Parachute conversion

[tombrown]

Has anyone converted a round parachute for towing? Some people who know tell me that a round parachute is not stable when towed. They also tell me that the first towable parachutes were standard parachutes that were converted. Of course, they won't tell me how to convert a chute for liability reasons.

Any ideas where I could find out how to make a parachute towable? I've found a good deal on surplus parachutes ($75 CDN) and I'm thinking about picking one up to play around with.

[FCnLa]

We got crazy (bored) around here one summer and found one at a millitary surplus. It was a paratrooper chute, round and about a 30' diameter.We rigged a harness together and tied it to the back of the boat. Guess who went first? Duh! Well, I ran down the sandbar and was immediately sucked of off the ground. So fast it startled me (scared). Before I knew it I was as high as the tree tops (counting the bluff they were on was quite high). All of a sudden I felt a loss of lift. Some how the chute was under me and I was falling. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa......kersplash!!!! I shook it off and tried it again????? The second time, same thing, except the chute landed on top of me and comenst to drowning me. My buddy's quick thinking gunned the boat and pulled me out from under it. Even though I had multiple rope burns I was grateful and OK.

We then seeked help from a friend. He said that you have to pull it backwards. The reason it fell out of the sky is because it was creating too much lift, lost airspeed, and stalled. Made sense.

So we try it again. It worked OK, but would porpus, dragging the chuter in the water now and then. Upon futher consultation with the chute friend, it needed tuning. The hole opened up in the top, and slits cut in the rear (previously the front).

We never got around to that. But it did make, with the addition of a few poles, an excellent sun break.

Hope this helps. Am I really this crazy? Only a few really know!:D