Advice for Skids for a Permanent Fishhouse

[Stick in Mud]

Hello all. I'm thinking of buying and/or making a new 10x20 (or bigger) permanent fishhouse, and I'm trying to decide whether I should make the skids out of wood or metal. I've heard some horror stories about people buying used houses with wood skids only to have the skids fail while being towed or transported, so I don't really want that to happen. I've also talked to people who have had wood skis last for years and years and years, and they say I shouldn't worry too much about it.

So, is there a significant difference between the materials? A few people have told me that the skids should be changed every ten years, and I assume metal skids wouldn't need to be changed that often (if at all). Is there any truth to this, and if there is, why even bother with wood skids at all???

Carl

[Pikeslayer]

carmike If you maintian the wooden skids you cant beat them !

[Ryan_V]

how do you "maintain" skids on a fish house??? do you treat them....paint them?? I just bought a 10 X 16 house with new white oak skids, what should I do to make sure they last??

[MuskieJunkie]

I recently bought a used 16 footer on mille lacs, what are the signs of wear? I am guessing thining or rotted wood....

[Stick in Mud]

I have had some of the same questions. I was driving around Mille Lacs looking for used houses and saw many of them that looked in good condition except for the skis. Some of them were heavily cracked, appeared to be rotting, or just generally didn't look stout enough to me to validate such a large purchase. So I didn't buy them, but I'm not sure that I was correct because I don't know how well the wood keeps its structural integrity even though it looks a bit shabby.

And again, how do you "maintain" the wooden skids?

Carl

[stpauliguy]

What ive found about steel skids is they might last longer, but your house will be beat up more often!! When your house is being towed the fishhouse will not stop as fast as with wood skids. Meaning, BAM right into the back of the towing vehicle!! And you will notice when looking at used fishhouses. The steel skided houses have more holes in them than do wood skids. And its pretty hard to pull a fishhouse without stopping. Just my opinion.

[Harmonica Bear]

Well, skids just wear out. Many big ice houses have skids in which the house itself "floats" on top of the skids. Regarless if it is floating or not, there are plates attached to which the structure itself rests in or is attached to. The skids will eventually wear to the plates. When they reach that point you will need to replace your skids. The plates digging in ice will create "issues" with the puller. Trust me. The amount skids wear in a season has many contributing factors such as how far it is pulled, how many times it gets pulled, does it cross asphalt, the weight of the house etc. White oaks skids have pretty good skid life. Obviously nothing like steel, but they are 1/2 the price or more. Green treated skids are an economical alternative, maybe 100/piece, but they will wear much faster than the oaks skids. The choice is yours. I've have oak on my 8x16. my house is very light however and the wear is minimal. Also, the statement mentioned earlier about steel skids not stopping when being pulled is definitely true.

As far as treatment of wood skids, it is more TLC than anything. The cardinal rule for long skid life: Always have your house blocked up spring, summer, fall, obviously winter. Houses will sink in the dirt all summer long, add that with moisture and you get rot. If they are frozen in the ice or the ground prior to pulling you're skids are not getting proper TLC and will contirubute to wear on both the house and the skids. And again create "issues" with the puller. As much of a pain as it is, always keep the skids off the ice or ground when not in transition. And thus ends the spiel of skids...

[ndsufootball]

I agree with harmonicabear, My family has had skid houses for as long as I can remember and we really take care of ours and have never had a problem. They are always blocked up weather it is spring, summer, fall or winter. Also, I think what can take a toll on skids is when they are no blocked up high enough. What happens is they may sink into the ice a little bit and when you have to chisle out, your chisling your skids. Many of my family members have/do work at the papermill in Sartell and we use car shop wood for our skids. It my as well be metal that's how tough and strong it is.

[wishing for walleyes]

I built an 8x16 house and used 2x8 steel runners on it.As mentioned above the house wants to keep coming at your towing vehicle.I just used double length chain whenever i drug the house on the lake.The house weighed 3150 pounds.I bought the 2x8 steel new and painted them right away.The bottom of the fishouse was made like making a 2x4 wall laying flat.On the inside of the 2x8 runners i put angle iron on both sides of the 2x4 with 2 holes and put 1/4 bolts through them.On the outside of the 2x8 runners i put a piece of flat steel with 2 holes in them and put lag bolts into each 2x4 joist through the plate and into the 2x4 joists.After putting the runners and the deck together when i went to square the deck up,it had squared itself up.On the ends of the runners i cut an angle to give them the ski shape.I filled in my cuts with flat steel.One nice thing about the steel runners was 2 guys could push the house on bare ice by hand.I also put hydraulic cylinders and a 12 volt pump on it.Here`s a few pictures of it.

I never took any pictures as i was building the house so i dont have any to show of the runners.I was able to move this house around by myself with my jeep.Only problem i had was we stopped getting enough ice to put this house out on the lake untill mid january.I would not put it out untill there was a foot of ice.If i was ever to build another steel runner house i would weld some 1/4 or thicker flat steel on the bottom of the runners just to make sure they would last many years.Before this house i had a 6x9 house with wood runners.I always blocked it up but at times the runners would soak up water.Whenever i would drag the house with wet runners you could see the wood chunks coming off the bottom of the skids on the ice.The wood skis get wore out very fast by dragging your house across the lake and worse yet dragging it onto a cement parking lot.

[duck2]

I had the good folks at Hub Manufacturing in Minneapolis make me a pair of metal skis that affix right to my wooden skids. They work like a charm. They are essentially the same skis as you have on a snowmobile, but are custom built to whatever length you want.

[Shack]

Keeping them off of the ground during summer! Its the biggest way to perserve wooden skids. A coat of sealer helps aswell!