Moose Hunter's Lil' Green Fish House...

[Moose-Hunter]

Howdy Folks...

Let me start off by warning you... I am not a writer!! So with that in mind, let's begin...

WELCOME to my Lil’ Green Fish House. The following is a brief description of how I “winged” it together. So if you’re looking for formal plans to build an ice fishing shack, you’ve come to the wrong place friend. This house was built on a spur-of-the-moment design. No formal plans even exist. I started out the build with a few basic ideas and went from there. Since all I had at the time for ice travel was a snowmobile without ice studs, (No, If you’re wondering, I don’t drive on frozen water.) I needed the house to be as light weight as possible without sacrificing any structural integrity. I had to be able to “break it down” to store it inside my garage. It had to be comfortable for two people to enjoy. And last but not least…. The build had to be done with as little extra expense as possible.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I’m a lousy typist, why don’t I try and walk you through the build and see where that leads us…..

This is probably the earliest picture of the house build. As you can see, the skid is made up of two sections, roughly 4’x8’ in size. These bolt together in the middle to create a single skid roughly 8’ wide by 8’ long. With 2x6 runners and 2x4 floor joists the skid set up is surprisingly rigid. As you can see in the picture above, each corner has been framed for a hole opening. After this shot was taken, I decided to add two more holes. These were added to the middle of the house, up against the wall and on opposite sides of the center joist. The extra long runners on the left skid were going to be used for a storage box, but were shortened to save weight.

Here’s an overview… There are (6) wide wall panels that make up (3) of the (4) walls. The last wall is made up of (3) panels. This is made up of (2) narrow wall panels with a door in the middle. I decided to build my own door, but a store bought unit could easily be fit into that space as well. Each wall panel attaches to the skids with (2) galvanized 3”x3/8” lag bolts. And each panel is bolted to the next panel with (4) 5/16”x3 ½” galvanized, hex head bolts. These fasteners continue all the way around the house.

The small rectangles shown in the picture were going to be for windows that would be low enough to see out of when using tip-ups. That idea was swapped for a more traditional window and height.

In this picture, the skids are basically complete. To finish the skids, I attached (glued & screwed) a piece of ¼” OSB to the underside of the cross members. Then installed 1 ½” insulation in the open spaces. For a main floor, I bought ½” treated plywood and glued and screwed that to the top of the skids. The insulated floor works really quite well. Warm feet are a BIG plus and I have no problems with the holes freezing over while fishing. I also built some removable covers for each hole. NOTE: Locate your hole openings far enough back from the walls so you can center the auger within the opening and still have enough room for the auger handles while drilling. Grab your auger and test it out before you get too far on the build. The two holes that are not located in the corners, we use as cold storage for pop, fish, beer, bait…. Each hole has its own cover that fits flush with the house floor.

The roof sections are also basically complete. With 2x2 framing, 1x6 rafters with ¼” OSB on top. Let me tell you, this roof has supported a lot of snow!! I really don’t know what else to tell you about the roof panels. I sort of figured those out by trial and error. (Mostly error, LOL!!) I used (3) pieces of solid 1x6(?) stock to build the rafters. The pitch is as much as the wood would allow. I framed it up using 2x2’s and covered it with more ¼” OSB. Over the OSB went a couple coats of good exterior paint. And over the top of that went some rubber sheeting that is normally used to line backyard ponds. I glued it on using latex cement. Contact cement WILL NOT WORK!!! Trust me on this one. The clean-up was a HUGE mess. Do it right the first time and used the correct glue. To (2) roof halves come together at the peak. The ridge is another piece of solid 1x stock attached to one side of the roof. The other panel butts into the ridge and gets bolted together. A bit of weather stripping and no leaks or drips.

The walls are coming together. ¼” OSB again. Secured to the framing with glue and deck screws. You can see the final window design. Okay, so I went a bit overboard with the number of windows. Each individual window is about 10” square. 1/8” polycarbonate was used to fill the cedar frames. I may change those out this year to a double pane design to help with the fogging/frost issues. The corner gussets are still in here, but never made it to the final product.

With all the individual pieces complete, painted and ready to put together….. Well why don’t we do just that.

[This message has been edited by Moose-Hunter (edited 07-23-2004).]

[Moose-Hunter]

Here's where we finally put it all together...

I begin assembly by jacking up my 8’x10’ sled trailer and get the skids on first. You can see here that I covered the floor with a cheapo indoor/outdoor carpet I found in the “remnants” section at Home Depot. Here’s where contact cement DOES work. I originally installed the carpet all the way to the edge of the skids… MISTAKE!! Even with the wall panels clamped down on top of it, the carpet still “wicks” in moisture from the outside. The result is a wet floor. I have since cut back the carpet and installed some closed cell foam weather stripping. NOTE: Pay attention as to what direction the runners are pointed. Don’t ask, just trust me on this one. It does matter. Next come the walls...

Start in one of the corners and just work your way around. This can be accomplished alone, but it’s much easier with a helper. NOTE: Never try to assemble the house alone, outside on a windy day!!! As you can see, I finished off the interior with 1 ½” thick Styrofoam insulation. Remember to cut out areas to access the bolts and screws that connect everything together. All the wall panels and the roof are insulated.

Here’s a close up of corner hole cover and how the wall panels attach to the skids. NOTE: Remember if you’re flush mounting the covers, add a handle of some type. See the little black nylon tab?

Here’s a close up of the top of the wall panels and how they attach to the roof structure.

A close up of the top of a typical corner. The extra 2x2’s you see are for a triangular shelf that holds my 12 volt TV. Which, by the way, I NEVER use because I’m catching so many fish.. (ya, right, you betcha..)

Here’s an inside view that will give you a better idea of how I built the roof sections. You also see a bit of the wiring for my interior lights.

This shot shows a couple of the bottom vent holes. I bought some 2” diameter, plastic vents and just stuffed them in the holes. The hole that’s framed out is for the hose for my Buddy heater. The heater hangs from the two screws in the upper, middle of the picture. The output from that little heater keeps this house nice and warm. Even in below zero temps!!

The two window opposite the door were made so the could be opened to vent auger exhaust fumes.

And with a little luck… You may end up with something like....

[This message has been edited by Moose-Hunter (edited 07-23-2004).]

[Moose-Hunter]

THIS....

Oh yeah…. Don’t forget to put in vents or you’ll end up with a major headache or WORSE!! Since this shot was taken a couple years agao, I have doubled the number of vents (intake and exhaust) and the house still stays warm!!

So now that I’ve completely confused you, take a minute and post your questions or drop me an email. I’ll do my best to help you out if I can.

HAVE FUN!!! It’s well worth the price of admission….

Your ice fishin’ friend……Dan (aka: Moose Hunter)

[This message has been edited by Moose-Hunter (edited 07-23-2004).]

[hanson]

moose-hunter-
I don't think you'll confuse anyone. Thanks for the effort to put that info together!!

By the way, I think I have the same "Welcome Hunters" sign hanging up! Did you get yours from the same place I got mine

[Moose-Hunter]

Hey Hanson...

Thanks for the kind words. Like I said in the beginning.. I'm not a writer. But maybe folks will get the general idea.

And yes, we probably "shop" at the same sign store.

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M-H (aka: Dan)

[Sasquatch]

I found that by putting a second set of vents close to the floor I got a better circulation in the house than if they were all on the same level. I know what you mean about bad headache as I got one once to the pucking point. Does have a way of scaring the >>>> out you!

[Matt Johnson]

Thats awesome Moose-Hunter! Very cool stuff. The house sure turned out nice.

Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson

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Matt Johnson Outdoors
Metro Area Ice Fishing, Team Catch-N, and more...

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[Uncle Grump]

Dan

You done good!

Pics and narrative archived on the ol' harddrive.

Thanks

UG

[Moose-Hunter]

UG...

Thanks pal!! That really means a lot to me!!

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M-H (aka: Dan)

[Snag]

Moose-Hunter,

Nice Job! Gives me incentive to get mine started.

[can it be luck?]

I'll second that....Nice job!!
And thank-you for sharing your project with everyone. Much appreciated!

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http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[danny berg]

Hey,
I know that House !!!!!!!

[huskiesplayer15]

How heavy is that thing? Looks like it would be heavy, but you definatly dont have it acting as a sail, great plans though! I like it.
Best Fishes
chris

[Moose-Hunter]

Thanks for all the kind words folks!!

Hey there, Danny, I thought you'd recognize it!!

huskieplayer15... Looks are misleading in this case... It is surprisingly light. I've never weighed it, but I can tell you that two people can push it around without any problem. I can pull it, on bare ice, using a sled without ice studs. Last year, when we put the house out... No snow on the ice and very windy. We pulled it out using a light suv. During the tow out, it never tracked behind the vehicle. In fact, when we found our spot, the truck was the only thing that kept the house from heading east in a big hurry.

NOTE: If you do build some kind of house like this... On bare ice, remember your ice anchors!!!

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M-H (aka: Dan)

[united jigsticker]

I have a few years of carpentry contracting under my belt, and Dan I must say...that looks about as good a job as I could have done on a fish house!

GREAT JOB!!!

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Good fishing,
UJ
[email protected]

[iced over]

Could I get some pics of this?

Thanks!

[email protected]