How to Make a Toboggan Fast
For those who grew up in snowy climates, there are few things as evocative of childhood as a toboggan and a snowy hill. On any given day, the combination of a good sled and a fast hill could represent Olympic glory, an F1 racer or even a rocket ship. Usually, on returning to the same hills as adults, it turns out that the toboggans weren't really going very fast. However, with a little bit of care and preparation, any toboggan can be made quicker.
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Things You'll Need
- Wooden toboggan
- Rope
- Hot, soapy water
- Nylon scrubbing pad, or fine steel wool
- Towels
- Blow dryer or heat gun
- Carpenter's plane, or sandpaper
- Ski wax, paraffin or other wax
- Rotary buffer or soft brush
- Spray furniture polish or kitchen pan spray
Instructions
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Check the toboggan carefully at the beginning of each winter. Tighten its screws and bolts, and replace the rope if it's worn. Going fast isn't a good thing, if the toboggan falls apart in the process.
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2
Remove any existing finish from the bottom of the sled by scrubbing it with hot, soapy water and either a nylon scrubbing pad or fine steel wool.
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3
Dry the toboggan overnight in a warm place, or more quickly with towels and a blow dryer. Sand or plane away any damaged spots, which will create friction and slow the sled.
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4
Apply a coat of wax to the underside of the toboggan. Ski wax is best, but if you don't have it, you can use melted candle wax or paraffin. Spread across the entire underside of the toboggan, as evenly as you can manage. It will help if you warm the wood with a blow dryer or heat gun first.
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Buff the wood with a powered rotary buffer or a soft brush, until the surface is smooth, even and has a gentle sheen.
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Give the underside of the toboggan one more weapon against friction by spraying the prepared surface with furniture polish, or pan spray from your kitchen. Either will provide a further small speed boost.
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Tips & Warnings
Teach your kids to steer their toboggan by leaning, which causes the edge of the sled to catch in the snow and slowly swerve in that direction. Pressing a hand or short stick into the snow on either side works as well, though it often results in lost mittens.
Always test your newly tuned toboggan on the local hill before you let your kids have a run. Some hills are high enough or steep enough that a fast toboggan creates an unnecessary risk of injury for the riders, or those who cross their path on the way down.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
