New Fish House Build!

[ryan.d]

Hey guys, right now i am in the process of getting ready to build a new fish house. I think i have most everything covered except the wheel placement.

The plan is for the house to be 8x12 with a 4ft V. Right now i'm thinking of putting the wheels directly in the center of the 8ft side (4ft from the back of the house.) I want it to have enough weight so it doesn't sway and pull bad, but still light enough to pull it with a four wheeler if i have to.

I don't know if it matters but i'll tell you what i'm planning on doing.

- 2x3x3/16 square tubing

- 3/4" green treated flooring with pink insulation glued on the bottom side

- ripped 2x4 wall studs

- 2x4 flat roof

- rubber roof with 3/8 cdx plywood under it

- 1/4 pine tongue and groove interior

- dinette across the back with a fold up bunk above it

- a stove and countertop in the front V, but not the full V

- and flat steal siding that I'm going to try to glue on

Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Check out my 2010 Fish House Build post, for that same size house.

I'd put the wheels about 60% of the way back on the square. So if 12' is the square, with 6' being center, I'd put them about 1' back of center. My house was directly in the center, and it was the worst pulling fish house the world has seen. I wouldn't worry about tongue weight affecting pulling with a 4 wheeler. If you have IRS you can get bars to lock up the suspension, and if you have a solid axle (Honda and maybe some others) you'll be no where near too heavy to pull.

3/16" tubing is pretty heavy. 1/8" is what pretty much everyone is using, aside from structural pieces (tongue and some wheel or winch supports).

Everything else looks good. You may find it tight to squeeze a full dinette setup in the house, especially if you want holes between the benches and the wheel wells.

Good luck!

[eagle_3464]

LRG is correct, 3/16" tubing is overkill and unnecessary added weight. I used 3 x 2 x 1/8 for the outside structural, 2 x 2 x 1/8 for the non-structural crossmembers, and 3 x 3 x 1/8 for the center. Many frames stop the center tube at the wheel pivot but running it full length will really stiffen the rear portion of the frame.

Like LRG, I used AdvanTech for the floor. It's hard to find green treated that isn't warped and 100% solid core like the AdvanTech.

Plan your wheel position so that you have approximately 12% of the total weight on the ball. Remember, this is the wheel position and not the pivot position so that into account when placing your pivots in the frame.

Good luck with your build and post pics as you go.