Snowmobiles going on the water are not only possible, but is also a competitive sport! Sure, it may take you a couple of tries before you actually get it right, but it’s worth it in the end. Seeing someone fly across the lake or river on a sled is quite the sight for some people. Others, do it all the time so it’s no big deal. I guess it depends on what part of the world you live in.
Can Snowmobiles Go on The Water?
The idea of a snowmobile going across the water is called skipping. Snowmobiles are built and designed in such a way that makes this possible. The wide track, along with the paddles and skis make it possible. Even though snowmobiles weigh around 400 to 500 Ib’s, the shear power of the motors that are built nowadays along with the design of the sleds make it easy.
So how do these beasts stay floating across the water? Well the scientific answer is inertia and surface tension. The consistent moving of the track with the paddles grabbing water and the skis in the front supporting the front end and guiding the rest of the sled forward. The second the inertia and surface tension break, your sled will be at the bottom of the lake or river.
Water Skipping a Snowmobile
So how do you water skip your snowmobile? Well the short answer is to keep a consistent speed across the water. There are a lot of variables that come into play, but a consistent speed is going to be your friend. If you gun it, the back end of the snowmobile will sink down and your skis will be up in the air and you will sink. On the other hand, if you even break for a second, you will lose traction and also sink. There is a fine line.
A lot of people ask if they need to get a head start before they hit the water. Well I have seen it done both ways. I have seen someone sitting on the edge of the water and from a dead stop, take off and start skipping. I have also seen someone start a couple hundred feet away to get up to speed and then hit the water and skip.
Another thing to think about is turning on the water. Turning when water skipping is less to do with the handlebars and more to do with leaning your body and momentum. When you’re skipping your snowmobile and you want to turn, you need to lean with your body and a slight turn of the handlebars. But be careful, because you don’t want your speed to change.
How Fast Does a Snowmobile Have to Go to Ride on Water?
Snowmobiles weigh around 400-500 Ib’s. In order to skip your snowmobile, you will need to keep a consistent speed of around 30-40 mph. Of course you can go faster and it will still work, but 30-40 mph will work for most sleds.
Modifications For Water Skipping Snowmobiles
If you enjoy water skipping with your snowmobile, I suggest making the proper modifications to your sled so you don’t have to worry about totally wrecking it if you sink.
Make you snowmobile water proof
Seal all entry points of the snowmobile. You also want all of your fluids sealed tight so water doesn’t get into them and you don’t pollute the water.
Loose weight
Take off all the unnecessary weights off of your snowmobile. Anything that is heavy and doesn’t have to do with the snowmobile actually running, take it off.
Optional Flotation Mechanism
In case your sled does sink, they have these buoys that you can have on your sled so if it is about to sink, you can release the buoy and it will float, to avoid damage.
What if My Snowmobile Sinks?
If you snowmobile sinks then you need to get it out of the water. Hopefully the water isn’t too deep. You should also have some sort of marking on it, like something floating in the water so you can come back to it later and also letting other people on the water know that there is something there. So get that sled out of the water.
If you feel like you are about to sink, shut your snowmobile off. If the snowmobile is running while it sinks, it will cause a lot more damage to it. The electrical and mechanical will surely get affected if its running while in the water.
Remove all of the water from the system. You’ll probably have to replace some of the functioning fluids, maybe replace a spark plug, etc. If you tip the snowmobile on it’s side with everything exposed and try to pull start it a couple times, it could kick a lot of the water out of the engine. Then you need new fuel and oil.
Find some creative ways to dry everything out. Fans, heat, towels, etc. If you get it started, let it run for awhile so the heat from the engine can evaporate a lot of the water.
