how to move suitcase style ice house

[jakemcarroll]

My father in law gave me an older plywood homemade by my mother-in-law's father. It is really great to use. A little beat up, but it is cool to think about who all has fished in this house. Anyways, it is easy to throw into the back a vehicle and drop off where I'm fishing, but I would like a way to be able to put it on a sled of some sort of add some runners, just wondering what others had done. I have seen the old skis and conduit. I've even considered getting an otter sled to just through it on top of. Any ideas/advice would be great. I'm pretty handy so building a custom sled for it would be ideal I just want to know what to use for the runners!

[Jesse Drummer]

2x2 or 2x4s and sheet metal on the bottom of that glides very very easy on the snow and ice!

[GRAND DAD]

What I have always done is just go to Thrift store and they Usually have a bunch of cross country ski's for cheap and I just screw them to the bottom but just make sure you conter set the screws other wise they scrap on the ice.

[WALLEYEDUDE2001]

I had a sled fabricated out of 1" alum tube w/old down hill ski's attached. Works great. When putting in pickup, I tuck the auger underneath & house on top. I haven't figured out how to attach the sketch, but could email.

[marshmallow]

I HAVE A COUPLE PORT. HOUSES.. I WENT TO THE THRIFT STORE AND BOUGHT A COUPLE PAIRS FOR 5.00$ APIECE.. YOU CAN APPLY THE SKI'S DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR.. I PUT A COUPLE 1 1/2 INCH.ON THE INSIDE TO REINFORCE THE SCREWS AND THE 1 1/2 DONT USE MUCH FLOOR SPACE.. I HAVE ALSO MADE A SLED WITH 2X4'S AND PLYWOOD ATTATCHED TO THESE CHEAP SKI'S.. GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN THIS ICE ANGLING SEASON..

[Deitz Dittrich]

When I was a kid, my dad made a sled out of water skis(with the fin cut off) and 1X2 spreaders with a spacer to get the spreaders about 8" off the ice.. the fish house was then put on that to move from pace to place. Worked great. I remember times we pulled that thing pert near a mile one way to get to spots..

[marshmallow]

IF YOU USE SNOW SKI'S EARLY ICE.. WHEN THERE IS LITTLE OR NO SNOW,THEY SLIDE AND GLIDE EASIER THAN WOOD RUNNERS..KEEP THIS IN MIND AS NOT TO FORGET TO FIRM THE HOUSE IN WITH SLUSH ETC.. I HAVE ALSO USED SMALL STRIPS OF CARPET UNDER EACH SKI.. TAKE THEM WITH WHEN DONE.. ALSO SMALL NARROW PLYWOOD WITH NON-SLIP TAPE WORKS.. GOOD LUCK.. THE CARPET OR SMALL PIECES OF PLYWOOD ARE LAID ON THE ICE BELOW EACH SKI.. I DIDNT WANT TO SOUND LIKE ATTATCHING TO SKI.. ESPECCIALLY EARLY ICE WHEN THERE MAY BE LITTLE SNOW TO BANK IN THE BOTTOM OF HOUSE.. THIS KEEPS THE PORT. FROM SLIDING AROUND WHILE YOU ARE DOING JUMPING JACKS IN THERE..

[NCLaker]

A friend has a Clam 6800, he plans to try hauling on a light wood frame atop a pair of old skies.

[copperjohn]

The best sleds I have seen to haul shanties have had runners made electrical conduit, bent to shape with a hand bender. One model had the conduit anchored into a rigid wood frame and the other was made entirely of bent conduit. With the runners providing at least a foot of clearance, the sleds could carry a whole lot of weight and very easily through deep snow and over glare ice. I saw a 12 yo pull 200 lbs of gear through 8 in of wet snow with hardly any effort. I was barely making it with 75 lbs in a plastic jet sled.

I intend to build a few this winter as soon as I locate a good bender for less than retail. Conduit is cheap and I suppose you could take it down to an electrtition's shop and have it bent, but where's the fun in that.