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Obviously I'm missing something


Tom7227

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As I while away these cold days looking at FM and the paper I just can't get my head around the idea of these drop down fish houses. Everything I've seen makes them seem like a near terminal PITA. The cost based on media reports can easliy hit $10-15K. Breakdowns run from bent axels, broken cables, stuck this and cracked that. They seem like a nightmare to me. You need a substantial amount of ice to haul them out on, if it's covered with a lot of snow it's a now go, so your season is cut short by conditions.

The only thing that makes any sense to me at all is that if you do a lot of it yourself you have a 'project' and you can spend a lot of time dinging around and I suspect have some friends help out. You get the pride of having something you've built and can look at.

Otherwise the economics seem so suck wind big time. The monthly nut year round plus license fees would allow for quite a few nights in a rental on many lakes - at least based on what I see in the ads in Outdoor Weekly. You end up having to store the monster someplace, maybe get to use it in the summer for a trip with the family (although I can't say I've ever seen one in a campground or on the road in say July.

So, what's the secret?

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First thing I would say if you have to put a price on something then its not for you. second breakdowns are minimal you just need to do some maintenence its like all things used in outdoor recreation if you beat the snot out of it all the time yes it will break but if you use a little common sense and SLOW DOWN when going across the lake you troubles will be kept at bay. its no worse than pulling a 18' boat down the road. second its yours you can go were you want when you want. third its all about convience today for example I have to go to a dance recital at 2pm when thats over me and my fiance will get in the truck goto the lake of our choice and spend the night tommorow afternoon sometime it will take me about 5 min to pack up crank it up and we will be on our way home. when we get home I will back it into the driveway were it will sit untill next time. and when I decide to go fishing again I will go out and start the truck let it warm up while she throughs some grocerys in a bag and were off just like that. Thats the great thing about it. plus it makes for a great place to stay durring the bowhunts away from home.

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wheel houses are great for beer drinking, playing cards, watching TV, getting away from the spouse, etc.....oh wait, is this a 'fishing forum'? grin

OK...take it easy. Just throwing a bit of ribbing out there.

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It's just like everything. You can always build stuff yourself for cheaper if you have the Time. Most people are lacking in the Time department, so they are forced to pay the price.

Strange thing is the only people who likely see a decent financial comparison vs. just renting sleepers are those with a lot of time.

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I'm with ya Tom! They seem like a HUGE P.I.T.A!

However, if you live really close to a lake that gets plowed consistently, and have a place to store it, and also utilize it year round, then I can see buying one.

A friend of mine that owns one hasn't used it on the ice but a few times since he's bought it (a few years ago) due to bad ice conditions & time constraints. He winds up using it more during the the rest of the year as a camper.

But too each their own. If you can afford it and justify it, go buckwild!

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A wheelhouse is worth it if you have a family that likes to fish. I don't personally have one, yet. A friend of ours has one and you can't beat it for when you want to take the family out. Yes there is a price attached, but it's all relative to how you view it. Myself, I'd never buy a new one at $7000-20,000 depending on size and amenities. But I would buy a used one and will as soon as I'm done with college. Like anything there is some maintenance but its easy and not very time consuming. I'd much rather have a wheelhouse than a boat, in fact I think boats are more out of whack with price than wheelhouses.

Buck

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Toys cost $$$$, that's the bottom line.

I would like to have a nice wheelhouse but will likely never get one. My family isn't really into ice fishing all that much so my porty trips work just fine for me.

About the only way I'm ever going to get the green light on getting one is to convince my wife that it's the best option for buying a new camper we can use for the two or three times we camp together.

Look at the cost of even a new tent trailer, then add some to equal the cost of a wheelhouse and you can get a year round rig that's alot warmer for hunting and roomier for general camping.

As I've gotten older, I have started seeing more value in rentals though - after owning some things. It is just flat out nicer to show up, make your 1 month payment, use it, then leave and forget about it until you want it again.

There is some merit there.

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They are spendy I dont have one but a gal i was seeing had one to me the biggest drawback is missing that early bite

but if you have a good sized 4 wheeler and can get it out

they are very easy to move around 2 people you move in half hr

depending on how far you are going of course

i'm old i like being somewhat comfortalbe out there

and like anything else there is maintence..never had no touble with hers though

but like the one guy i think alot of guys are re-thinkin their attack ..cuz there are alot for sale..could be the times to

so if you got an 10k laying around what the hec ! LOL

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It's a toy just like most everything else people buy. If you can afford it , buy it. No different than people buying their 30,000 to 40,000 dollar plus trucks and SUV's. Don't really need them but if you have the money, why not.

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Many people use them in the summer as a "Camper" How much does a nice camper cost? Plus it doubles as a fish house....

I think they are def. worth the price. You can use them year round where a camper can (for the most part) only be used in warmer temps. I have seen many of these pop up in our camp ground (on mille lacs) the last couple years, and i'm sure their will be more to come. If I were to purchase a "New Camper" or a "New Ice Castle"..... it would be the ice castle NO DOUBT! I wish I had one frown

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Nothing about hunting or fishing adds up financialy. Some people have hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment including boats, trailers, atvs, snowmobiles, fish houses, land/cabin, RV, other gear. None of it ever adds up to be a responsible investment.

But if it's what you like, you will make it work somehow. I myself have some toys but most of it is bargain stuff. The wheelhouse I have, I built with a friend who fishes with me a lot anyway. We built it ourselves out of a lot of materials I had laying around. Didn't cost that much and we split the bill.

We didn't build it because it was a wise investment, we built it because we wanted one!

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Well here is the deal. Owning a wheelhouse is nice for a couple of reasons. If I want to go fish Lake of the woods today and go spend the night at Red lake I can. I'm not restricted to fishing where ever someone thinks I should fish in a rental, plus the rentals are usually surrounded by other people. I've done the whole porty option and getting up at 5am and setting up in -30 below weather really gets old. Plus we use it as a camper during the summer with stove and beds and it eventually pays for itself. I guess another reason why I have one is because my wife is my main fishing partner and its great to have a home cooked meal wherever we decide to fish or also to have some fish on the lake. So its just really comfortable and nice to have. There really isn't any maintance besides greasing the bearings on the tires. The other things should last years if you take care of it. (Just a side note I also hate sleeping on a mattress that a 100 other people have slept in and smell there old beer and been farts that seem to permeate as the thing heats up in the rentals lol!)

BTW I built my own and that saves a lot of money. I purchased the trailer tho! Should cost around 4,000 - 5,500 if you do it that way compaired to 9,000 - 20,000 if you do the pre-made!

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Ya not much in fishing or hunting is a money making investment for sure

but thats why we have jobs

i just bought a new boat 2 yrs ago 38k lots $$$$

but the last boat i had lasted me 19 yrs and it didnt owe

me a nothing when i got rid of

i cant begin to tell how many hours of enjoyment i got out of it

so we spend to have fun and i think most of these house are good for 20yrs so it sounds like alot but all over time its not that bad

specially as one ages you COMFORT !!!!!!

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My three year old Ice Castle has been elk hunting in Wyoming twice, to Camp Ripley three times, camping numerous times, Upper Red Lake a few times and I could go on and on, but financially it still does not make sense. I would still do it again, because if I didn't have the wheelhouse, I would not have made alot of the trips I have the last three years and I wouldn't give up the experiances of those trips for any amount of money.

My wife and son will only go fishing with me when I take the wheelhouse. I'm alone early season in the portable.

I guess what I am trying to say is some things you just can't put a price on.

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I am not in line to have one, but could justify a lower end model for camping, hunting, getting the kids out of the house. I already pull a boat that I paid more for than my SUV. An $8,000 fishing/hunting/camping shack would put me in the same boat (no pun intended). I know a lot of guys live on the lake in the winter and I would say it is easy to justify to them. The prices have always seemed steep, but they are what the market says they can be.

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I bought my Ice Castle for $3200.00 new a few years ago. I had to put in the bunks and it was ready to fish. I have added a few things since I have owned it, but I know that I am under $5,000.

I have bowhunted out of it, gun hunted, and of course fished out of it and I have never regreted buying it. I would love to own a perm house but when I did I constantly worried about break-ins. When my house is not on the ice or in the woods, it's safe and sound in my driveway.

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I own a CanvasCraft Magnum-sized portable with the NorPacR2 insulated cover.

It's warm, it's portable, it's sweet. Not a better portable out there IMO.

Still...

I think a strong case could be made for a drop-down house.

I use my truck for work, and so anytime I go hardwater angling with my large portable shack I have to...

Unload my truck, then load it again with the shelter etc., then unload it onto the ice, then (when finished angling) load it back into the truck bed, then unload it into the garage when I get home, and then re-load my gear back into my truck.

Whew!

With a drop down I could:

Back up, hitch up, and be gone.

Fish any lake (with access of course) I wanted at anytime (not just the ones with overnight rentals available).

Introduce people to hardwater angling that might not be willing to "rough it".

Not be worried about reserving a house.

Not have to pay extra dollars for weekend rentals (or any rentals for that matter).

Be able to cook (decent) meals, watch tv, biffy inside, sleep in a decent bed (I do use a cot on overnights in my portable on occasion), live in the "lap of luxury", etc.. etc...

More room to accomodate more guests.

Not have my feet on the ice.

Use it as a summer camper.

Like many have stated previously, if you have the money...why not?

With the amount of hardwater angling that I do each year, if I purchased a decent drop-down, I would break even in about 5 years (give-or-take) not including summer usage.

The only negative as I see it (other than the $$$ needed for initial purchase)would be having the room to store the shelter. If you have to pay for storage, you effectively ramp up the purchase price and knock down the convenience in one fell swoop.

Alas, I do not have the space to store a drop-down fish house; if I did, there would be one sitting in my driveway/pole barn (I wish) right now.

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