FISH HOUSE IDEA

[wheeler4]

I am wondering if anyone has ever tried to build a fish house that would fit on a 8'x10' snowmobile trailer. I am thinking of building one that would be 8'x12'x7' high and would mount 4 pick-up camper type jacks in the corners to lift it up and down off of my 8'x10' trailer. This trailer can safley handle the weight of 3 ATV's 650# each. I would think that this idea would work very well.

Please give me some input as to what everyone thinks, and if anyone has done this in the past?

[fiskyknut]

I've had huts before that I hauled via sled trailer, I would just load them with a come along and unload with muscle [friends].

[Moose-Hunter]

Hi wheeler4...

The "lil' green house" I built a few years back was "designed" around being transported on my 8x10 sled trailer.

The only thing I would reconsider is the 7' height. My house has a 7' ceiling height and with my trailer being only a single torsion axle, that height sets the center of gravity fairly high. She sways pretty good going around corners and over larger bumps...

I like your idea of using camper jacks provided they have enough travel. I may just look into that for a retrofit of my own house.

[hanson]

I like your idea and it may work but it would depend on the type of construction you'll use for your house.

I set out to build my first perm. this year with the idea I could haul it on my 8x10 sled trailer. I didn't want to shell out for a drop axle house frame yet so I thought I could do a skid house and haul it on the sled trailer.

Well, my house ended up being a 7x12 on 4x6 skids 14' long. The floor is a sandwich panel construction with 1/2" plywood, 1-1/2" pink rigid insul, and 1/2" plywood with 2x4s layed on the side in the middle of the sandwich every 24". The walls are 2x2 with pole barn steel on the exterior, 1-1/2" pink rigid in the stud cavity, and 1/4" luaun plywood for the interior finish. The roof is 2x6's cut down to a taper on the ends with 1/4" plywood sheathing, ice & water shield, and pole barn steel on the top. A couple nice insulated windows, an trailer house door, Empire furnace, (8) catch covers, 4 bunks, and built in dome lights will finish off the house.

It is heavy. I'm guessing around 1,800 pounds or so. I didn't feel comfortable winching it onto my small trailer after the back of my GMC Sierra started to lift in the air as I was really winching on the house. It had a 2 hour ride to the lake after this so I had to rethink my process.

I proceeded to move up to a 4 place sled trailer, a pile of concrete block, a couple 4x6's, and a hi-lift jack. You may be able to figure out the process of loading the house this time. It worked and is now at the lake but I don't intend on doing this process again. A resort will store the house from now on.

What I'm getting at is to not think this is an easy venture. If you build your house light and cut out all the nice features mine has, it is doable. If you build a nice house on skids like mine, you might want to rethink your plans. It is feasible but you have to watch how solidly you construct your house and keep the weight down as much as possible.

Good luck to ya.

[rmh2o]

If this is a double axel trailer and you keep the weight down you might be OK.But if it is a single axel and you blow a tire going down the road it could get messy.Keep in mind if the house is longer than the trailer it will be unbalanced and heavier in the rear and you wont have any tounge weight and wont handle properly.

[hanson]

That was my thoughts exactly. I didn't want my summer of hard work to go tumbling down the highway because I blew a trailer tire. The 4 place I moved mine on had tandem axles and worked sweet. It pulled really nice doing 60-65mph.

[wheeler4]

Thanks for the input guys. I was hoping to have total weight around the 1200-1500# range. Trailer should be able to handle that. 2 ATV's weigh around 1200# anymore. I have thought about the height and may go with aobut 6'6" instead. I stand around 6'. I just wish that wheel frames were not that spendy.

Nice house Moose_hunter, looks good!

[McGurk]

I like the idea, but I'd hate to have that high center of gravity on the trailer and all of that surface area for the wind to grab. It's kind of a catch 22: Keep it light weight and 7 feet tall and it will get pulled all over the place, or make it a little heavier and shorter and you have a lack of headroom and need a heavy duty trailer. Good Luck, though!