Power Kite Forum

Nordic blades strong enough for buggy?

Cheddarhead - 24-9-2014 at 06:05 PM

For those of you that have used nordic skates with a kite, do you think the blades would be strong enough to mount on a buggy?

skimtwashington - 25-9-2014 at 07:04 AM

Not sure how you are going to mount them..
Like to see that plan..

No traditional blade sets for skates have not been used for buggy conversion-that I have heard, seen on here, or in person. Maybe someone else has?

Strong enough? Practical? right design(real straight nordic vs. rocker on ends(better for bumps).. Longevity?

Doublspeed360(he's not on internet these days) has REAL buggy blades... Rocfighter has some buggy blades, I believe...and I think one of our members can make buggy blades(Jens-Owen's dad? .... But I forget his PKF moniker)-which are much beefier, taller and well built for strength and on/off.


So..what is your plan( design/weld/mount)?

Someone else has a little more dope on this perhaps to chime in..?

hywelmartin - 25-9-2014 at 08:35 AM

Windsurfers uses this type on there boards

http://boardtests.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Ice_Board_U...

Cheddarhead - 25-9-2014 at 11:02 AM

Quote: Originally posted by skimtwashington  
Not sure how you are going to mount them..
Like to see that plan..

No traditional blade sets for skates have not been used for buggy conversion-that I have heard, seen on here, or in person. Maybe someone else has?

Strong enough? Practical? right design(real straight nordic vs. rocker on ends(better for bumps).. Longevity?

Doublspeed360(he's not on internet these days) has REAL buggy blades... Rocfighter has some buggy blades, I believe...and I think one of our members can make buggy blades(Jens-Owen's dad? .... But I forget his PKF moniker)-which are much beefier, taller and well built for strength and on/off.


So..what is your plan( design/weld/mount)?

Someone else has a little more dope on this perhaps to chime in..?



I have no plan to use them, simply curious if they have ever been used. I've seen many vid's on youtube with ice buggies. Some did good, some not so good. I've seen others use nordic skates on their feet with a kite, so why not attach them to a buggy? Just interested if it has been done before. I don't own a pair but from reading, the blades seem slightly thinner like a racing blade rather than a hockey blade. Not sure if they would even hold up to the weight and side load of a buggy if they were used. Just food for thought.:smilegrin:

cheezycheese - 25-9-2014 at 11:52 AM

I spoke with a couple different people that have ice blades and what I remember hearing is 24" is an optimal length for buggy blades. So with that bit of info I would imagine the Nordic blades would not be so great.

skimtwashington - 25-9-2014 at 01:05 PM

You can work a kite MUUUUCh better on ice skates.... as you can move side and back quickly tensioning line. This is especially useful in LOW winds.

You can maneuver just better in general , like in steering...turning on a dime.

Oh...and you have better 'brakes' standing too!

Sitting in a buggy can be cold. You are compress your butt and it's insulation a bit. Using your legs holding an edge adds lots of warmth.

Set up is easier. I can fit all in a backpack plus water and lunch!

If wind dies I can skate miles back quickly... a huge plus.

I'm sure it's fun, but I had a chance to get a set of 3 blades FREE at WBB raffle ..and I passed..... and Rocfighter got 'em! Or it was one of ZZ Top..? :o


Physics Nerd

JamKiter - 25-9-2014 at 01:10 PM

Haven't done it but I don't see why not. The lateral force on a skate is pretty severe when skating. Not sure if a kite buggy on ice is much different. Buggy will have 3 (occasionally 2) blades on the ice. The skater has only 1 skate on the ice half the time. The only concern would be the lack of 'curve' on the blade. The pond/lake needs to be a MIRROR! A highly curved blade will tolerate rough ice and the occasional snow patch. Dead straight Nordic blade will catch in bad ice. Either way, I want to watch.

Lateral without edging is mostly sliding..

skimtwashington - 25-9-2014 at 01:31 PM

You have to take into account angulation or edging.. which your legs can do and buggy can't. This is critical.

One blade properly angulated and edging is MUCH more than MANY blades that are flat(close to 90 degree), and just being twisted on that flat plane while maintaining that degree to the ice.

Hard to angulate a buggy. Hard to do any quick turn. Serious 'drift' :wee:

Cheddarhead - 25-9-2014 at 02:38 PM

All really good input guys! I remember skiing along side the ice boats last year, it was fun trying to go as fast as them. We had rough ice with a smattering of snow and they were doing just fine on that stuff. They did say that the amount of days they get in a year isn't that many due to snow cover. I still think skis rule the roost as far as versatility goes. I can ski in anything from bare ice to deep snow.

Really dissapointing I have this fantastic buggy to ride but very little space to ride in the summer:no: Winter is when there is unlimited miles of open space to use my buggy but it's all ice and snow. What a shame.

Cheddarhead - 25-9-2014 at 02:47 PM

Quote: Originally posted by skimtwashington  
You have to take into account angulation or edging.. which your legs can do and buggy can't. This is critical.

One blade properly angulated and edging is MUCH more than MANY blades that are flat(close to 90 degree), and just being twisted on that flat plane while maintain that degree to ice.

Hard to angulate a buggy. Hard to do any quick turn. Serious 'drift' :wee:


You hit the head on the nail right there! I think this is exactly why most buggy blade ideas fail. If only we could change blade angle at will, it would be so much more successful. Like you said, we can't duplicate on a buggy what our legs can do using the same device.

Good Point, How About...

JamKiter - 25-9-2014 at 05:09 PM

Assuming there are two blades in the back and one in front... If the rear blades were flared a bit (like some cars) maybe that would help. Of course the pitch (tilt) would not be variable. That may help prevent the side 'slippage'. Straight downwind is an uncommon direction for ice/snow kiting so there always be some lateral force.

Cheddarhead - 25-9-2014 at 05:54 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JamKiter  
Assuming there are two blades in the back and one in front... If the rear blades were flared a bit (like some cars) maybe that would help. Of course the pitch (tilt) would not be variable. That may help prevent the side 'slippage'. Straight downwind is an uncommon direction for ice/snow kiting so there always be some lateral force.


That's actually a really good idea! Not hard to do either. I've seen many put camber on their rear buggy wheels, don't see why you couldn't try it with blades.

TEDWESLEY - 27-9-2014 at 06:35 AM

If you used the blades they would need to be sharpened to a 90deg angle as the iceboaters do. Nordic skates are flat not pointed
in profile. I have been using blades for years and have Nordic skates as well. I think that the side loads are too great for the Nordic blades. When turning quickly there are very high side loads, and if the blades are working correctly there is no skidding. When you skate, the the blades are controlled by the skater to slide or not by the aforementioned angulation and weight shift.
As to my preference skates or buggy, it depends on the ice quality and wind strength. Rough ice high winds,give me the buggy. Skates for smooth ice and lower speeds. I prefer thin snow bonded to the ice with skis over either.

ssayre - 27-9-2014 at 06:59 AM

Off topic, but I like the studded tire idea from videos i've watched. Unfortunately our lakes don't freeze enough for either.

Prussik - 28-9-2014 at 11:26 AM

Blades sharpened for skating rely on an angle with the surface to hold and therefore are not suitable in any application where the blade remains perpendicular to the surface such as in an iceboard or a buggy. Therefore for this purpose the blade has to be sharpened to a knife edge. For a heavy load such as an iceboat the angle can be larger, for a lighter load and where the spinout is dangerous it has to be much more acute so for my iceboard I have to sharpen it to 45 deg. to minimize the chance of a spinout which can result in an unpleasant wipeout. To maximize the chances of a recovery if a spinout occurs I sharpen the blades from one side only so that the sharp edge is on the inside.

rocfighter - 29-9-2014 at 08:32 AM

Snowspider and I have each made our own sets of blades. I have to say his look nicer than mine. (he is a little more into details) Mine ate 24" long and made of 1/8 inch stainless plate I had sheared into strips. Them we both used 1" poly cutting board stock to make the uppers. I kind of followed a friends design who has ice boats. And made his own blades. But his are 36" due to the size of his boat.
I don't have pictures as I am not wired that way and I can't figure it out!! Maybe some day.
OH also "Claude" of Canada have a nice set he made.
I have made several sets but most didn't work so well. The stainless and poly seem best. And very lite/light to carry. (sorry not enough coffee yet)

Cheddarhead - 29-9-2014 at 12:31 PM

Quote: Originally posted by rocfighter  
Snowspider and I have each made our own sets of blades. I have to say his look nicer than mine. (he is a little more into details) Mine ate 24" long and made of 1/8 inch stainless plate I had sheared into strips. Them we both used 1" poly cutting board stock to make the uppers. I kind of followed a friends design who has ice boats. And made his own blades. But his are 36" due to the size of his boat.
I don't have pictures as I am not wired that way and I can't figure it out!! Maybe some day.
OH also "Claude" of Canada have a nice set he made.
I have made several sets but most didn't work so well. The stainless and poly seem best. And very lite/light to carry. (sorry not enough coffee yet)


Thanks Roc! Actually I have some cutting board poly sitting in my garage I can use. I ordered some two years ago for this very purpose, but like a lot of projects, they get put off for other things. I've seen pics of the poly upper portions that you guys have made and they look really good. Never did hear how it actually worked. I suppose a lot of it boils down to ice conditions at the moment.
Prussik and the others gave me some really good info regarding blade angles. I've also read plenty of stuff about ice boat runners and the angles they use. General consensus seems to be that 45 degrees works really well for edge hold and durability. I'll have to try and post some pics when I get them done.

flyguy0101 - 29-9-2014 at 03:15 PM

Cheddar- I think putting skis on the buggy would be the best- you would need to hook them on hinges with a "beam" connecting them that would shift as you turned the fork- just like snowspiders sled he made- i saw it at wildwood was awesome it worked in that as you "turned or leaned on the sled it would force the skis to edge. Also Markite hadf some footage of a peter lynn buggy/ski that had the same idea i think- just throwing it out there for a challenging diy project. Although kiting in a vertical position (board,water, skis, skates) is much more fun.:D:D

Cheddarhead - 29-9-2014 at 03:55 PM

Quote: Originally posted by flyguy0101  
Cheddar- I think putting skis on the buggy would be the best- you would need to hook them on hinges with a "beam" connecting them that would shift as you turned the fork- just like snowspiders sled he made- i saw it at wildwood was awesome it worked in that as you "turned or leaned on the sled it would force the skis to edge. Also Markite hadf some footage of a peter lynn buggy/ski that had the same idea i think- just throwing it out there for a challenging diy project. Although kiting in a vertical position (board,water, skis, skates) is much more fun.:D:D


Yes, skiing is my most preferred method over all:thumbup: Always looking for more ways to use the buggy when the weather is ice and snow:smilegrin: Sometimes I'm like a little kid and need to keep tinkering with things or I get bored:rolleyes: