Bob House ideas help

[jmamos52]

So, this past weekend I got married in Meredith on Winni. I was called down stairs and outside by the lake for pictures as my wife and I decided to do the picture etc ahead of time... Well, when I got there the wedding party and our immediate family was standing outside on either side of a brand new, custom made Bob House!!  It had our logo from our wedding on it and a few seconds later my bride popped out of it to further the surprise. I was blown away!  We had discussed not doing gifts for each other as we had the wedding to handle, but she went ahead and did this...completely awesome for sure! So, we are going to finish the inside and would be curious to hear from some of the IS experts on any tips they have for electrical (do I do battery, with inverter and generator (I already have the generator)... 110v? keep it 12v? etc... I'm also contemplating insulating it.. putting bench seating in, shelves, etc. Lastly, any tips on heating?? I could just go with the big-buddy heater as I don't want to take up too much room with a wood stove... so any thoughts and feedback would be great. You guys are always a wealth of knowledge so thanks!! Here's a pic below.  thanks!

[dryfly]

That's awesome !
Congratulations !!!

Where you gonna put it ?
My parents live in Meredith .... I fish Meredith Bay and Center Harbor Bay a few times every winter.

Cant really answer your question as I never ran electricity in my bobhouses ....  and am currently using a portable.

Best of luck to you though ....

[Coffin Dodger]

Congrats on both the wedding and awesome gift. 

All our wedding gifts were for her, except for a wagon jack from my best man. 

[jethro]

No idea with the bobhouse, but does she have any single sisters? What a great gift!

[NanookofN-MN]

If you insulate it I would think a big-buddy would keep you plenty warm.  I would look at mounting a larger tank on the from of the house so you're not having to constantly switch out 1lb tank on the heater.   As for the electrical I will let someone with more knowledge chime in on that one.

Congrats on the wedding!!!!!

[Nosaj]

Thats a keeper!

Congrats!

[jmamos52]

ha .. you guys are great.. thank you for the congrats and yes, she's definitely a keeper. I asked her why she did that and she replied "well, we're on the ice every weekend so we might as well be comfortable" ... perfect answer.

good point on getting a bigger tank.. great call. As far as where I think I'll put it in Meredith or on squam.. but it's so mobile since build on the trailer that I might bring it with me to champlain a few times as I try to fish that as often as possible too.

[Iceattic]

Why would you need heat??you just got married,I need the heat I'm married 20yrs.haha  get one of those 3 Brickheaters mount it on the wall and get  2 /30 pound tanks for the front ,the wiring won't be hard.

[800stealth]

That's a cool wedding gift, Congrats.
Personally I would go with a deep cycle battery running 12 volts for the lights and an inverter for the 110 stuff you might use... Listening to a genni running would drive me nuts.

[SALMONEMIA]

Thats awesome congrats, you found the catch of a lifetime. Enjoy your time on the ice. 

[huntr-]

Keep in mind that you want to keep the weight down as its a beatch to pull around when things get crappy. I use propane with a single burner stove to heat and cook with.Insulation is great ,go with at least 1" rigid blue board and it should heat very well. If you use an adhesive make sur to use the proper adhesive meant for the insulation or it will fail miserably. The only problem with it being mounted on a trailer is to be sure and block up the wheels so they don't freeze in or remove them for security reasons.If you choose Meredith and want to actually catch fish stay away from the Bay.#1 The ramp at the docks always get broken up and screws your access. #2 the constant commotion in the bay makes for a slow fishless day. #3 parking sucks. P.M. me and I'll give you some other choices depending on what your fishing for.I am local to the area and I am willing to help you if you need ideas.

[dickbaker]

  ::)Absolutely Beautiful!!    And the bob house is nice too
Congratulations!!
Dick

[jmamos52]

great points and input guys.. much appreciated. I agree.. not psyched about a generator blasting away. Perhaps the battery with inverter and the generate "as needed on occasion" is the way to go.. definitely doing the insulation though.. thanks for that point too.
j

[fisherhawk55]

First congratulations on finding a one and a million girl ,what I do for my bob house is use a jump pack that you buy at cabelas or any auto store you can easily trans port it to and from your house and charge it at home they come with a inverter plug for 110v and also 12 v outlet I use 12 volt lights in mine on a simple switch as for heat I have a heater buddy that works great some use a wood stove you get at military stores there small and work awesome ,to power your 12v lights just wire them to a cigarette lighter plug and your good just remember to add a small solar panel to recharge during the day or bring it home to charge

[Rando5512]

Lucky guy! Beautiful bride and nice shack!

[winnisquam guy]

congrats to you and your bride, use the propane, i like l.e.d. camping lights for illumination. easy to use and maintain

[Arctic Addict]

Congratulations!  I will try to answer some of your questions.  I would definitely insulate the floor, walls and ceiling with either spray foam or high density foam board.  Seal it to the framing with adhesive or canned spray foam.  As far as electrical, two deep cycle batteries will be more than enough to power some interior LED lights and a couple of 12v sockets to recharge cell phones or tablets.  Hard wire a float battery charger so when it is not on the ice you can just plug it in to keep the batteries fresh.  Solar on the roof will keep the batteries fresh when it is on the ice as long as you keep the snow off them.  As far as heat goes.  For convience, propane is the way to go.  Just remember that if the unit is not direct vented, then you will be pumping water vapor into the shack and it will sweat.  My big buddy will shut down in my ice shanty after an hour and the window frames sweat badly so I moved to wood heat.  Check out the Nuwave wood stoves or the vented propane.  Good luck. 

[JIGGIN-]

So, this past weekend I got married in Meredith on Winni. I was called down stairs and outside by the lake for pictures as my wife and I decided to do the picture etc ahead of time... Well, when I got there the wedding party and our immediate family was standing outside on either side of a brand new, custom made Bob House!!  It had our logo from our wedding on it and a few seconds later my bride popped out of it to further the surprise. I was blown away!  We had discussed not doing gifts for each other as we had the wedding to handle, but she went ahead and did this...completely awesome for sure! So, we are going to finish the inside and would be curious to hear from some of the IS experts on any tips they have for electrical (do I do battery, with inverter and generator (I already have the generator)... 110v? keep it 12v? etc... I'm also contemplating insulating it.. putting bench seating in, shelves, etc. Lastly, any tips on heating?? I could just go with the big-buddy heater as I don't want to take up too much room with a wood stove... so any thoughts and feedback would be great. You guys are always a wealth of knowledge so thanks!! Here's a pic below.  thanks!

Congrats to you, your bride and your new life.

Really neat story and sounds like you've made the right decision in term of your mate. I love Bob houses and I love my wife, we both love ice fishing so i thought I would comment. Here are some thoughts and ideas.

As for your house, I would first concentrate on making it comfortable for your wife.
It does several things. It allows you to spend more quality time together, gaining more time on the ice (longer days / nights), it's like being at "camp".
Its a blast teaching / watching / capturing them getting into it and grow in ice fishing knowledge, lets face it too, your wife is probably better to look at than looking at your buddies all day (no offense guys),  but most importantly in my opinion, it will give her a clear understanding of what you need for ice fishing equipment and why, no fighting but working together, ideally making ice fishing easier as you grow older together. Of course there are more reasons too.
I fish with my wife every weekend, it's our thing. (understand too, not for everyone).

Power:
I run 12v marine battery in mine. Connected to two 15 watt solar panels to keep the battery charged. This is enough to run a car radio, fish finder, underwater camera, LED lights and a computer fan for a day or two.
It is best to conserve "juice" whenever you can. I usually only run a car radio on mine and LED lights in the morning. My fish finder and underwater camera I run off their own battery. The reason why is you only make power during the day. At night your sucking juice, no recharging so conserve during the day.
Generator: in my opinion is only good at night, really depends on what your doing. Partying at night for long hours: get a generator. Staying out all week, get a generator. They are noisy (Honda makes a nice one).
12V Quiet nights cusk fishing: For lighting, we use a candle and turn on our LED over head lights when we catch something, or really need to see. LED's marine lights are very bright. Candles are nice for dinners too. Really nice, quiet out on the lake at night having dinner cusk fishing. Comforts....

You could also get a second marine battery and connect them positive to positive and negative to negative (this gives you more capacity i.e. storage & not 24v).

Insulation:
Yes must insulate. I use foam boards, silver faced to reflect the LED lights. You need to keep it warm as women tend to get cold easily for the most part (my wife anyways). Uses lower fuel for heat too. I'd add (if not already) a sliding window for ventilation, I usually have my window cracked open on my side cause it's usually way too warm inside, but my wife is comfortable so we fish longer days and into the night.

Bench seating:
Why not? Storage underneath and a place to lay down too, stretch out. If you put a bench in, cut the bottom back so that it is comfortable for your heels / feet. Straight walls aren't very comfortable for your legs sitting all day. Also putting your back against a straight wall is uncomfortable.Some sort of angle or a cushion perhaps.
We fish in office chairs so there is no laying down, almost though. Can recline back put your feet up.
I sleep out in the house (I use an army cot), my wife does not. Nothing like laying horizontal, stretching out after a long day / night of fishing while still fishing, Very zen like. 
I thought about putting in a fold down bed but that adds weight. Setting up a cot "at times" can be a pain.

Shelves;
A must. For food and stuff. Make sure there is a lip on the edge so not to drop anything. A way to secure items too is nice while traveling. I use a wide strip of lexan as a lip, so I can see through it and those little plastic "parts containers" with a lip on the back fits them so you can hang them. Convenient.

Heating;
Wood is nice but there is a lot to it. Gotta have wood  , can be heavy and messy. Most of the time it's either hot or cold. That's how I started ice fishing with my grandfather with a wood stove and the door was either always opened or closed, never constant. Seen a lot of ash piles from wood stoves on the lake too. Don't think it's bad for the water but looks like crap.
Propane is clean and easy but dangerous so you put in windows that open or vents. Carbon detector is a good idea too. The heat is constant. I like the idea of a ventless blue flame wall mount heater. Heats the air thermostatically controlled. The red IR heaters heat objects and usually zorch.
Personally i like propane and we also cook on it. Ours is a cook stove from an old camper. There will be a frost line. It's from where ever the top of your flame is on up. From the flame below, will be cold. Good for storing food that needs to be chilled but not frozen, bad for your wife's feet unless she has really warm boots (mine uses heat packs in her boots). We have our stove as low to the floor as possible.

Cheers to you and your bride.

Remember:
Happy wife = Happy life.
Very comfortable wife = Longer ice fishing life.

[Monovasia]

What a great story!! Congratulations....Jig gin advice is right on....make it comfortable....i like high density foam board, easy to work with, does a great job...Hauling wood adds weight...foraging take time away from fishing....vented propane is a great solution...make sure u add a detector...

Get a porta potty that fits under the bench for her....

Enjoy...what a great hobby to share....

[JIGGIN-]

Get a porta potty that fits under the bench for her....

Ah! Good point! Forgot that one...cushion toilet seat too. Tall bucket.

[NH Trout Fisherman]

Excellent advice Jiggin. I know You and CH have great times together. 
Thats what its all about. Enjoying things You Love with People You Love.

Jmamos...Congratulatio ns to You and Your Bride.  May You have many wonderful years together.

[jmamos52]

you guys are awesome.. thanks for all that! I actually have a buddy of mine (from the wedding party) that is donating a portable toilet.  So solid. These are the little things that I wouldn't have though of. The consensus seems to be to insulate. So I'm definitely doing that. The best part, well, of the many... is she is as excited about tricking it out and doing the inside as she was about getting it for me. So solid. I really appreciate all you with your input. To me, being outside and on the hard water (as much as I love catching hogs) is about the time you spend out there, making great friends and being active. So, I can only hope I get to meet some of you this season. I'm sure I have in the past as I met several awesome guy last season in the bay (Meredith)... but hope to meet up with some of you as well. Many don't know, but she was with me last year on day 2 of the winni derby and I had a 4+ bow and SHE was the one reminding me I needed to get my !#$#@ off the ice and weigh it in... well.. I missed the weigh in due to traffic going into Meredith by 9 minutes. NOT good.. ugh.. but, that's how it goes and it just makes it more fun to know that having fun, being competitive, meeting great people and listening and learning more from people... as well as helping others that are learning is what its about. So, thanks guys. If I can ever help anyone as well I will certainly do so... fishing is what I do and the best thing is sharing that with others (not necessarily spots  ) but you all know what I mean.
thanks guys, see you out there
mamos

[muffin man]

Did it come from Northern Fabrication Solutions? Either way, they build those shacks like yours and had a maroon one at the Meredith derby last year. I did the electric which runs on both 110 or 12 volt. you can contact jimmyrigged on the shanty or look up http://www.northernfabricationsolutions.com/.

[Coffin Dodger]

Great advice and tips from an experienced husband / wife team there JIGGIN. 

You gave her a he((uva handle for someone who would say

and I love my wife,

on the interweb..   

[JIGGIN-]

Great advice and tips from an experienced husband / wife team there JIGGIN. 

You gave her a he((uva handle for someone who would say  on the interweb.. 

True love right there. How many folks can say that to their wife's face and live. however I never say it in a mean way, always with love and affection.

Actually, she picked it out herself back when the circus was only 4 people strong. We were much younger then and didn't realize at the time, you can't change it. It's for life. I had another handle for her that was sweet and cute but she chose her own.

Same for Taint. She gave him that name too. That's when we sorta realized we weren't mature enough to give folks handles.

She's good people, not offended or sensitive as most are today. Can be myself around her, My best friend.

[NH Trout Fisherman]

True love right there. How many folks can say that to their wife's face and live. however I never say it in a mean way, always with love and affection.

Actually, she picked it out herself back when the circus was only 4 people strong. We were much younger then and didn't realize at the time, you can't change it. It's for life. I had another handle for her that was sweet and cute but she chose her own.

Same for Taint. She gave him that name too. That's when we sorta realized we weren't mature enough to give folks handles.

She's good people, not offended or sensitive as most are today. Can be myself around her, My best friend.

 

That last sentence is what its all about.

[Coffin Dodger]

Can be myself around her, My best friend

Yep, it don't get any better than that! 

[jmamos52]

yes muffin.. Northern Fab is who built it. I had come across their link (on here) a few months back and sent it to my wife to check out... right away she says "we should get one of those"... as much as I agreed we kinda had this whole wedding thing to take care of first etc.. lol ..  well, she apparently called them soon here after and got things rolling. They did a great job and stayed at the wedding for the afternoon while people checked it out, etc. Now... I just need to finish it and get it back asap... guess it's not a bad thing there isn't too much ice out there or I'd be wigging out.  thanks for all the good input and comments guys