FM Ultimate Fish House

[deadminnowcatcher]

I am starting this thread now and will end it next year after my 1st trip with with my new fish house that you, FM members help me design and build. I will update it often, complete with step by step pictures of the house. All I ask from you is a little advice along the way. The 1st decision we need to make is on the size and style of house. I like to go on trips that are hundreds of miles away. I would like it big enoug to sleep 3. 2 on beds and one on a cot. So lets hear some size and style ideas and get this project off the ground. I also want it small enough to pull on the ice with an ATV. One decision I have made is that it will be spray foamed..

[Note from admin: This is a deadminnow's Fish House project. He wants the post post to be fun, informative, and educational. Pics will be shared along the way.]

[glenn57]

cool idea. i will watch this FM hilton transform. i wont be of much help as im a collapsable fishhouse guy. i have seen and fished in a few nice ones though. good luck on your venture. i know with all the cool ideas headed your way dont forget the holes. just a little senseless humor.

[randallt]

I have an 8 x 16 that pulls fine with a wheeler. It sleeps 4 on bunks. I made two side bunks that fold up/down over the wheel wells. I had to move the windows obviously, but it is nice to have it really open while fishing. Mine is a v-front with the cabinets/furnace/stove/oven in the front. No bathroom though, I didn't want to give up the space.

[deadminnowcatcher]

When you say 16' are you counting the V-front???? I was thinking of something around that same size. Do you have any pics of the inside????

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I'm building either an 8x16 or 8x18 + v-nose tandem axle. I also want it to be big enough to sleep 2 easily, and up to 4 with cots. The front 'v' portion will be dedicated to bathroom/storage/batteries, and maybe a shower in the future. In the rear will be double ATV doors, they are about 1/3 price of a ramp door, and it takes 5 seconds to make a ramp out of 2x8's. Looking to do the smooth aluminum siding, rubber roof, and 4 windows. Ice Castle has almost the exact house that I want to build, but I've not heard real good things about their quality.

[Iceseeker]

I've heard one of the concerns with ATV ramps or doors is that over time they are a bear to seal nad that alot of cold air enters the house. has this been corrected or is it still a battle?

Iceseeker

[GoFish4]

Keep the photo's coming when you start. I would like to build a wheel house also, I will be interested to see how it turns out!

[MuskieJunkie]

I pull a 8x16 ( that dimension includes the v front) ice castle with a Yamaha Grizzly 660 and it works very well, you could go bigger.

The one time I had an issue was trying to get over a large ice heave (sp?) at the shore line. The wheeler couldn't get enough traction on the bare ice to get the house over the heave.

[dougger222]

If you go 8ft wide anything over 14ft should have a tandem axle, IMO. You will have less tounge weight which will help if you pull with an atv.

I'd like a 8x16 v-front double axle with rear cargo door and side door. All aluminum frame with aluminum studs, siding, and roof. It would be on a hydrolic torsion suspension.

Seen a guy with about the same specs as above but his was a 8x20 and he had 10K miles on it and it didn't have one problem, custom built of course.

[hoggs222]

If you did a ATV door, you could have a bed where each side of the bed folds up to the wall in front of the door, to allow you to get the wheeler in.

Also, how about lights above each hole and a 12 volt plug in for a vex near holes.

Drop hitch tongue so you don't have to remove the house from the wheeler.

[GRAND DAD]

Let Her Rip, I have had an Ice Castle for 2 seasons now I bought the shell and did the inside my self witch was awsome because its the way I want it I paid $7900 out the door that was with Brakes and 5 windows Its 8x24 and then add a 3 foot nose so its 8x27 it's 5600LB I pull it up to LOW and RED both years and then up to Otter Tail contry. I pull it with a F 150 and I can do 70mph no problem just as long as the roads are clear. I have not had one problem with it going up and down the road, They do have some minner quality issues, And that just seems to because they put them together so fast and when you just get the shell you can see every thing so where your not happy you can fix it your self, Two problems that I have had is who ever painted the frame dosn't know how to paint, second the person that screwed my sideing didn't pay atenttion to where the studs were so they screwed in to nothing still not the end of the world, Both to me are very easy fixes to me, those have been my only 2 complants.

[deadminnowcatcher]

So if i go 16 x 8 i need a tandem axel??? i have seen many this size with just a single axel.????

[GRAND DAD]

Tandems are always better it will pull a lot better down the road and distributes the WT better.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I think anything 16' or longer needs a tandem. Especially if you are going to throw an ATV in there. By the time you add 3-4' for the V nose, and 3' for the hitch, you're looking at upwards of 22' and probably about 3,000#. It will pull way smoother with the 2nd axle.

[deadminnowcatcher]

I will not be putting a wheeler in it. I am thinking 14 ft plus then the v with a single axel???? Total length of 17 ftx 8 wide???

[MuleShack]

If your not putting a wheeler inside, then single would work.

I was looking at a completed 8*16 which weighed 3800lbs, with single axel (spindles) rated for 5400#. If i put my gear in there with a wheeler, then i would always be transporting at or near the max rated wgt. So i'm going for tandem because of that reason.

[randallt]

My 16" doesn't include V. I will get picts this weekend if I get over this flu. I also thought about double back doors but didn't do it. Why not a large side door so you could put a wheeler in sideways? It would also give more tongue weight which means less fishtailing down the highway.

[federline]

I'd still think hard about the tandem axle for anything over 16' built-up length - built-up meaning structure on it. The game isn't just about getting down the road without speed wobbles, but also over lake accesses and rough ice. These aren't the places to bust an axle because you were 300 pounds under the rating, but the foot-high bounce you took doubled the weight load on them... If you have to spare an expense, don't do it with the frame! I'd accept a shorter house in exchange for more weight rating clearance if I had to stick with a single axle, it will make it much more durable in the long run - difference between a house you junk after 10 years vs. one you rebuild on same frame after 20 years.

[sparkydm]

you may want to consider the aluma lite house from soderbloom's.

I talked to them earlier this week about a 14' house. it is all aluminum except for the wheel assembly. they use spray foam and the 14' weighs only 1200 pounds. the down side is they are not cheap.

[riverrat56]

I've got a few recomendations,

1 would be to go with a side mounted door, not a double in the back. This leaves you more options for bunks, heaters, cook stoves and the like.

Another is to make your holes in areas that can be fished while sitting on the bunks, eliminating the need to bring extra chairs. This is unless you want to maximize fishing areas during the day to fish a few extra people (boat seat pedistal bases are aweasome for this) and lose a few holes at night when flipping bunks down.

Third is to put windows at a height you can see out of when sitting on a chair or bunk, they look stupid and way to low from the outside but if you use tip ups you will apreciate it or if you like to look outside while your fishing. Other larger windows are also a good ideas at a normal standing height for ventilation and the like.

Some type of fan will be greatly appreciated, I would recommend looking at auto fans, I've found them for about 15-20 bucks and they can be wall mounted and will run for a good amount of time on a battery.

Gas or electric lights? I say both if you can swing it, the gas lights are nice, especially when your battery goes dead. Also they can kick off some extra heat and are dimmable.

I would look at something like a 12v LED undercabinet light for your over the hole lights. They will run for ages even on a depthfinder battery, I use one in my portable and can get 20+ hours out of 1 depthfinder battery. I found mine at Menards for about 12 dollars, I would run each one on a seperate switch located close to the hole.

Shelves should be as far away from holes as possible, and have a lip on them to prevent stuff from falling as easily. Make cabinets that can be closed securly when traveling.

A car radio/CD player and 2 mounted speakers is a nice added feature that can be added rather inexpensivly and elminates the forgotten radio syndrom.

What are you thinking for wiring? All 12v or running a generator and going 110v? Generators are sure nice to have if only to recharge your batterys when they go dead.

Catchcovers on the holes are a nice addition and leave a nice finished look.

[hoggs222]

Oh, one other thing that comes in handy....Make sure you have a hole that you don't use for fishing and call it the Refrigerator!

[deadminnowcatcher]

i am also considering building one similar in style to the ice Kastle Eliminator series in a 14 ft house by 7 ft wide

[shamrock7]

Another nice house that you don't see to often is the Shack Rack. Have only seen 2 at LOW but they are impressive and they are the only house that I have found that offers a slide out option. I would also make sure that you have the wind blocking frame. My wheel house does not have it. That feature virtually eliminates banking the house.

[hawkeye43]

AS for lights by the hole, I was thinking the led flexable vexlar lights would be the best. you could move them so they would shine the light where you wanted it.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

The Shack Rack looks like a nice house, but I can't believe they make a trailer that doesn't drop flat to the ice.