ice shack construction has begun

[pelada trochu]

Hi Guys.

Just started building my first ice shack. have to thank my friend Mr. T for his help as i couldnt do it without him.

I planned to go old style and super cheap folds up so i can toss her under the deck for summer storage.

Details: 4x8 plywood unit. large 18 x 28" hole in the middle. a single hole in the corner as well for the second dead stick line. putting in a small shelf.

started building my own home made furnace also. this part is actually kinda fun too. will see how well it actually heats. may have to scrap the whole thing if it doesnt work. Has a 8000btu burner to start so we'll see how it goes. as long as it takes the chill off without gasing my brains im good.

if anyone has built the same or has any ideas please let me know.

will share some pics as it comes along. Cheers.

[pelada trochu]

Well here is the basics folded up. Lots left to do. Has been fun so far.

[braxxtonn]

http://youtu.be/UqLu_QkZ-H0

I made one like this, 4' by 10' with insulated tarp, works awsome!!

[pelada trochu]

Yep thats the plan.

[Pincherguy]

I have built a few ice shacks. They are heavy and hard to handle. Two years ago i bought a Clam shhelter from Bass Pro. Folds out and up quicker than anything I built. It is lighter and easier to pull than the plywood type. Also it is not much more expensive .
PG

[pelada trochu]

I have built a few ice shacks. They are heavy and hard to handle. Two years ago i bought a Clam shhelter from Bass Pro. Folds out and up quicker than anything I built. It is lighter and easier to pull than the plywood type. Also it is not much more expensive .
PG

U r right. But which one do you want to leave on ice all winter. Also after fishing your portable 3 days a week. How do u deal with the moisture buildup inside. Gotta dry it out sometime. We all know what happens to that hockey bag left in the trunk. So for me im happy this way.

[Pincherguy]

U r right. But which one do you want to leave on ice all winter. Also after fishing your portable 3 days a week. How do u deal with the moisture buildup inside. Gotta dry it out sometime. We all know what happens to that hockey bag left in the trunk. So for me im happy this way.

Your right too, I take mine home every time and dry it out. I guess its what you do. Anyway have fun .
PG

[pelada trochu]

U too. By the way. What was the biggest shack u made?

[Pincherguy]

U too. By the way. What was the biggest shack u made?

The biggest one we built was a 4x8 collapsable. we hade to drag on to the lake by hand or behind a quad. Took about 10 minutes to set up. Worked good. We fished different parts and different lakes so it was good. My new set up is real good. drag it behind my rhino,stop, make two holes and fish. No good move on same stuff. Got a boat but love the hard water. have a good season, be sard.
PG

[Rumtan]

Looking forward to a few pics of your shack........I hope it doesnt turn into a competition?....lol mine has a urinal (a funnel to a hose outside) j/k

[lyallpeder]

I have one like this that I made 3 years ago. Problem is its so heavy it has to be driven out to the fishing spot.

[pelada trochu]

I did look into a pvc home made bench but came up with a better idea. i picked up a aluminum bench at ct on sale. It was 49" wide at the base so i had to cut about a foot out of the top. Then attached a piece of foam on top. Im loving the height. How light it is and comfortable. Folds so easy and even has a safety catch to prevent accidental leg folding.

[pelada trochu]

Fish

[pelada trochu]

Well time for an update. Almost ready to hit the ice. Put down a roll of 4x8 foam from wallmart really like the soft feel of it under the feet. Will be nice on the fish too. They almost all will go back so good to be careful. Heater phase one is up and running. But requires a phase two. R value is too low and i only get 30f average temp rise. Need at least double that. Furnace doubles as my shelf and has support on the wall via 1x2 strapping. Then top latches in with simple hook on either side. Hole in far corner for camera and large center hole for the big fish. And me i suppose so will get a grate made for safety with kids or maybe just drill less area. It about size of a 32" flat screen right now. Will see how keeping it open goes. Anyone have luck putting foam in hole to prevent freezing.??

Threw on a sheet of 4x8 puck board underneath 1/8". Heated up the one end so it took a bend and that will work as a sleigh now. Pretty happy with that. Got to anchor down now or ill be wind surfing though.

Lifes a journey. And im learning this through so im sure to make a few mistakes. But beats sitting on the couch.

See u out there soon

[WayneChristie]

hows that new electric auger working? shouldnt have to worry about the hole between trips, you can just redrill when you get back

[pelada trochu]

hows that new electric auger working? shouldnt have to worry about the hole between trips, you can just redrill when you get back

Honestly i havent dropped a line since mid oct. im anxious to get going though. I sized the hole to be 2x3 holes on the 8" bit. So it should be drillable without moving the shack. But may slide shack over just to try the first few times.


I see your making the rest of us look like wannabees outthere in your neck of the woods. Good on you!

Will put up a pic of the heater soon. Phone bat is dead or id load one now.

[pelada trochu]

time for a shack update.

my heater has been a success more or less. I went to an external unit design with heat exchangers made of aluminum. Boxed into an aluminum frame and then covered in 1/4" plywood on top and 3 sides. she raises the incoming air temp a full 100C with twin burners running full steam and 2 75cfm rated fans. my internal shack wall is doubled with an intake on the bottom corner so the wall becomes a feed for the furnace outside. then blows out the center of the wall after passing through the heat exchanger. she hangs on the outside on a small ledge and uses two gate latches to hold in place (comes home at night). shack stays.

12v battery 5ah runs the system for as long as i need, though a 7ah would be best. battery is inside, also attached to a switched light as needed. total draw is around 0.35A as compared to an atwood unit at 3.5A

mods:
i ended up ditching the idea of portable 1lb tanks as they chill too quickly and drop pressure. ie. no heat. i put a small 1/4" hole in the side so that it pulls a little fresh air into the shack. was getting sleepy after a couple hours....
also added a skirt for wind protection and a chimney top to the burner exhaust. (i can hold my hand directly in the exhaust = good efficiency)


future mods:
the shack walls are plastic sheeting and need insulation badly, she just looses too much heat too quickly. though during the bright sunny day, you dont need a heater at all.

end result is that i can comfortably fish in the dark when its -18C outside. Never get a sniff of bad air which was the point.



i also bought foam sheet for 10 bucks at princess auto, cut down to size and doubled up. then screwed to back of plywood scrap. drop in hole and press fit. result, come back next day and remove skin of ice and continue fishing.

[pelada trochu]

hows that new electric auger working? shouldnt have to worry about the hole between trips, you can just redrill when you get back

couple pics for you, the floor is fully insulated and covered with puck board so it slides better than my kids crazy carpet and doesnt freeze down.

ion auger doesnt have a pin point so its hard to start or attempt chain holes. i have moved twice now but last time my buddies auger was used and we were drilling 3 x 4 holes instead as close as possible. then carefully chip them free. after which i have a slightly oversize hole and with 2 feet of ice not really a big loss of angle to viewing. the chunk gets pushed down and over underneath. i assume it drifts over to the next guys shack who has been outfishing me badly.


my ion is so much fun. tail gating is easy. drive up. put chair on ground. remove auger, drill hole in 15 seconds. drop camera (vertical view) then hook. begin fishing. dont like spot, drive to next spot and repeat. nice to have a permy and freedom to move around.