Best Fish House

[MJBaldwin]

I have a 2 man Eskimo portable currently and looking for advice.  Ideally I will be able to fish myself, wife, 3 yr boy and our twin boys that are 1 - this house will be for in the future.  That being said what the best option? Hub style? If I went with a wheel house how long would you go? (looking at both options currently)

Thanks in advance im sure there is someone that has this same issue and how did you resolve it or what would you do differently?

[Wanderer]

I couldn't agree more with rl_sd.  8x18 would be a good size to start.  Toy hauler options have more open space but less storage.

Of the portables I would go with the double hub all day long in your situation.  The double flip overs aren't conducive to helping others out with bait, fish landing, and general restlessness that go hand in hand with young families.

Edited October 12, 2017 by Wanderer

[MJBaldwin]

18' with the 3ft v?

Would this be fine to pull with a 1500?

How much ice would you need to take it out? (I am never the first one out so we dont even need to start that debate) Just looking at general thickness

[Adam NWI]

I've got a 21' with a 4'v that I pull with a half ton just fine.  It has the 6 liter V8, and I added air bags to the suspension to eliminate the squat.

Stopping was always my concern, but as long as it has working trailer brakes that shouldn't be an issue either.

I would assume you would be ok with a 5.1 liter, or whatever your half ton has, but I can't answer that for sure.  How far will you be pulling it?

[Wanderer]

Probably a 5.3 liter.  It'll do it, and lots of people do it that way.  Your mileage will probably 10 or less though.  Make sure your tires are at recommended pressures.

An 18 foot house with a 3 foot V should be called a 21 footer.  Our 18 foot regular house weighs 5558lbs and our 21 foot toy hauler weighs 5884 lbs dry.  

I pull em with a 3500 diesel and was on 16 inches (measured) of ice many times last year.  Snow load should be considered though too.  With a foot of snow you should expect a bit of flooding around the house.  Up to a few inches of water.  It helps to pull the truck a good 30 yards away or better.  It's not terrible but take into account so your not caught off guard.  With less, or hard packed snow we didn't have any flooding at all.

[Hawg]

12 inches

[Agronomist_at_IA]

On October 12, 2017 at 12:13 PM, MJBaldwin said:

I have a 2 man Eskimo portable currently and looking for advice.  Ideally I will be able to fish myself, wife, 3 yr boy and our twin boys that are 1 - this house will be for in the future.  That being said what the best option? Hub style? If I went with a wheel house how long would you go? (looking at both options currently)

Thanks in advance im sure there is someone that has this same issue and how did you resolve it or what would you do differently?

I have an 8-16 foot ice castle. It has a U dinette, two top bunks, and flip couch. It will fit my 3 boys myself and the wife. The two older boys sleep on the top bunks, I sleep on the flip couch, and my wife and youngest sleep on the dinette that transforms into a large bed. Fits the needs well & we use it in the summer for a camper. Boys also like to use it has a fort. Found the wheel house works much better for everyone involved, but I've also got cable tv in it. Keeps the boys occupied, and interested. The power of cartoons should never be underestimated.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Agronomist_at_IA

[Wanderer]

16 hours ago, rl_sd said:

Most of the companies measure them without the V added... so an 8x16 has an additional 4' in the V

You got me wondering on that comment since I'd been led to believe otherwise.

I just ran a tape measure down the True North 8x21 and got 18' to the V, then about 3.5+ to the front of the V.  Total = about 21.75 feet.

The 8x18 Ice Cabin without the V nose went 20' stem to stern.

Both are exterior measurements, not including the tongue.  So it seems it's a little vague when it comes to the model meaning the exact length. 

 

[Big Dave2]

54 minutes ago, rl_sd said:

Ice castle, yetti, etc all measure them that way. Not sure why true north does it differently  

https://www.icecastlefh.com/pages.aspx?s=12435

https://yettioutdoors.com/products/yetti-traxx-t612-dk/

 

Just like campers. Seems to me that most RV manufacturers seem to measure their campers differently.