Construction tips

[Hotrudderedbum]

Hi all,

While I dallied too long and missed the registration cut off this
year, I have gone ahead and begun construction of my next year's 2 man
toboggan entry. After a lot of research I was surprised to see how
little info is out there about construction techniques, materials,
finishes, bottom prep and the like.

I'm rather surprised there hasn't been any bragging about the various
team's successes and the attendant smack talking that makes so many
other pastimes enjoyable.

What I'm hoping for is, if not an idea of what has worked for others,
at least a little guidance on what definitely doesn't work? What
techniques are people trying in experimental class? What launch
techniques work? Is a stiff sled favorable to a bendy one? Bottom
prep? You see what I'm getting at?

So, starting from scratch with no knowledge to build on I'm making a
8' ash traditional sled, varnished and probably epoxy sealed. I'm
going with 3- 9/16" runner slats with the remainder being 5/16" thick,
all slats are 21/2" wide and flat sawn to facilitate bending.

Any comments? Advice? Jeers?

Thanks!

[TobogganTimes.net]

March 5, 2012
Dear Hotrudderbum:
Thanks for your post. You really can't dally too long when registering for the Toboggan Nationals. The Snow Bowl opens up registration around November 15th. Things go slowly at first but after January 1, all the slots fill up fast. The idea is to get your team ready and committed early and get all the paperwork in before Christmas.
Yes there is very little info out there about racing toboggan construction because those that know anything about how to make a faster sled are very tight lipped. However you will find a lot of advice from people who only think they know what makes a toboggan go fast.In my years of watching the races I find that a lot of 1st place winners build sleds in the runner style instead of a flat bottom. It is very important to follow the National's rules to the letter when designing and building or they may exclude your toboggan. I have seen guys cutting off the back of their sled because it was too long or too heavy. One guy was planing down his runner slats at the side of the chute because his protruded too much. Get the specs off the Snow Bowl web site and follow them carefully.
I have noted that a few of the winners built sleds that were right up to the weight limit. But that is not always the case although if you run the numbers, you will see that the 4 person teams generally have a faster time than the 2 and 3 man teams. Draw your own conclusions.
The toboggan has to go straight and the bottom has to be finished and waxed and polished to best match the conditions for the time you race. Some teams wait to go last when the temperature drops. If a team thinks it is going to snow a wet snow, they usually want to get their runs finished before the snow because it tends to slow down the track.There are a great many variables and a good deal of luck involved. That is why the same team doesn't win every year.
If you are local to the area, there is a toboggan building class in Camden every year, -I believe in the fall given through the adult ed section at the high school. If you're from out of town, well good luck.
Yeah, toboggan people talk a lot but none of them seem to share any real knowledge. I got so tired of them talking toboggan theory that I put up this group site but it's been over a year and everyone seems to be staying away from it like the plague. Then again, come spring, nobody talks toboggans much.
Best of luck.
Tom Sadowski