An honest talk about wheel houses....

[Kanos]

Hello all,

This is my first post and I figured I would make it one that may save others time on research. Ive recently been in the market for a wheel house. An ideal unit for me would have for separate beds, and a toy haul door. 8x16 at the smallest. We looked at 4 different models, The Lodge, Custom Cottages Inc, Yetti, and Salem Ice Cabins. All had similar features. (if your in the market for a house, you know them but some stood out as better than others. No offense to anyone owning a brand I am potentially about to bad mouth.

Ive looked at several wheel houses and would like to report my findings...

Ice Castle - Of course this is the first name that usually pops up when speaking wheel houses. While affordable, and available with tons of features, ice castles are built with less than optimal materials. The exterior is not very rigid, and the interior walls are paper thin. They are usable but not near the house that others are.

Salem Ice Cabin - Its almost the same deal, some of their items are more premium but overall its the same "mass-produced" cheap feel as Ice Castles. The fit and finish of the interior is less than desirable, and tolerances for quality are less important than amount of units produced in a short time. Electric jacks are nice, but for 18,000 dollars (8x20 toy hauler) I don't want to see crooked light fixtures, cabinets, and doors. It simply is not acceptable.

The Lodge - One of the better ice houses on the market. Good tolerances, probably the best for a complete mass produced house. You pay hefty for them though...and its not exactly necessary. Plus, they still come with a steel frame which is, at this point. a slight turn-off for me.

Custom Cottages Inc - These are, by a decent amount, the best built houses on the market. Full spray foam insulation, amazingly strong aluminum frames, heavy duty seven thousand pound rated spindles, hefty aluminum exterior with hefty diamond plate. If you slap on the side of this house it is solid. Salem and ice castle both flex and bend when pounded on. Their windows are not RV windows but instead Argon filled house windows which are better quality, and can have a window mount air conditioner installed in. This is great considering the top vented air conditioners for Salems are a $1000 option. All their materials are premium, and their fit and finish is undeniably awesome. They are, however, VERY high priced. A 18 foot model (14ft with 4 foot V) will run your 21,000 dollars new. Here is the problem I have with them...they bait and switch. A hefty claim to make but they have several ads for NEW houses (8x22) that runs $15,500. Upon emailing him I was told that particular unit was just sold on SUNDAY. (see anything wrong here) When I asked if he could build the same unit for a similar price he quoted me $30,000. When visiting their HSOforum there is no way to see their inventory, but searching google, you can find their inventory to several houses all running $12-16,000. Why wasn't this on their actually HSOforum? And why are these prices so drastically different from the prices they quote? Bait an switch. BEST HOUSES ON THE MARKET, but that, to me, was shady business practices.

Yetti Houses - This is a bit of a difficult subject to tackle, the Yetti frames are strong, and their exterior is almost as beefy as Custom Cottages. The problem is, they do not finish their products, but leave that to yourself or a certified dealer. I just kicked the tires of a Yetti finished by Fish "N" Style. It was great. Fit and finish was very nice, and was a very well though out house. This unit also uses house windows that could be fitted with a window air conditioner It didn't have electronic jacks, but instead jut a crank. Its axle is rated at 5,000 pounds but have done extensive testing at 7,000 pounds. That being said, it is a premium aluminum framed fish house that will only run, finished, about $16,000 dollars for a 8x16 V-nose. This is the unit we have finally decided to purchase after all this research. Fish "N" Style seems to know their carpentry and attention to details. Best of all, they are not mass produced. Again, you dont get some of the VERY PREMIUM features of a Custom Cottage, but its aluminum, and affordable. Just watch the fit and finish of the interior and the Yetti will be a great choice.

[CrewJones]

very well put, thanks for posting your research, a wheel house should be a once in a lifetime purchase.

good luck

[cableguy2]

I have a 8x20 IC toy hauler, I love it but the quality is what you said. Too bad wife says I am stuck with it forever.

[cluelessfisherman]

I too spent a lot of time looking at different models & manufacturers. I ended up buying an 8 x 16 ice castle lake of the woods model. It has everything I will ever need & want in a fish house and has the perfect layout for winter & summer camping use.

A fish house is all about what you want & what your budget is. If your budget is 20k, you can get a VERY nice house, if your budget is 10k, you can still get a very nice house with everything you want & will ever need.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

$16k for a Yetti?! I don't know what is in it, but that is double the cost of the shell, which already comes insulated. Seems extremely high.

[Stick in Mud]

Great post...thanks for sharing all that info. We've got an old Ice Castle, and your description is about right. It works, don't get me wrong, but I think we'd've gone a different route if we could do it over again.

[Kanos]

$16k for a Yetti?! I don't know what is in it, but that is double the cost of the shell, which already comes insulated. Seems extremely high.

One must look at the going market price for a 8x16 aluminum wheelhouse. When speaking in those terms, the price is fairly reasonable. I agree the mark up is ridiculous, but that's what the market is allowing. We are going to try to haggle. Also, this price allows us complete freedom as to what goes in the house, with any layout we want. It is custom built to our specifications.

These finishers add extra foam insulation, as well as spray foam within the cracks. Everything is finished similar to any other house on the market, but the quality is a bit better.

I also agree that your budget will not always allow freedom of shopping like this. Like I've mentioned before, mass produced houses such as Ice Castles and Salem Ice Cabins will make good fish housed for a while, but quality of materials suffers dramatically.

[FIRECAT]

+1 on what cluelessfisherman said, You get what your budget allows. Ive got a Ice Castle and love it, Fit and finish is lacking but at the end of the day it will still smell like fish, if your LUCKY!

[buzbunni]

Great post Kanos. Thanks.

I too was looking at wheel houses at the show, tho not as seriously as you.

I found the Yetti to be my favorite as well. Finishing it out is a bit of a "burden", but at least it can be completed the way the owner wants.

[lispeej]

come on....where's the pictures?

[Iambjm]

I am presently finishing an 6.5 x 12 Yetti and I am really getting excited to get it out on the ice. I am doing the lighter weight tongue and groove with oak cabinets up front, 2 bunks, 6 holes. So far I have spent about $1600 on materials and have most of the stuff I need. I have had a couple of small glitches but I am ironing those out. Yes the finishing is a bit of a burden, especially because this is my first large project like this and being a 65 year old female I am working somewhat slower. I am already feeling a great sense of accomplishment. This has definitely been a learning experience.

[Kanos]

come on....where's the pictures?

fishnstyle

The layout we want is the second one down, color:black.

And to the person finishing their own, Congrats on being more competent than me lol. Good luck to you!

[fishnhooks]

I wish it would be a once in a lifetime purchase. Ive owned three Ice castles now.... Not because of the quality, but because my needs change (some where wants I convinced myself I needed ). Good luck on your purchase.

"hooks"

[GREN]

I have a 2011 Ice Castle Mille Lacs and love it. The fit and finish is fine for a fish house. We also use it as a camper, which it does a flawless job at. I have never really seen why people bag on castles so much. Everyone wants 8'x20' super awesome lightweight high tech fishhouses with home quality finish for $5,000.00. Go look at all the houses and pick what you want and can afford. Thats what I did and am really happy with my choice.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Sorry Kanos...hopefully my post didn't come across as insulting. $8k for interior finishing seems pretty high, but that will depend of course on materials. I doubt those are Ice Castle quality materials, so you should end up with a nice house in the end, which is all that matters!

I've looked at all the houses mentioned, and I think your review is spot on in terms of their quality. The one I haven't taken a real close look at in person is the Custom Cottage, but they do look nice from HSOforum photos.

[Iambjm]

I must add that I wouldn't have even attempted this if I didn't receive a lot of positive help and advice from people on the forum. Kudo's to you all. I plan on adding all my pictures to my "yetti Build" when I am done, but this is my front V in progress. There will be 3 cabinets across for the base, two 12" ones on the wall, a shelf in between the 12" ones for my microwave, the base cabinets will eventually be the same height, oak plywood for the counter top, a 3 burner cooktop, 2 electrical plugins, and 2 cigarette lighter plugins. I will be working on the final installation of the cabinets by the end of the week.

[Tom7227]

What with all the unemployed construction guys around I would think you'd be able to find a couple who could finish it off exactly the way you wanted. You could chose how good of quality you wanted in every item and if you shopped around a little you could probably find decent deals on most of the stuff.

I've read the spray foam is a very desirable feature. I have read a lot of complaints about some of the various designs on raising the axle and that would be something I spent a lot of time researching. The electric tongue jack seems like a nice feature but really how many times do you use the jack? I think it sense a favorite on the aluminum frame. There is a lot about 110 vs 12 volt lights and then the common issue of generator vs batteries and a solar collector.

Frankly IMO I don't see putting that much money into a unit unless you're sure that you are going to use it off season. By the time the ice is thick enough to put one out a good part of the season seems to be over, at least down here in the metro. The cost of a truck to pull it and the operating costs of hauling it are something that turns me off as well.

Just my thoughts.

Tom

[dougger222]

I got to check them all out at the ice show again this year. The fifth wheel ice castle was very nice but also very expensive. I over heard one guy walk in and say, "Wow this is way better quality than the one I bought"...

My wifes step Dad paid almost $11,000 about 5 years ago for a 14ft ice castle. When him and his wife first walked inside it they were both very disapointed with the overall finished quality. Easy to drop and raise but low quality.

The finished Yetti and the show as in fact $16,000. It's a nice house and the all aluminum construction is a nice feature.

One thing I know is the hole covers in the big buck ice castle were absolute gargabe. You could see cracks in the lid and you must realize without a barn door nothing heavy has been on them. Made in USA catch covers are the only way to go for hole covers. The catch cover guy at the show said they are tested to have atv tires parked on them. The ones in the ice castle would bust right through (made in China).

Right now if I were to buy a wheeled shack would highly consider a Yetti or Performance Engineered, who looked like a nice value at the fair a few years back.

[muc33]

don't forget there are many others out there building houses. As far as I know, a guy can still get a king crow, and ultra shack, and like I have, a Carsella Shack. Maybe these aren't top name because they don't have large production facilities, or big ad budgets, but they are all viable and depending on your timeline and priceline very very good options.

I have a couple Carsella shacks and as long as you want custom design and you have time. Don builds a very nice shack for very reasonable money. It's all in what you want, how you want it, and what you decide. Everyone has different likes and price limits. Just take your time, and search it out. If you all the sudden decide you want a house next week, well, you are limited to what is in stock at any given dealer, but if you want a house to call your own and you want it your way, take the time plan it out and know your time lines and call and you can get that very house. It is possible.

[Kanos]

What with all the unemployed construction guys around I would think you'd be able to find a couple who could finish it off exactly the way you wanted. You could chose how good of quality you wanted in every item and if you shopped around a little you could probably find decent deals on most of the stuff.

I've read the spray foam is a very desirable feature. I have read a lot of complaints about some of the various designs on raising the axle and that would be something I spent a lot of time researching. The electric tongue jack seems like a nice feature but really how many times do you use the jack? I think it sense a favorite on the aluminum frame. There is a lot about 110 vs 12 volt lights and then the common issue of generator vs batteries and a solar collector.

Frankly IMO I don't see putting that much money into a unit unless you're sure that you are going to use it off season. By the time the ice is thick enough to put one out a good part of the season seems to be over, at least down here in the metro. The cost of a truck to pull it and the operating costs of hauling it are something that turns me off as well.

Just my thoughts.

Tom

I agree about finding someone to finish it off. The problem is, my family is very busy, and wont want to put int the time and effort to figure out deals and labor hours. With the dealer option, everything has a one year warranty including things that we don't like about the fit and finish.

I also agree I wouldn't spend that money if I wasn't going to use it off season. We hunt in the north shore and would work as a camper there. We also have a small piece of land on Miltona lake where the house would function as a camper for most of the summer.

We also thought about the cost of hauling which is why we opted for a 8x16 aluminum model which is about 700 pounds lighter than an Ice Castle. On top of this, we would leave the house Miltona ice for most of the season, with some trips to big water destinations. So towing wouldn't be a constant factor.

[Kanos]

I have a 2011 Ice Castle Mille Lacs and love it. The fit and finish is fine for a fish house. We also use it as a camper, which it does a flawless job at. I have never really seen why people bag on castles so much. Everyone wants 8'x20' super awesome lightweight high tech fishhouses with home quality finish for $5,000.00. Go look at all the houses and pick what you want and can afford. Thats what I did and am really happy with my choice.

The problem is, people settle for fit and finish that is "good for a fish house" when they are paying 11,000 dollars. If big manufacturers such as Ice Castle would up their quality but use their mass production as a price reducer, the market price for well built fish houses would drop. But, as long as people settle, and go a cheaper route, this will never happen.

One must also look at my application. I have a half ton pick up, aluminum frames are lightweight and easier on my truck. The frames for Yettis go through vigorous testing, including 3,000 miles with seven thousand pounds of weight in the house, with 7 hours driving perpendicular on a plowed field. The north shore is rocky, and to get to my hunting spot is about 2 miles of ROUGH logging road. To see the testing that Yetti did is a little more piece of mind.

Also, even if i was paying 11,000 dollars for my house, to see shotty craftsmanship, and crooked alignments is UNACCEPTABLE. But by buying their product, we are saying it is.

The bottom line is, I want premium materials because I use my equipment very hard. I want a premium finish because when spending thousands on something, you shouldn't expect any less. I dont plan on buying another house for a very long time and spending the extra coin seems justifiable after weighing the various options.

AND before someone says something, I'm not saying if you buy an Ice Castle it will be junk, im saying it is massed produced with emphasis on speed of production. So, you could get a unit where everything looks fine, but you may not. I'm also not saying the Ice Castles wont last, i'm saying, based on my judgement of materials used, Yetti's have a better chance of outlasting an Ice Castle.

[Kanos]

don't forget there are many others out there building houses. As far as I know, a guy can still get a king crow, and ultra shack, and like I have, a Carsella Shack. Maybe these aren't top name because they don't have large production facilities, or big ad budgets, but they are all viable and depending on your timeline and priceline very very good options.

I have a couple Carsella shacks and as long as you want custom design and you have time. Don builds a very nice shack for very reasonable money. It's all in what you want, how you want it, and what you decide. Everyone has different likes and price limits. Just take your time, and search it out. If you all the sudden decide you want a house next week, well, you are limited to what is in stock at any given dealer, but if you want a house to call your own and you want it your way, take the time plan it out and know your time lines and call and you can get that very house. It is possible.

Of course, there are tons of houses out there! Those are just the five I looked at....I heard Carsella runs a bad business from this forum I believe (something about missed deadlines, and slightly below average quality) what are your experiences with them?, king crows (this sounds stupid) looks too old for my liking, and no aluminum frame, I've heard the Ultra Shacks are very nice, but its not an aluminum frame so not a choice for me.

[Iambjm]

I chose my Yetti for two basic reasons: price was within my range because it had hail damage, and I will be hauling it with a Ford Escape so it has to be light. I have already discovered it is a gas hog! Regular highway driving with the Escape is 20-23 mpg, towing the Yetti it drops to 11-12. I am figuring it's high profile compared to my car is the reason. My Lund boat, motor, and all my gear weigh about the same and it only knocks my gas mileage down by 3-5 mpg.

[stymie]

I couldn't agree more. I do take into consideration that the interior can be completely redone. The frame though is the foundation and the number one consideration when considering longevity of the ice house. This is the reason I went all aluminum with a house from Sodderblooms. To be honest, Yetti just took what Jay was doing well and ran with it. Sodderblooms did not have the time to dedicate to ice houses and Yetti saw an opportunity, hats off to them for maximizing their opportunity!

[BLACKJACK]

I think fishhouses are like other items in life like boats, tractors, even houses, you buy what you can afford and whats going to get the job done, then some day, when you have more money, you upgrade to something bigger, better, nicer, roomier.

My first tractor was a 25 HP Ford, now I've worked my way up to a 95 HP John Deere with a cab. My first boat was a 12 foot Lund with a 6 HP motor, now I've got a 16 foot Alumicraft with a 60 HP motor on it. Someday I'll probably upgrade both.

I don't own a four wheeler yet, when I start talking to people about them, right away they start pushing you toward a quad, but theres a lot of difference between 6 grand and 11 grand. I'll probably start with a 4-wheeler and work my way up.

I built my first wheel house, a 6x8, had lots of fun with it, but it didn't take long to realize that it should have been bigger, now this fall I bought myself a 6.5 x 14 Ice Castle. Will it be my last wheel house?? Probably not. But this house will get me out on the ice, sleeping overnite, and hopefully even catching a few fish.

My point is, if you buy stuff at the right price (that you can afford), you can use if for a few years, sell it, and then get something bigger and better. We'd all like to start out with top of the line but our budget doen't allow that.