sharp blades shimms and one deep breath! we've timed it witht the 6 " before 36 turns and just shy of 36 inches in just over 30 seconds
been doin it since i was 12 and when i fish for specks i make swiss cheese of the ice no matter how much ice there is until i find the fish
8 times pie is a little over 24 inches which is a good girth on a fish the 43 inch pike i caught was "snug" comin up the 8" hole but for the most part its more than big enough and the hand augers work well if you treat them well just makes sure they dont have an "offset" handle thats when the top handle grip is not in line with the bottom handle it makes for difficult drilling and can be very frustrating
all depends on how big of fish you plan to catch i used to use a 6 inches and drill a triangle of holes and chisle out the center when i fished the north channle for big F3 splake
its not the cousin but the father and the chisle and axe are the great grandfathers i have two and can cut through 3 feet of ice in just over 30 seconds with the 6" and about 45 seconds with the 8 inch
i figured there would be lots of ice there, been pretty nipply here for a long time now, sorry to hear of the resaon for headin north. i would like to assume its all black ice as well?
this is true only if u are really stuck and the authorities are glad to hear you did all that you could because the winter hit so hard so fast you still have not got one built and this was the safest way you could get your gear to the lake on a short notice
a small trick if you are stuck is use a rope on the right and left side of your bumber but run it through a 3-4 foot chunk of abs or pvc pipe first so when u slow down or turn it doesnt pass/hit you! thats if you are stuck i used this method for several years before i built the portable
i hope he managed to get out and attempt a walk somewhere i know the feeling of losing someone throught the ice, a very good friend of mine passed last march! it certainly isnt easy news to get!
i dont know how well copper would hold up on the weight of a portable shack my portable is a small two person made of black fabrene tarp and 1/2" copper pipe it weighs in jsut under 30 lbs