Author Topic: Otter Project (Read 19032 times)

Steuben1 · « **on:** Oct 17, 2011, 12:35 PM »

Well, last year was my first full year with my Otter Lodge. Very nice shanty but I wanted to make the shanty more organized. I predominately fish large bodies of ice and when dragging the shanty out with the sled, stuff gets thrown everywhere!! At the end of the day the bottom of the shanty is covered in crap. So this year I decided to make it better. I'm kinda a neat freak when it comes to being on the ice. I like everything to be in order and ready to function. You never know what's going to happen on Saginaw Bay!

Here's some of the things I wanted to accomplish with my mod. I wanted....
1. a place to put my rods. (rod boxes don't fit very well)
2. a place to secure my vexilar
3. somewhere to store tackle. (Sorry Otter, not paying $100 for the sportsman caddy!)
4. an easier way to travel with propane.
5. a bank of switches for the LED lights.
6. a battery compartment for the batteries I take.

These are a few of the things I wanted.

Here are some of the progress pictures. Hopefully JT will not move this thread so the Indiana guys can see it.

Here is the frame with the compartments layed out.

Picture from the back of the sled. I wanted to keep the top of the compartments below the edge of the sled.

Here is the end of day two. I got the plywood sides on some of the compartments and put some stuff in the compartments they will go.

The plywood I used was 1/2"BC and its working out well so far. Not too much extra weight. Really don't care about the weight as I always pull the shanty with my sled. I'm too old and fat to pull it by hand anymore.

Next up will be closing in the compartments and making the lids. I will also be putting carpet on it all to give it a nice finished look. I am going to put some kind of lights in the compartments to be able to see, but have not decided which ones. The best rope LED lights are the ones from Best HongKong.

rickl1968 · « **Reply #1 on:** Oct 17, 2011, 01:39 PM »

Nice very nice, great thinking there Stuben 1

Where did you get the seat on the sliding rail?

IceGirl246 · « **Reply #2 on:** Oct 17, 2011, 02:26 PM »

Very nice ..i have to say im a neat freak too when it comes to those things..and thats a really good idea.

Greg2ha · « **Reply #3 on:** Oct 17, 2011, 02:49 PM »

Looking good man!

jimmycrown · « **Reply #4 on:** Oct 17, 2011, 06:49 PM »

very nice

bubbagill · « **Reply #5 on:** Oct 17, 2011, 07:04 PM »

Looks great. Man I am really enjoying this post, can not wait to see the finished result. Job well done so far.

wallydiven · « **Reply #6 on:** Oct 17, 2011, 07:09 PM »

Quote from: IceGirl246 on Oct 17, 2011, 02:26 PM

Very nice ..i have to say im a neat freak too when it comes to those things..and thats a really good idea.

I have a few modifacations in my shack as well and you are more than welcome to come check them out. Tight lines to ya

Hoosier · « **Reply #7 on:** Oct 17, 2011, 09:32 PM »

Love the mods,and i wouldnt think about moving this one.There are mods that are made for lakes that other states have that are not very functional for the lakes we fish around here..NJ Steuban JT

icemachiner · « **Reply #8 on:** Oct 18, 2011, 11:02 AM »

Looken good steuben. Is the empty spot where your going to put your fish? i been thinkn of getting a duffel bag to stuff five eyes in so the shack doesnt get greasy. just throw the duffle in the wash when you get home and be ready for the next run.

Boomer · « **Reply #9 on:** Oct 18, 2011, 02:00 PM »

From the earlier post - where did you find a seat like that!? Also, are you going to make the lid for the Vex also a "table" for it to sit on? Don't know if this is possible but I hate the wind. Have you thought about putting in a couple of pvc pipes and make a little wind break you could put up?

Can't wait to see the end result. I have benn thinking the same but you are much further and more organized than I.

Steuben1 · « **Reply #10 on:** Oct 18, 2011, 02:19 PM »

Boomer,

The chair and the rail are standard for an Otter Shanty. This is a flip over I just have it all broken down to make it easier to work on. This is what the shanty looks like when the canvas is on it.

SINX53 · « **Reply #11 on:** Oct 18, 2011, 02:23 PM »

Can't wait to see the finished product. I am going to get the new Otter Wild Cottage when they hit the store floors and would like to do a similar mod to it at some point.

Steuben1 · « **Reply #12 on:** Oct 30, 2011, 03:26 PM »

Made some project this weekend on the Otter mods. After I got the shell built, I wondered what it would look life with carpet on it. I went to menards and found some cheap outdoor carpet and bought some and thought I would give it a shot. Well, I wanted the shanty to be soft and comfortable for those long days chasing walleye, so I decided to put carpet on the inside of the compartments as well. Getting out of control, I know! If we don't get ice soon, I don't know where this project is gonna lead! Next thing on the list is wiring switches and installing the lights. I use the LED lights from BestHongKong as they are the best I have ever come across. Here is a link if you want to see them:

http://besthongkong.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_71&products_id=230

I wanted to make it easy to open the compartments so I had some orange strap material from a ratchet strap and I cut 10" pieces and double them up and screwed them to the bottom of the lids. That will make opening the lids easy if I have gloves on.

This is the back compartment. It was easier to put carpet on it when it was out of the shanty.

This is with the compartments sitting in the shanty.

So everyone can understand how this is going to fit, I put the compartments in and installed the seat rail and threw the seats on so you could see.

I have added about 40 lbs to the shanty but thats not an issue as I only use the Otter when I hook it to my sled. I'm going to buy a cheap one man flipover for early ice. Well thats about it for now. If anyone has any questions or wants to give their opinion on anything I missed that the shanty should have, please fire away!

Take care,

Steuben1

Greg2ha · « **Reply #13 on:** Oct 30, 2011, 03:36 PM »

A little heavier but you got it the way you want it right? That's all that matters. Looks sharp! I was just up your way today taking the pier out on James. James looks so peaceful in the fall, night and day from July!

wallin · « **Reply #14 on:** Oct 30, 2011, 05:20 PM »

Very sweet looking setup, nice job.
Are you going to use the Rope lights for a all around lighting
set up in the shanty?
Wonder how long the battery would work-great ideal for sure.
Thanks for sharing.

Tom

RynoIceMan · « **Reply #15 on:** Oct 30, 2011, 05:34 PM »

nice job...by the looks of the floor (garage) it looks like that was about a half pack (Cigarettes) Job ...LOL

panfisherman · « **Reply #16 on:** Oct 30, 2011, 06:10 PM »

Killer shanty. Can't wait to see it when it's done. And where did you get the laker at?

Steuben1 · « **Reply #17 on:** Oct 30, 2011, 06:29 PM »

Are you going to use the Rope lights for a all around lighting
set up in the shanty?
Wonder how long the battery would work-great ideal for sure.

Yep, gonna use 2 sections for overhead lighting and have smaller ones for the compartments. The LED's I am using have been reported to last up to 60 hours on one vexilar battery charge.

And where did you get the laker at?

I caught my first laker at Saginaw Bay. Its the one in my avatar pic. 30" and 10 lbs.

And by the way, any youngsters that follow this thread, DO NOT SMOKE! It doesn't make you look cool, it makes you look like an idiot like me!

Steuben1

rico · « **Reply #18 on:** Oct 30, 2011, 09:53 PM »

LOL.....I smoke myself Jeff! Anyway, fantastic looking job. Got a couple of questions.....

1 With the added weight, can you pick it up to load it?

2 And where in the hell is the food compartment?

kc9djp · « **Reply #19 on:** Oct 31, 2011, 12:31 AM »

Wow, very nice. I admire the craftsmanship. Looks great

crappiehunter · « **Reply #20 on:** Oct 31, 2011, 03:26 AM »

awesome thread, thanks for sharing the details along the way.

Fish_Tko · « **Reply #21 on:** Oct 31, 2011, 09:15 AM »

Quote from: Steuben1 on Oct 30, 2011, 03:26 PM

I have added about 40 lbs to the shanty but thats not an issue as I only use the Otter when I hook it to my sled. I'm going to buy a cheap one man flipover for early ice. Well thats about it for now. If anyone has any questions or wants to give their opinion on anything I missed that the shanty should have, please fire away!

Take care,

Steuben1

I have just one question Jeff. Will i be sitting on the right side or the left side of you?....LMAO

rico · « **Reply #22 on:** Oct 31, 2011, 09:25 AM »

Quote from: Fish_Tko on Oct 31, 2011, 09:15 AM

I have just one question Jeff. Will i be sitting on the right side or the left side of you?....LMAO

Well I guess that puts me in the middle sitting on a bucket!!!!!!!!!!

Steuben1 · « **Reply #23 on:** Oct 31, 2011, 09:35 AM »

Any reason you guys couldn't have requested seating arrangements BEFORE I built the addition?? LOL!

TKO, we get Rico to Saginaw Bay and he would never panfish again! LOL

Fish_Tko · « **Reply #24 on:** Oct 31, 2011, 11:44 AM »

LOL....I'm sure he'd love it.

Hell....i already lost my gill lures. I might be fishing for walleye and perch all season long

rico · « **Reply #25 on:** Oct 31, 2011, 02:13 PM »

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

wax_worm · « **Reply #26 on:** Nov 01, 2011, 09:17 PM »

Great job! One suggestion....is there anything in the 'rod locker' to hold your rods in place? If not it looks like a broken tip waiting to happen if they slide forward or back with any kind of force. I would hate to see you get out to your spot and have a busted rod or two.

Steuben1 · « **Reply #27 on:** Nov 02, 2011, 03:37 PM »

Quote from: wax_worm on Nov 01, 2011, 09:17 PM

Great job! One suggestion....is there anything in the 'rod locker' to hold your rods in place? If not it looks like a broken tip waiting to happen if they slide forward or back with any kind of force. I would hate to see you get out to your spot and have a busted rod or two.

Great question wax! I'm all ears if you have any ideas. I could simply put rod holders in there but that would take up too much room. I would like to be able to put other things in that center compartment.

Ice Beard · « **Reply #28 on:** Nov 02, 2011, 04:45 PM »

Excellent work...you are indeed a craftsman! I have been thinking about doing something similar. I always hate how everything ends up in a ball in the bottom of the sled after a day on the ice.

Cheers,
Ice Beard

bubbagill · « **Reply #29 on:** Nov 02, 2011, 08:10 PM »

That shack is looking great. Thanks for taking us all along during the build.

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Author Topic: Otter Project (Read 19032 times)

rickl1968