Ice Fishing House Photos

[minnbowhunter]

I took another look at your pics. It looks like the locking pin rides on top of the spring. Very neat idea. Is the rear of the spring in a shackle?

[hovermn]

One side of the spring is in a spring bracket with a bolt through it. The other side rides on top of the pivot arm loose in a channel. It doesn't flop around because the weight of the house is on it via the pin. It's a stout design, and requires a lighter weight spring than you'd think because of the lever in the system. I believe I'm using 2000 lb springs, and may switch over to 1500 lbers.

[Sandmannd]

Great house and the best part is that you did the whole thing yourself.

[NCLaker]

Awesome job on the DIY house .... makes me want to upgrade to a perm some day.

[Kylersk]

Here's mine, which I built 2 or 3 years ago..

Many here have seen it already, as I posted pictures as I was building it.

FishHouse

[boxcar46]

can I ask where a person could buy those batteries. what they cost each. also, could a person use a battery tender charger for those, or is it a special charger.

thanks, boxcar46

[Kylersk]

Hovermn, The room up front in the V, is that just storage, or is there enough room for a porta potty?

[landscaper]

kylersk

Nice set up you got there!! i Really like the pictures!

[hovermn]

There's room for a porty up there. Been thinking about building a bench with a hole cut out for a 5 gal bucket (with bag liner, of course ) Actually, that'll probably happen this year, especially before the Burntside bash. We'll just say that I could have used it one night at 3 am. That was a long drive into town!

I went back and forth for a long, long time about either enclosing the whole V like you did, or a modified like mine. In the end, I felt that the partial would give enough space for storage, and it offers a spot for a hole up there, which usually gets a rattle wheel dropped. It also opens up the interior a little.

[Kylersk]

Yeah, I agree with you... I wish I had a little more space in mine, especially to sleep another person. But I think my stove eats up most of that space. I do however have a hole in my bathroom area, so a person *could* fish and do his buisness at the same time.

[hovermn]

can I ask where a person could buy those batteries. what they cost each. also, could a person use a battery tender charger for those, or is it a special charger.

I got extremely luck last year. A guy bought 50 of these things from a battery supplier. They had been sitting for a year, and needed to be cleared out to make room for their new shipment. Long story short, I paid $50 ea. Retail is around $300 ea.

As far as a charger, they say you need a charger with an amp rating of around 10% of the battery amp/hour rating. As for a trickle charger on batteries like this, a 1-2 amp trickle may or may not maintain them. It surely wouldn't charge them, ever. Fishhousesupply.com sells a 45 amp charger that will work with pretty much any thing you could throw at it. On top of charging the batteries, it also conditions and maintains them if left plugged in.

[hovermn]

You have a hole in the bathroom. I have a hole under the table with a rattle wheel attached to the bottom. lol

I wish I had better pictures of the house layout. Maybe this weekend I'll have Shawwny B take some for me. I'll be installing an oven between the dinette and back futon over one of the holes. It should be out of the way, but I get concerned about having all of the extra weight on one side of the house, stressing out that wheel pivot more than the other.

[hovermn]

I wish I had a little more space in mine, especially to sleep another person.

I spent some time thinking about this as well. The first house had a dinette at the rear like yours. After just a few outtings, I decided that this was not for me. Sitting on the dinette seat facing the hole, you have no back rest. So what I did in the new one was put a narrow dinette at the side, and one of those folding black metal futons at the rear below the bunk. This combo sleeps 4 people comfortably, as long as 2 of them are real close

[Kylersk]

Hovermn, how many holes can you keep rattles down while everyone is sleeping?

A few changes that I go back and forth on..

Make bathroom area smaller.

Buy Camper style stove and use a forced air furnace under it to save space.

Add dinette to the side

Sell current house and build an 8' wide one.

Doubt I'll do any of the above, but it's always fun to keep on thinking of improvements.

[FishOn!]

i could have used that porta potty last year during my overnighter on green!! remember? not my proudest moment, but hey, when nature calls! that was an interesting night! we saw a lunar eclipse, had the northern that was attatched to someone elses house, and i took a deuce on a five gallon bucket in the wide open, freezing cold!! woooohooo! dont feel self conscious about any part of that wheel house! i weighed about 230 at that time and it held up fine!!

[FishOn!]

did you show off how that thing is heated? incredible!!

[hovermn]

Next house will be 8'. There's just no arguing the complete bennies of having the extra width. As someone once said to me, you can add 4' in length and still feel cramped. Add less than 2' in width, and you'll feel like you're in a stadium.

I have a force air furnace under the rear bench that's used to support the futon, and as a storage spot. The furnace is only like 12" wide and 20" long, so it can go anywhere really.

I know what you're saying about the mods. There are plenty that I'd like to do, but it's so hard once everything's in place, especially when it's time to use it! I have the oven coming, and will need to build a cabinet for it, but really I just want to fish. Will the bench for the porty get built, probably, but it doesn't require any mods.

[hovermn]

i could have used that porta potty last year during my overnighter on green!! remember?

Yup, I remember. That night was full of memorable experiences! I still tell people the story, but always start it out with, "wanna see a picture of my Crappie?" Then show them a Northern

[hovermn]

Hovermn, how many holes can you keep rattles down while everyone is sleeping?

Let me think about that one for a sec... (counting)

All of them. That's 7 holes. Of course, that's counting the one under the table. It could be used, but probably never will. Well, unless I sleep 4 sometime.

[hovermn]

Kylersk,

I never told you about the siding. When the time came to side the house, I looked up and down the Menards wall'o'siding and decided on forest green with 2 red brick stripes. Turns out they were special order, not stocked. So I asked them what's stocked, and the only 2 colors I liked just happened to be those used by you as well. While writing up the ticket, I laughed knowing that it was identical to yours

It was a good thing I didn't go with the special order, too. I ended up being 4 peices short on the gray, and had 8 pieces of white to return.

[Kylersk]

I really want to see your floor lay out. You really did a great job getting the most out of your space.

[Shawnny B]

Ok, so I know Dave has stated why he has his door on his side, but, why does everyone else have it on the OTHER side. Why not have the door on the drivers side, instead of getting out...going around, or tripping over the hitch to get to the door? Just a question...

[Shawnny B]

Bty Kylersk-

If Dave doesnt mind me saying, we should get those twin homes out on a lake and fish sometime.

Shawn

[hovermn]

Hey Shawn, I had to put up with a lot of ragging from you when I put the door on the drivers side way back when. I think I remember you asking why, when campers, and all other fish houses I can remember had them on the passanger side. You've switched over now, huh

You bring up a good point idea. There's a portable mod. get together in the fall. I think we should have a perm. get together sometime this winter somewhere in the metro! Anyone would be invited to come and check out perms to get ideas for their own house. Maybe I'll start a new thread for this one.

[Kylersk]

Reason I put my door on passager side is..

Most of the time in the winter, at least from what I've been told, the wind is coming from the NW. If I put my fish house facing a SE angle, the snow will pile up on the back side of my fish house and not on the trailer hitch side. My door will also be on the opposite side of the wind.

So, in short, the snow should not pile up/blow on the hitch side or door side of my house.