Ice Hut Build

[ketchenany]

as I was posting the pics came on my iPad! What an amazing job you did, it will last for years.

I had a wood stove in mine with a flat top and our cooking times were in the minutes.

 

take your time and experiment, you are so handy, maybe a small rack in the stove will solve your cooking problem.

 

ie get a fire going to heat it up and when the flames die down insert a rack and do your cooking inside the stove.

 

You can even bake cookies for the kids. a pot roast endless possibilities come to mind. I did veal in a wine sauce in mine!

[Fishnwire]

Stand up and take a bow and give the ole man a pat on the back....may you ALL enjoy this "Shack" for decades to come

 

on a side note....is that a Bully in the guest of honour chair???? if so....i can relate...i have one too that sometimes lets me sleep in my bed

 

 

 

That's a four month old Jack Russel pup. She belongs to one of the campers on the river that was fishing near by. She seemed to really appreciate the shack.

[the spirit of fishing]

Outstanding!

I've been following your progress throughout and hoped for great end result.

You've not only provided us with something extremely interesting to follow but an end product to be proud of.

Enjoy it for years to come.

[sleepjigging]

Nice to see you finally. Through 16 pages of your posts, it was always you holding the camera, documenting the old man, and the wiring. It's nice to see you with a fish. Nice FishNWires!

[fishnsled]

Well that looks great. A "Scuttlebutt Lodge" on the ice. Enjoy the good times ahead and looking forward to the reports. Thanks for the reports along the way, it's been fun to follow your progress.

Edited February 22, 2012 by fishnsled

[bubbles]

Well done, looks fantastic. You will enjoy this for years.

[Fishnwire]

Perhaps a bit of a test.

 

The last 24 hours saw a near foot of snow fall on Sudbury. It's supposed to get cold the next couple of days and then go to around 6 above. I'm in the middle of a seven day stretch at the mine, so I hadn't planned on getting to the shack until Wednesday or Thursday. I'm thinking about taking some days off I have owed and try to get there on Monday. My buddy (with the plow) is vacationing and won't be around until Wednesday. I won't know if the Jeep will make it there until it does or it doesn't. I might have to take the snow-machines there, (I don't think the quad will be any better in the slop than the Rubi) and I've yet to attempt towing the shack with one.

 

There's a good chance of slush coming up with all this snow. And I'm not sure how the snow will drift around the shack, or the river. It's blocked up, but only about 4 inches (2x8's on foamboard). I've spoken with my vacationing buddy and he says not to worry...his shack is 50 yards from mine and he's confident neither are in any peril. His shack is little more than a drafty windbreak with a tin-can stove and ceiling...so he has less to worry about than I.

 

I promised I'd share any problems I encountered, and despite my friend's assurances, I'm pessimistic that I may be rapidly encountering one. The next few days look full of crazy weather, so I might have some adventures with that big pig. Pics to come.

[Sinker]

Enjoy the adventure. You won't have any problems. How much ice is under the hut? Pack yourself a good runway before you try moving it, then let 'er rip.

 

S.

[Billy Bob]

Hell, it made of wood, right......take a paddle with you.....SORRY couldn't resist......

 

I think your buddy is right.....it's not going anywhere soon.....you still have lots of ice up there and that snow is going to insulate it.....moving it might be a problem but you'll Get 'R Done....I have faith in you Kyle.

 

 

Good Luck,

Bob

[skeeter]

I think he is more worried about it freezing into the slush with it only being 4" off the ice.

[wormdunker]

You've done a great job! Thanx for sharing with us. I'm new to Sudbury, & already thinking of a permanent hut for next season. Your post has given me several good ideas. Thanx again

[Fishnwire]

Well the season was a little short...but everything (except maybe the fishing) worked out great.

 

I arrived at the shack on Wednesday, having to take a snowmachine over the 6 inches of snow covering 4 inches of slush, to find that my insulated plank-blocks had done their job again and my runners were a couple inches above the slop. Normally I take them out when I'm fishing but I left them in for the night. It rained HARD all night long and I awoke to see no snow on the ice remaining. That day it was cold and by the next morning things had hardened up nicely. I brought the snowmachine back to the landing and took my jeep out. I jacked the shack up and with a couple of blows from the broad-side of an axe my plank-blocks were free and the shack was on the ice.

 

Later that day my chum (who owns the marina) showed up and informed me I'd better start packing up. He figured the next day (Saturday) would have to be the day top get it off the ice. With a ton of melt-water on the way he anticipated the shore would start to break up and and there would be a lot of water as the level of the river rises and the ice starts breaking away from the shore. I thought maybe he was jumping the gun a bit...but I needed his help (and permission) to get it up on his property so I let him make the call.

 

I towed the shack to the shore of his beach-house and then used my push-bar on the front to nudge it right up to the shoreline. Then I drove my Jeep up on his lawn, pointing my winch at a big pine right near where we wanted the shack to rest. Using a pulley strapped to the pine I ran my winch cable up to the pulley and back down to the shack. Then we pulled 'er up. I had to shovel a bit of snow that built up in the front a couple of times, and I used a roller at one point when the snow was particularly deep, but we got it where we wanted, with no real problems.

 

 

 

 

I'm going back next weekend to clean out the shack and, assuming the snow is gone, level it off. I want it a good foot from the ground in case there's a lot of snow early next winter before I can get it back out on the ice.

 

It's a good thing I let my buddy talk me into moving the shack Saturday afternoon, because by Sunday evening there was about a foot of water right at the exact spot we pulled it up. There's double digit temperatures on the way, so it wouldn't have gotten any better. I suppose all that's left to say is, "Can't wait 'till next year!"

[NAW]

Till next winter eh!

 

Thanks for the play by play. I enjoyed this report

[Jer]

 

 

Later that day my chum (who owns the marina) showed up and informed me I'd better start packing up. He figured the next day (Saturday) would have to be the day top get it off the ice. With a ton of melt-water on the way he anticipated the shore would start to break up and and there would be a lot of water as the level of the river rises and the ice starts breaking away from the shore. I thought maybe he was jumping the gun a bit...but I needed his help (and permission) to get it up on his property so I let him make the call.

 

 

 

 

Always remember...locals know.

[Fishnwire]

Till next winter eh!

 

Thanks for the play by play. I enjoyed this report

 

Thank YOU...I'm always happy to hear someone actually enjoyed my ramblings.

 

 

Always remember...locals know.

 

 

You got that right, brother. This guy has lived his whole life, as his Father and Grandfather before him, right there. His intuition on the river's mood and likely short-term conditions is rarely off. Also he has the equipment and know-how to "get 'er done", when unexpected problems arise. I'd never have considered building such a monstrosity if I couldn't count on him...which I always can. Add to that he's one of my favorite people I know, that his wife is awesome and treats me great, and that his daughters have stolen my heart...and you can see why I enjoy spending time there.