Fishnwire

I'll go to Princess tomorrow. You say it is your second stove...how come? Why did you replace it? The plan is to get a couple of pairs of slippers with water-proof soles. That way I'll keep my feet dry but still be able to put them up on the bench and have a little nap. I'm putting this hut about an hour from home. That way I can be on the ice for sun-up without having to get out of bed at 4 am. Also I can get the sun-down fishing in and not have to worry about driving home in the dark after a day of fishing and the occasional beer or two. It also facilitates taking a nap during the midday hours which are often slow.

That's really nice. I haven't decided what I'm going to do about "facilities"...I thought maybe a pop up and a 5 gallon bucket might be the best I can hope for.

That's really nice. I like the Jeep in your avatar as well. What's it got?

I've got two jack-alls already, and was planning on blocking it up. I hear if you take 2x6's and glue some blue board insulation to their bottoms, they make excellent blocks which (due to the insulation in contact with the ice) resist freezing in.

Now you've got me rethinking the whole 2x3 idea. 2x3 = 1.5x2.5 = 3.75 2x4 = 1.5x3.5 = 5.25 Therefore 2x3s are about 71% the weight of 2x4s...right? Including the framing of the door and windows, I'll need something like 60 of them (if I recall correctly)...I don't know how much 7'4" (or whatever) 2x4 weighs, but a 29% reduction is not exactly negligible. Like I say...now you've got me thinking.

I'm starting to think I'll panel the inside with something. Guaranteed after an outing or two of looking at styrofoam and studs I'll be wishing I would have. What do you think of 2x3's and 1/4 ply instead of 3/8's ply? I'm 90% convinced that's what I'm going to go with when I get to the lumber yard tomorrow morning. I'll tell you what friend...I can't wait to see the finished product either! Thanks for you your suggestions and compliments.

That's a nice hut there, Sinker. Very nice. I really like your stove. It looks like exactly what I want. Do you mind if I asked where you got it and what you paid for it?

I did ask for feedback and I appreciate every word of it. I'm not dismissing any of it...I'll just let you know my situation and what I'm thinking. Let me know if you think I'm still missing something. I've got a Jeep Rubicon with lift and decent winter tires, plus my buddy (whose property it will likely spend summers) has a 3/4 ton diesel with a plow. The hut won't go out until the ice is safe for a full-size vehicle and will come off before it isn't. Slush isn't a big problem in the spring as the bay drains into the river...the water level doesn't rise, it slowly drops. There isn't a lot of water coming up in the bay, even after hard snowfalls. I'll have a road plowed and area cleared before it goes out, if need be. I've got two 2-ton jack-alls from off-roading that will help me out too. I've got friends who live on the river and don't work in the winter...I should be able to count on them to shift it around every couple of days if need be. Hey, I know it's not going to be light...but I want a decent shack and the PITA it is to move around will hopefully be outweighed by its comfort level once its in place. One inch styrofoam seems a bit thin to me. I'm doing the floors/ceiling with 3" and the walls with 2.5". I want it warm enough to not only take off my coat...I want to be able to take off my boots! I have pretty much been convinced to go with 2x3s and 1/4 ply though...not 2x4's and 3/8 ply, that's for sure. I'm going to try to keep it light, but I want an actual structure...not just a covering, if you can understand what I mean. I'm planning on spending three and four days at a time using it...I want to feel like I'm "inside". As far as locking it up...its not really thieves I worry about as the area is frequented mainly by locals, their comings and goings known to my buddy whose property they park on and cross to access the water. My friend's hut which is there is sometimes used by whomever and I've come there to find little annoyances such as fish gut remnants on the floor, all the wood burned, or evidence of "partying" which I'd rather my wife or father not see. Dumb stuff like that. I just want to control who is using it more than anything else. Thanks for your input...it's definitely given me pause for thought and ammunition when I debate my father-in-law on issues of weight vs strength.

I think printer's tin might be a little wimpy for this baby...I did consider it though. I want it to be somewhat secure and nothing but tin walls between a thief and my stuff bothers me. 2x2 framing, eh? So do you think I'd have any problem using 2x3's for my studs (with 3/8 ply) instead of the 2x4's my Father-in-law is cautioning towards? I've got real windows for it. I looked at a bunch of used ones and found exactly what I wanted...you'll see them soon I hope. I had plexi on a hut I shared with a buddy and it always frosted up. I am looking for a wood stove still. I've seen a couple that weren't bad, but the owners wanted a fortune for them. If I can't find one I like at a reasonable price I'll settle for propane until I do. The joists pretty much had to be two foot centres to line up with the plywood seams, and the runners width was dictated by the width of the trailer that will be used to transport it. The floor holes will have to go where the floor members ain't...I only want two or three, so I'm sure I'll find places for them.

Not quite done, but here's what happened today... - UPDATE... - I had a pretty good day today, things are taking shape. Worked on the hut for a good five hours...it's not going as fast as I'd like, but good things take time, right? I took the advice of others and rounded out my ski ends. I measured three inches from the bottom corner in both directions, drew a line connecting them and cut that off with a Skil saw. Here's one that I did to next to one I hadn't yet. Then I took the power planer to it and rounded it off a little. Next I applied wood protector...Cabot's Australian Timber Oil. The rough cut lumber soaked up a ton of the stuff and I had to work it in with the brush to get all the nooks and crannies. I didn't do the tops, bottoms, or notches because I'd be covering them with construction adhesive and wanted a clean surface. Now we were able to start cutting the floor joists. We used the miter saw and cut them all 93 inches (8 feet minus the 2x4's that would run on the ends perpendicular) then measured and marked them where they'd intersect with the runners, which we took of the bench and placed 48 inches apart (on centre.) We started inserting the joists into the runners, checking our marks and making sure it was square as we went. Things looked good so we pulled them out one at a time, spread adhesive in the notches and put them back in. Then we attached the 12 footers on the sides, spread more adhesive over the tops of the runners and joists, laid down the plywood, squared it up, and screwed it down. So that's where I'm at now. The floor needs to be flipped upside down (3 guys should have no trouble) so that the insulation can be fitted and glued. I'll decide then whether or not I'll put a plywood skin on the bottom. I'll also put some sliders on before I flip it back over. I think I'm going to go with puckboard which I've found for sale nearby. BONUS PIC!!!!! This is the dog eating the left-overs from breakfast. I'm not sure what we'll tackle tomorrow. I think it'll just be my 79 year old Father-in-law and I there, so inverting the base might not happen. If that's the case, we'll start on our stud walls and wait to finish the base when we have another couple of able bodies. We just won't be able to put them up. There's a fair amount of framing involved...a window on each of three sides and the door on the other. I'm tempted to use 2x3s instead of 2x4s but the Old Man is humming and hawing. He knows a thing or two about carpentry but has a tenancy to overbuild things. He is used to building for strength, with no regard to weight. The outside skin will be 3/8 ply...and the inside will have blue-board insulation...I probably won't bother with any kind on interior paneling. I'm planning on two foot centres...should I go with 2x4s, or could I get away with 2x3's? I'd like to hear some opinions on the matter, if people have any. More later...keep the comments and questions coming. They are really helpful.

I was thinking about touching them up with the planner before I seal them and put the runners on...to get a more rounded profile. I'll do that first thing in the morning. Thanks.

You might be right, I'm considering 3/8 as well...I'm not there yet. Probably 2x4 studs for the corners instead of 2x3's too. Regardless, I'm going to be covering it with 2.5 or 3 inch "Plastispan" insulation on the inside, fitted tightly between the studs and glued in place. It should add some rigidity.

PM sent. Thanks in advance.

I'm thinking 2x3s (24 inch centres) and 1/4 ply for the sides, so it probably won't turn out as heavy as the runners might suggest. Once I've affixed sliders to the runners, I figure I'll have close to seven inches clearance. My chum has a big diesel pickup with a plow there, so I'll get it where it needs to go.

I was thinking about a tilt and load tow truck when the time comes...how much do you pay? I'm hoping to keep it on a friend's property right on the river in the summer, so I'll only need the service one time. I wouldn't exactly say weight is not an issue...but I do want a solid, spacious hut. To be honest, those runners are going to be the beefiest part of the build...I wanted a good base, but I'm going to try and keep things a little lighter once that's done.

I posted this on another site, one devoted strictly to ice fishing. I figured I'd post it here too. I hope you like it. All forms of feedback are encouraged. - This year, I decided to commit myself (and a couple of dollars) to finally building the hut I've always wanted. I've been in lots of huts and even worked on a couple with friends...I have a very definite idea of what I want and what I don't. It's going to be 12'x8', fully insulated, and will sleep two comfortably. It is destined for a section of the Lower X River called X Bay, about an hour away from where I live. I'll have to transport it there only once, it will spend summers on the shore of a friend's house located close by. I'm eager to share my progress and get feedback from others, so I'm starting this thread which I will update as need be. Here goes... The hut started with four 14 foot rough cut (actual dimension) 2"x10"'s. I picked them up from a local sawmill. The idea was to sister two together, creating two 14 foot 4"x10"'s. They'd be the runners. Then I'd notch them every two feet to a depth of 3.5" to accept 2x4 floor joists. We started doing this in my Father-in-law's front room of his house. We lined up all four on their edges and clamped them together, marked the spots for the joists and used a Skill saw cut notches, then drilled the holes for the bolts. Then we took two at a time, applied PL Premium construction adhesive to one side, clamped them back together and fastened them with 4.5" long 1/2 inch bolts...which are a little big I know, but I got them for free. Here's a "finished" one. At this point my Mother-in-law started to complain about the sawdust and woodchips. Frankly I'm surprised we got away with it as long as we did. My Father-in-law gave his son a call and (I have a great brother-in-law) he agreed to give us use of his garage. We packed up and headed over... We still had to deepen the notches, as the skill saw blade was not deep enough by about 3/4 inch. I used a hand saw and cut five or six notches in each notch, then we cleaned them up with a chisel. Then we cut the ends at an angle to form skis... And here we have two completed skis...glued and bolted with notches done and the ends cuts. They don't look like a big deal...but it was way more work and took much longer than I thought it would have, that's for sure. Here's a close up of an end and a notch... Tomorrow is another day...an update will follow. I welcome all comments, questions and criticisms.

I'm in Sudbury but there is a plastics place here in town and their website indicates they have puck board and UHMW. Thanks, gents.

So far I've spent about $560 and four days...and have really nice runners and part of the floor to show for it. I figure I'll come in around $1200 before I even put the stove in, wire it up, build the bunks, or tin the roof. The insulation I choose costs about twice to three times as much as the plywood. I'm also spending a ton of money on dumb stuff like construction adhesive, nuts and bolts, screws, decent used windows and a door...it all adds up. It's OK though because my recently deceased grandmother left me and her other grandchildren a couple grand or so each with strict instructions that the money be enjoyed by the recipients how they see fit...the wife can say nothing. I'll try to put some pics up in the next couple of days.

Can anyone recommend an easily obtainable material that would be good on the underside of the runners on my icehut? They are 14 feet long and 4 inches wide. People have suggested the plastic material used in ice rink construction. I've used it before and it works great but I have no idea where to get it or even what it's called. - Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

I'm building a hut. 12' x 8', fully insulated...will sleep two and fish four. Not only will you be able to take off your coat and be comfortable...you'll be able to take off your boots.

That's right...the skis need to have an outside width of no more than about 53 inches so that it will clear the wheel wells on my trailer. It has a 3500lb capacity, if that's someone's next question. I'll give it a try...the side opposite the notches is going to be laying flat across its entire surface at all times, so it's not like it's supporting a lot of weight directly. Thanks.

Say I took two 14 foot rough cut 2"x10"s and sister-ed them together using construction adhesive and half inch bolts. Now I have a 4"x10"...it's rough cut so that's the actual dimension. Then I put it on its side and notch it 3.5 inches in 7 spots each two feet apart, to accept 2x4s...how badly have I weakened them? Don't I still basically have at least as much strength as an un-notched 4"x6"? - The idea is to make two runners (skis) out of four 2"x10"s and by notching the tops, I can run 2"x4" floor joists perpendicular to the runners, but flush with them, so I can screw my flooring down on both. It'll be 5/8" (possible 3/4?) plywood, so that should help strengthen it up. - Just how bad an idea is this? Any help/input/criticism is appreciated.

I now pay more to fill up my quad than I did to fill up my '97 Hyundai Accent when I first had it. Also, I think I only paid about a thousand more for the car than I did the quad.

I'm turning several shades of green.

Thanks for the head's up...I just went and checked mine. I must have an older one. That is a bit of a bummer that the unit now has no battery indicator and the transducer clearance issue. Like you say...on a $500 unit that is also as you say, the bomb? Kind of a disappointment. I picked mine up at the very end of last season and it hasn't seen ice yet. It has the battery indicator and no clearance issue, but I did get the snow shield though. My brother bought one the year before last...I checked it out and was thoroughly blown away. I knew I had to have one the first time I used it. Most guys are quite loyal to whatever sonar they own and feel it's the best. The LX-5 is the only model that I hear non-owners (who've used one) admit is likely the as good or better than any other...even whatever they own. I have a feeling you'll not regret your "side-grade". I'm so pumped to try it out that I don't think I can wait for the ice. I'm going to go to my friend's marina on the French and set it up on his dock and jig with an ice rod. There are sometimes crappie there.