First Year with a Permanent Fishhouse...

[McGurk]

Looking for advice on getting the house out with the fewest mishaps possible. Any little hints/ tricks you have? It's a 8x12 on a steel frame w/ removable rims, 12 volts and LP. Are there some things a guy should look to do before draggin' her out for the season? I know this sounds vague, but I thought it might be a fun topic to start, and I need all the help I can get!

Any thoughts and opinions are appreciated, even if the seem like no-brainers to you.

Thanks! McGurk.

[fishing41]

Don't get too excited and forget a fish house license! Have a great time with the new rig. Oh, and always put the bait with the beer so you never forget your bait!

[ozzie]

carry extra parts with you and leave them with your house nothing worse than breaking a spring, or something around your trailer tongue and not having the parts to replace them. I have been on a few trips that would have been a wash if they didn't bring spare parts. even a spare tire or two as my buddy found out last year as every time he went to his house he had a flat tire (aluminum rim). also pick up a generator honda has a quiet one for around $400 i believe that can run your house and gadgets if you need one..

[ChuckN]

My "no brainer" is to call up my friend Gissert. He brings an extra ATV, high jack lift, chains, rope, truck, and added beef to get the job done. LOL

Do you have hole covers? I assume so, but if not, you will need them during transport.

I like to have a little fan to circulate the air. It really helps dry the floor and keep temps steady. Mount it on the ceiling away from the heater so the pilot light doesn't blow out.

If the house will stay on the lake for extended periods, bring some sort of blocks/boards to put between the house and the ice. Sometimes you can never have enough if snow weights the ice down and slush forms.

[Dan Thiem]

When you go to set the house down, are you taking off the wheels? If so make sure when you set it on blocks or whatever you have to get them off the ice when you take the fish house home. There is a law of some kind that says everyone has to clean up the spot where the fish house was.

I read on here last year that some guy froze 5 gallon buckets of water and used them for blocks. That way you aint gotta worry about nothing. But I would think they would melt some later in the season and then it might not stay level.

I also like the small fan. Not only does it dry out some stuff and move the heat around, but it also disperses the methane released by my buddies that fish with me.

Another thing I did in my permanent was to wire up some license plate lites under the floor. Cheap little 194 peanut bulbs. That way I can turn off my overhead lites and just have the holes lit up under the floor to watch the bobbers. I just mounted them about 3 or 4 inches away from the hole. That way there isn't any glare.

To try and stop the wind from blowing under it I put some cardboard around it then shovel snow up to it. The cardboard is kind of hard to get off the ice at the end of the season though. It gets pretty soggy.

[hanson]

Hi-Lift Jack is a permanent shack owners best friend in my opinion.

[Dan Thiem]

How could I forget the handy man. Those babies work so nice! But it can kick out from the bottom when on the ice. Hurts the shins when it does.

[hawkeye43]

the handy man is also good for knocking out teeth, trust me, I will never use one again on the ice. Its alot safer to weld a yoke on for a jack and pin it on, so it does'nt kick out

[McGurk]

No Jack needed! The guy I bought it from welded a 16" long 1.5" square tube w/ 1/4" thick walls onto the tongue, and then welded a small loop next to the sleeve. He then welded a regular hand crank winch onto a 5' long 1" square tube that slips perfectly inside the sleeve. Place the "jack" inside the sleeve, hook the loop, and crank it up. When done, take it out and hang it up nice and neat in your garage until the next move. Seems to work almost too easy on concrete!

About generators: Do most of you have 110 volt running parallel to your 12 volt? Do most generators output 12 volt power also?

Thanks again, getting the itch! McGurk

[Jeremy airjer W]

Yes, just about all if not all generators will have a 12 volt supply. The difference is the quality of voltage. If you are using it to power lights/fans any Generator with the appropriate wattage will work. If you plan on powering TV's, VCR's, DVD players, or you sattellite I would consider a generator that can provide a higher quality voltage. Same thing with power inverters. The quality of power will differ greatly betweeen manufactures. The only thing this is a problem for is the more complicated and/or sensitive electronics.

Don't be affraid to purchase a little bigger than needed. Once you start using one you always seem to find other convieniences to plug into it.

[gvg_uwec]

To my knowlege, most generators do not put out a separate 12v, you will most likely need a convertor. A good place to look is rv shops. We have 45 amp ones at our shop for about $250 that are made to run all the stuff a 30ft camper has that is 12v.

[McGurk]

I should rephrase my question: Do most of you have separate 110 volt lights and accessories running alongside 12 volt lights and accessories in your houses, kind of a dual power operation?

Is the 110 volt and a generator worth it for a 1-2 day trip?

With minimal lights could a 12 volt setup and 1-2 deep cycle batts work for a weekend? My house is wired for 12 volt and LP as it sits.

I hate to ask these simple questions, but I would like to do any work to it now before it gets to cold! Thanks, McGurk

[Hemlock]

McGurk, don't feel bad for asking the questions. I'm following this thread as closely as you are, I'm sure. My first year with a permanent. Fishing out of one all the time, and being the one responsible for getting it out there and off are two different things. I'm taking some notes from the good tips provided here.

[YumYum]

Gurk

That jack\sleeve\winch assembly sounds intriguing, but I'm having a hard time picturing it.

Can you post some photos?

or where can this type of set up be seen?

[Eric Wettschreck]

I have the dual power set up. It's nice. I rarely use my generator, but I dig the ability to if I want to.

Mostly I use 2 deep cycle batteries. I'm kind of a tight wad so when I don't need lights on (daytime) I don't have them on. I try to save the juice for night time. With 2 batteries I power a couple of lights, small fan, TV through an invertor, and a radio. 2 batteries will last the weekend if I'm careful. If I had 3 I'd be minty good to go.

[McGurk]

YumYum, I took some pix this last weekend, I'll try to get them up soon. I just can't wait to try it on the ice!

Any ideas on a table for a 7x10 house? I don't want to do the card table if I can avoid it, but would appreciate any thoughts on ways to get a 36"x42" or so table in there. I bought a flush mount removable seat base and 12" post that fits it on clearance at Gander, and will try something that will fit into that, but would like some fresh insight. Thanks! McGurk

[McGurk]

My first time posting pix, so bear with me...

The post and winch next to the sleeve on the tongue

The assembly together and ready to crank, just add Ice!

Sorry for the huge images, I couldn't resize these at work, only crop. Hope this explains things a little. Good Luck, McGurk

[gvg_uwec]

sweet idea, you should patent that idea and then sell it to the fish house makers

[McGurk]

I can't take credit for it; it's a free million dollar idea! Go ahead and use it for your needs. Good Luck! McGurk