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My Otter Mods *Pics*

JIM C

By JIM C
in Ice Fishing

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JIM C Enthusiast

JIM C

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I had a chance to spend a little "quality time" with my baby Otter over the Holidays, working on a decking project. The goal was to add both organization and fishability to my Otter Cottage portable.

Since I'm pulling this house with a snowmobile as much as by hand, my major design parameter was to insure that my gear was really secure and that I could pull the Otter along at a good clip and not break anything. I wanted a dedicated and protected spot for the 11# propane tank, Buddy Heater, and my fishing rods. The best advice I could give is to lay out your gear in the sled and start playing around with cardboard templates before you start. My initial design was drawn on paper, but it changed a couple times after I actually started messing around with the gear in the sled.

Materials I used were 1/2” AC plywood, 3/4” X 1 1/8” pine (actual) and 1” X 1” X 1/8” T-6061 aluminum angle. My insert weighed 20 pounds before I installed the carpet. If you are pulling by hand, I think you could lighten this design up some by using 3/8” plywood for the partitions and the decking (with bracing under seat, like a piece of 1” hat channel) and 1/16” aluminum angle.

I researched all the house mod threads here on FM before starting this project, so thanks to everyone who previously posted their mods for all the good ideas! I've had it out on the ice now several times, it pulls and fishes GREAT!

Jim Carroll NPAA #13

OtterPartitions1.jpg

OtterPartitions2.jpg

OtterDecked.jpg

OtterLoaded1.jpg

OtterLoaded2.jpg

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JIM C Enthusiast

JIM C

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It's my bait cooler- an Igloo Classic 12- that I'm currently modifying with some weather stripping and a latch to make it more spill proof. Frabill makes a nice bait cooler that might have worked, but I couldn't find the dimensions for it anywhere online. To fit under the deck, the overall height can't exceed 9".

So far so good on the Lowrance, there is less than 1/4" of space for it to move vertically and you can see it's pretty wedged in there side to side by the tackle bag and cooler. I can always move it to the sled if I think it might be a problem.

Jim Carroll NPAA #13

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WTN4ICE Rising Star

WTN4ICE

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Great looking mods !!! I pimped out my Voyager last summer and also have a mediun otter that may get pimped this summer. Something smaller and lighter in the back of my Ranger might be a good thing, it never hurts to have options.

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JIM C Enthusiast

JIM C

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Yes, I carry the auger on a rack I built on the back of my snowmobile. It’s easy to access, and I wanted to keep any gas/oil off the fish house if possible. When I walk out, I'll have to lay it across the travel cover.

To answer the question about the amount of time I spent building this insert, yes, I spent quite a bit of time on it given how simple the project really is. A lot of that time was spent just figuring out exactly what I wanted and how I was going to build it. Also, as you can see, I primed and painted or carpeted all the bare wood which took some extra time as well.

Something to think about, if you are considering a project like this, is to use aluminum angle like I did bolted to the sides of the sled to support the deck instead of the 2 X 2's most guys are using- it really helps keep the weight down. The next project is my Otter Lodge.

Jim Carroll NPAA #13

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McGurk Grand Master

McGurk

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That is the cleanest mod I have seen yet. Very well thought out and executed. You r are right in a person should put all of their gear out in the sled and arrange them as needed. You have put all of your necessities in while having them packed tight to make travel safer. Kudos!

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