: I considered the Nick Schade design (I think that is the one, the
: braces look sort of like the snowplow blades that throw the snow
: off to both side and they run on a track attached to the keel)
: but since I don't have the book and haven't been able to find it
: online I decided to start over from scratch.

If you can't find a copy in your local library, there's a problem: agitate for better library support from your community!
;-)
There are also 32 different used copies of Nick's book listed on AbeBooks today, so that might be another possibility for you.
It's well-worth having a copy on your bookshelf, and you don't have to worry about getting the library copy dirty!