The condition and quality of your runners is directly related to you ability to lead the fleet. While you’re waiting for ice take a look at your runners. Here are some tips that we think will improve your performance on the ice.

Before you begin, we’d suggest that it’s always a good idea to get an experienced iceboater, who has experience with a Sarns jig, to help with your initial sharpening effort.

Keep the jig in place on the workbench by clamping a small strip of wood on the close edge of the bench. The noses of the runners should be pointed out, i.e. away from you.

1. You’ll have fewer occurrences of the sander slipping off of one of the
     runners if you use 4” wide belt sander rather than a 3”.

2. Mark each runner with masking tape and/or a marker so you know
    when both edges of a runner have been sanded.

3. Start with an 80-grit belt. With the sander running, reach out to the
     leading edge of the runner surface and slowly lower the sander. As
     the belt touches the runner, move the sander towards you fairly
     quickly.

4. Keep the sander lined up with the direction that the runners are
    pointing. (Don’t cant it sideways at all). Your arms should take
    some of the sanders’ weight. Do not let all of the weight of the
    sander press down on the runner. Move the sander along the
    runners at the same speed on all passes.

5. As the sander gets to the close end of the runner, lift it up and off of the
    runners.

6. After a couple of passes, you may have sanded that surface enough. You
    may even have created a " burr” on the runners’ edge.

7. Count the number of passes on each surface. Equal number of passes
     help to keep the “running edge” straight & centered on the blade.

8. Rotate the runners on the jig until both sides of each “running edge”
     have received their sanding / sharpening.

9. Finishing: you can just remove the burr and sail with the edge that was
    created with the 80-grit belt. Or, use progressively finer grits: 100,
    120 and150 to remove the burr and make the “running edge”
     smoother. Be aware that too much weight and too many passes with
     fine sand paper can and will heat up the edge and take the hardness
     out of the steel.

10. Honing: You can take runner sharpening to an even higher level by
       honing your runners. Use a series of abrasive stones of progressively
       finer grit to get them super smooth.

11. Crown: Finished runners should have some crown, i.e. only one spot
       on the bottom of the runner should touch the ice. Here’s my
       technique for measuring the crown: Stand the runner up on a very
       flat surface, like a steel "true bar." Slide a pair of .008” feeler
       gauges under the runner from the front and back.

A distance of about 16“ between the feeler gauges, centered on the bolt, is a popular amount of "flat.” 14” is a higher crown and OK for sailing and racing.

Now that your edges are perfect, don’t forget to check you alignment.

If you are looking for high quality honing stones, contact the following shops: Ron Sherry, Composite Concepts: 586- 790- 5557 c2concepts@msn.com Jane Pagel, Sailing Specialists: 262- 245- 6242 sailing19@charter.net Sail fast and I’ll see you on the ice. 

Terry Erwin #544