THE DEUCE
What would happen if a Pterodactyl and one of those All-Terrain Armored Transports from a Star Wars film got a little too chummy? They’re called stern-steerers. Included in their ranks are the largest iceboats on the planet, the A-Class. They’re throwbacks to an earlier era. They’re antique but are in no way antiquated. When up and rolling, they remain the fastest most extreme machines on runners.
The largest of them all is known as “The Deuce.” It’s owned by Rick Hennig. It lives in Wisconsin. It’s an incredible, historic machine. We wanted to learn more about it, so we asked. Rick was kind enough to enlighten.
Harken: Can you please describe The Deuce?
Rick Hennig: The Mighty Deuce is an unlimited A Class stern-steerer iceboat.
Name: The Deuce Sail Number: A-6
Length: 54'6"
Runner Plank: 35.00'
Mast Height: 54' off of the ice
Weight: 3,600 lbs
Sail Area: Big Configuration is 800 sq. ft.
When was it built? Who designed it? When did it first sail?
The Deuce was built in 1930 and has evolved since then. She was designed by Joe Lodge who was the designer of the DN. The Deuce was built by Russ Pouliot. The Deuce was first sailed in 1932.
What place within iceboating do the stern-steerers occupy?
It all started with stern steerers. So the Stern Steerers’ place in iceboating is the history. Please remember that the Northwest Regatta (officially known as the Northwest Ice Association Regatta) was a stern steerer regatta, we let the bow steerers in.
How many owners has The Deuce had?
Rick: There have been four of us: Joe Lodge, Clare Jacobs, Bill Perrigo and for the past 25 years, me.
What was your primary motivation in buying the boat?
I was on Lake Geneva and Harry Melges gave me a ride on Ferdinand The Bull, another A Class stern-steerer from Detroit that Buddy Melges brought back to Lake Geneva. I was hooked from that ride. The power, the speed, the hiking, there is nothing like it. Bill Perrigo bought the Deuce, the other Detroit A Class stern-steerer and the largest active A Class in the world. He brought it back to Pewaukee where he raced her for years. One day my friend from Michigan, Chip Sawyer, told me the Deuce was for sale. My best friend Todd Knop and I went to look at her. Wow, she was stored outside uncovered. Todd tried to talk me out of it, but I had to have her.
There is plaque on the boat that notes a significant refit project was done on the boat. Can you please describe it?
We got the boat home, worked on her for two years, and got her ready to race. There were plenty of problems. The new sails were more powerful, so we had to reinforce the runner plank with carbon fiber. Then the hull started to open from the old animal glue letting go and the wood drying out and splitting. At a Northwest Regatta with three first places the old girl could go no more, so we went back to the pit area and started taking her apart. I was not sure how to fix her. I was on the ice working and I looked up and there was Bill Mattison, the God of ice boat building himself. He said to us, "You guys had a tough go of it out there.” And then he told us wood is like people, it doesn't last forever. I said, “Bill, we have to fix her.” He said, “Rick, let's just make a new hull.” I thought he was crazy. He told me that his son, Bill Jr. lived in Racine and he would come down and stay with his son and their family and work on the iceboat everyday. He gave me a list of things we would need starting with lots of Sitka Spruce. So I contracted with a wood broker in Canada. I wanted a whole tree that could give me 5-quarter x 16" x 40' long minimum boards.
The wood was shipped to my company by semi—a whole truckload. Bill was there when that truck pulled in, I can remember him saying when he was looking at the truck, "That's what dreams are made from.” We made a drying chamber that had six dehumidifiers & six fans in it, and we dried the wood to Bill's specifications. Bill taught us the art of lofting. We built all the frames, top and bottom and the side boards using carbon laminating all on the inside. We got her all done with new hardware too. The last touch was the plaque. It reads: “Rebuilt by Bill Mattison and the Cabbage Patch Iceboat Gang for the preservation of iceboating.”
Bill Mattison rebuilds the Deuce runner plank c. 1980. Photo from the Steve Arnold collection.
How many people are required to rig it?
It takes three people that know what they are doing to set her up. We don't lift anything. It is all done by our custom trailer crane designed by Keith Haas and Todd Knop.
What is the ideal crew size and what are the crew duties?
When the wind is up we race with three people: one driver, one mainsheet trimmer, and one jib sheet and mast puller. In light air we sail with two people: one driver and one person to do everything else. The mainsheet winch is a handmade gearbox with (Ford) Model-T brake shoes that hold the winch from moving. To ease it you pull a handle that opens the brake shoes and the sheet goes out. You have to be a true 300 pounder to run the winch when the wind is up. It's everything you can do to trim it at times.
What is the top speed the Deuce has achieved?
In 1933 the Deuce was brought to Lake St. Clair where they measured a mile and used the electric timer they used at the Indy 500. It was brought there especially for The Deuce's run. She attained speeds in excess of 140 mph. In 2010 on Lake Mendota in Madison, we were there for a Northwest Regatta. We got caught in a 25 mph northeast breeze that blew in. We had to finish the last lap to get the regatta in. We had three of us in the boat, we made it in with some damage. Kenny Melby had a GPS on her; our top speed was 119 mph. Another time, in a 5 mph breeze on perfect ice, the Deuce was clocked at 55 mph.
What is it like to be aboard the boat while it is at speed?
Racing the Deuce is truly a wild experience. It is very loud, the feeling of power is incredible, there are times when I think the boat is in charge. It's the ultimate adrenaline rush. We took my friend's dad out, Wes Monroe. He summed it up the best:
"Boy, you really know you are living.”
Video by Dave Elsmo