.

Phil

Hey Phil, Thanks for your interest. I've got real fond memories of sledding as a kid too! My Dad used to build "banked troughs" for us... and "ice em' down" on cold nights with a watering can!

My homemade job uses ordinary mat'ls. found at a home center (except; ski's, handle grips, pad and air horn) Total cost to build was under $200.00 with 2nd hand skis (2 pr.) The wood consists of 1/4" ext. gr. plywood (for the 2 decks) 2 x 4's (for the struts) and 1" x 2" furring (for the side-rails) I used 1/4"-20 threaded-rod underneath; to tie the struts together and strengthen the decks. Finished w/4 coats of Minwax Helmsman Spar-Urethane Clear Semi-gloss.
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bullit132 wrote:anyone remember crazy carpets they were blue rolled up in a tube ,now that was a danerouse piece of material,espically if you hooked up behind a snowmobile and had yourBIG brother haul you around,those were the days back in maine:lol!:  

I "do" remember those bullit! They were marketed as "mini-boggans" too... same thing. I wouldn't even think of getting on one of those now!!! I guess that's why I made a dense-foam pad covered in heavy-weight vinyl for my sled. Being 24"w. by approx. 100" long; it "floats" over bumps/moguls!

roddie wrote:I started plans for this; Winter of 2011/12... Obtained 2 pr. ($25) of older alpine snow skis in Dec. of 2012... made a model, and started building. Finished it in March... just enough time/conditions "locally"... to use it one weekend, here in Rhode Island. My wife shot the vid at Diamond Hill State Park's "ski-hill" that weekend. What a thrill!!!





easy to build... and FAST!

My facebook page has more photos of the building process.

Awesome video! Although it looks like a long walk back up the hill!!

Thanks Shawn, It's always a long walk... up a good hill!!!

I've got all the parts to make another (duplicate) sled as the one I built last season. The 2 pr. of skis that are required... this time were free! Hardware, finishing supplies and wood cost was about $100.00...



The "Dynastar" skis will be cut down to 42" L. for the front deck. The "Head" skis are wider and will be cut down to 48" L. for the rear deck. The plywood is 1/4" ext. grade for the decks. I bought a 4' x 4' sheet and had Lowe's cut me 2 pcs. 22" x 48"... these are for the frt. and rear decks. The frt. deck will be 42" L. with a 12" radius at the front and an 11" radius at the rear. The rear deck is 48" L. with an 11" radius at the front and square at the rear. The 2" x 4" stud is for the struts (x8) and are 6" L. ea. The 1" x 2" furring is for the side-rails... All wood components get Minwax English Chestnut stain, then 4 coats of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane clear semi-gloss.

Last season's sled... (this season's will be a duplicate with upgraded brakes)

Fun for snowbirds!
I hope we get a couple of good snows this winter, about 8" starting on a Friday afternoon and it's all melted by Sunday morning would be a perfect way to cheer up the clammy wet chill we get from late December through February. The snowmen will usually last a week or two.
 

Cool Roddie, you must take video of your maiden voyage.


This reminds me of another story. Christmas 1982. There was a huge box under the tree and inside was one brand new GT Snowracer made by Noma at the time. Now if you were a kid in Canada at that time this was the sled to own. I got mine first year of production and it had a flat seat, but after 1982 they were produced with a duck tail seat so kids wouldn't fly off the back. Bu the next year all my friends had one too, but mine had the dangerous flat seat so it was different from everyones and much sleeker looking.

Back then we could take our sleds to school and lock them to the bike racks at recess we could sled for a good solid hour. Great fun!!!!!

Over the years as I became a teen I used it less and less. One day I came home from school to grab my sled so I could hit the gravel pit with my teenage buds and my sled was missing. I asked my Dad if he knew where it was. He said "Oh yeah I gave it to a guy from work to give to his daughter" I was hot, very hot. Not only did he give it away without asking me, he gave it to a girl!!!! My rebel GT snowracer with the one off flat seat was now destined for the bunny hill sporting a pom pom wearing girly girl.

I am still a little miffed over that deal and that was 25yrs ago. I would have loved to have handed that over to my son. Mine was jet black with silver ski's and looked a little like this one:

Cribbs74 wrote:Cool Roddie, you must take video of your maiden voyage.


This reminds me of another story. Christmas 1982. There was a huge box under the tree and inside was one brand new GT Snowracer made by Noma at the time. Now if you were a kid in Canada at that time this was the sled to own. I got mine first year of production and it had a flat seat, but after 1982 they were produced with a duck tail seat so kids wouldn't fly off the back. Bu the next year all my friends had one too, but mine had the dangerous flat seat so it was different from everyones and much sleeker looking.

Back then we could take our sleds to school and lock them to the bike racks at recess we could sled for a good solid hour. Great fun!!!!!

Over the years as I became a teen I used it less and less. One day I came home from school to grab my sled so I could hit the gravel pit with my teenage buds and my sled was missing. I asked my Dad if he knew where it was. He said "Oh yeah I gave it to a guy from work to give to his daughter" I was hot, very hot. Not only did he give it away without asking me, he gave it to a girl!!!! My rebel GT snowracer with the one off flat seat was now destined for the bunny hill sporting a pom pom wearing girly girl.

I am still a little miffed over that deal and that was 25yrs ago. I would have loved to have handed that over to my son. Mine was jet black with silver ski's and looked a little like this one:

I remember those Ron! Always thought they were SUPER COOL!!! I had a thing called a "Sno-bee" and it wasn't made by Cox either... I begged for it for Christmas... probably 1972-3... It was a BEAST... Heavy and slow... such a disappointment.

That thing looks pretty cool. Dragging it up the hill was probably painful. Even though it's heavy I bet with a generous coat of wax on the ski's it would probably pick up some serious speed on a sizeable hill. Hey it has a roll cage...it has to be safe right?  

Cribbs74 wrote:...Hey it has a roll cage...it has to be safe right?  

Safer for the rider than for the neighbor kids. Better keep an eye on the kid with the lead sled. 

Cribbs74 wrote:

I have one of those... best sled ever!!!  I still have my original Noma GT SnowRacer and my kids got a newer version a couple years ago for Christmas. Mine is black with silver skis

RknRusty wrote:

Cribbs74 wrote:...Hey it has a roll cage...it has to be safe right?  

Safer for the rider than for the neighbor kids. Better keep an eye on the kid with the lead sled. 

"Lead-sled"............ I have 2 Flexible-Flyer Airline 55H "Chiefs"... designed for the "big kid"... (that's me... now...) The nice looking one (r/h) I bought last year... (has a cracked side-rail) and the weathered one, I bought this year (solid, but needs re-finishing)



I designed skis for last years sled, to make it operational in powder/slush conditions;

This years sled will receive a brake sys. upgrade... via a bolt-on "steel tab" for more surface area, at the brake/steering-assist levers' lower contact area. Pulling on both levers, "slows" the sled... pulling on alternate levers, provides steering assist.

(underside-front pivoting deck)



(topside-front pivoting deck)



Last season, I only ran the sled a few times... (the 1st trials were on the "last" 2 decent snow days of the season here in RI) The hill was very steep with a decent "safe" run-out. I "did" have to brake to avoid running into a brook. It was evident that the brakes "worked"... but could be improved. They "dig in" to the snow surface when both levers are pulled back @ 90 deg. to the deck (as in the top photo)... but they were limited to a small and "radiussed"  contact area. This years upgrade increases that area, and more aggressively. The steering-assist function was a side benefit of the lever principal, in the event of "binding" at the sleds' pivot-point. This was never a problem... due to a stroke of luck in design balancing. The sled steers effortlessly.

Well... I haven't got the 2nd sled built yet... (been busy with the Speed contest model) but I did manage to upgrade the brakes on last years sled today. A recent storm dumped 8-10 inches of powder.. and it's been below freezing since... I think we'll give her a test-run tomorrow... same hill in Cumberland, RI as last year. It's about a 10 miles from my house. This webpage is pretty old... but gives you an idea of how steep the hill is! (note the sign at the bottom of the page.. not an issue now, as it is a VERY popular sledding hill!) This is where the video was shot last March. http://www.nelsap.org/ri/diamondhill.html

Roddie







below-photo/vid from last season.

1-5-14 (Sunday) at Diamond hill... didn't dare take the "big hill"... too many little kids... and brain-dead parents not paying attention to them or anything going on around them.

Cool Roddie! Looks like a blast. You really had some good speed even though the hill wasn't that steep.

When you were a kid were there any parents around then? There wasn't any where I lived.

Cribbs74 wrote:Cool Roddie! Looks like a blast.  You really had some good speed even though the hill wasn't that steep.

When you were a kid were there any parents around then? There wasn't any where I lived.

When I was a kid.. when we went sledding, it was all kids... but not toddlers... Some parents these days; bring very small children to a busy sled hill... and don't watch them... it's a recipe for disaster. My buddy who went with me last Sunday.. witnessed a collision. A grown-up man was stalled in the middle of the hill.. sitting there facing down the hill... he got creamed good by a tandem.. turned to my friend who was off to the side and started yelling at him.. "How about a little heads-up.. eh buddy"??? My friend told him to "wake up and look around"... That's the mentality today... blame anybody else for your own stupidity.

I see now. The hill is no place for unsupervised toddlers. I certainly agree with your other point too. Sometimes you have to "own it"

Now you got me to thinking...

My kids are that way and I am forever telling them to stop blaming everyone and admit they did wrong and move on with it. They are slowly coming around.

So, if it's a child like mentality does that mean it carries over into adulthood? Alarming!! 

Ron