My Homemade $15 Sled! AKA The "Smitty Sled"

[BIGCREW]

They most likely came that way,I worked at a ski resort for 21 years and have seen a lot of them miller,bud,Coors and also crown royal,jagermister,Jim beam,jack they all use them as promos for there products,

[mjmeyer]

They most likely came that way,I worked at a ski resort for 21 years and have seen a lot of them miller,bud,Coors and also crown royal,jagermister,Jim beam,jack they all use them as promos for there products,

BUT, his bucket is likewise adorned.

[culp]

BUT, his bucket is likewise adorned.

Haha thats what I thought, ( i propbably used smaller words though) iv seen the promo skiis but never an old food bucket with the logo all over it 

[Sprocket]

Update:  Added eye bolts - here it is loaded
I plan to rebuild the risers and cross members before next year, these are getting trashed quickly.  I may use pipe/conduit instead of wooden pegs and I'd like to add something to hold the auger - a gun racks or J hooks...

[nessman]

My 8-yr old daughter pulling the Smitty Sled® I made last month.  The Otter Wild 2 with gear is around 100 lbs plus the weight of the sled itself.  Goes to show how easy it is to pull gear.

(of course after a few minutes she gave up)

[Uncle Al]

Built my smitty sled and used it on the river. what a difference. Only thing wrong was my measurement of the clam flip over I put on it. I measured the top not realizing that the bottom was smaller, now my cross pieces are too far apart and the tub falls down between. I have some 1/4in plywood that I will put on the cross pieces to make the top flat, and ratchet strap everything to that. I like the idea of leaving the flipover on the sled while fishing going to try that next trip. I'm also going to add a crosspiece of plywood to the front of the ski's and put my 10lb propane tank there instead of in the shanty. Thanks everybody for the tips and pics of your builds, and again smitty, I'm buying if you get up to Saginaw Bay in Michigan.

Didn't put the plywood on the sled, instead moved the rear riser 5in towards the front, the clam is still falling in between can't seem to keep it on the cross pieces. Used it yesterday, left the clam on the sled, and from my fat a$$ moving around inside, the clam slid in between the cross pieces with me in it. what a surprise that was. Not going to fish again with the clam on the sled, too much gap under the front letting wind in and freezing the holes and me. I have thoughts of getting some stick on non skid from the rv store that you put on the rv's steps on the cross pieces maybe it will stop the clam from sliding. I do use ratchet straps but it still slides............late r

[frigidaire]

Hi Al.  Sounds like the problem I had with mine.  Check the bottom of your shelter.  If it has molded in runners, and if your cross bars are too far apart, Your only making contact with the impressed runners over a tiny area.  In the case of my flip-over I also had the uprights too far apart.  I narrowed the sled to 27in wide, then added two front to back 3/4" wooden slats spaced to match the inside width of the tunnel created by the molded in runners.  This greatly increased the contact area with the bottom of the tub, and it prevents any side to side motion.  The slats are held in place by 10 penny nails which are used as removable pins through predrilled holes, and are thus easy to remove for transport.  Problem solved; shelter stays put going up, down or flat.

[VomWillemstad K-9]

Thanks to Smitty, I can now pull my Nanook with ease... Ice, Snow, Ruts, and Bumps are no problem. I strap my auger on top of the nanook and then the Nanook to the skis and I am good to go.

Adrian

[smitty0312]

Looks very good Adrian, hope you have alot of fun times with it. Smitty.

[icehousepsycho]

I always pulled mine by hooking up a deer pulling harness to my sled, but after reading this, all 53 pages, I'm going to build that sled. (When you have the flu in summer what else is there to do but think of mods to your ice gear!)  The harness gets extremely tiring on the legs in snow, and we have plenty of that in NE Ohio!  Will post pics when it's finished.

[Uncle Al]

Hi Al.  Sounds like the problem I had with mine.  Check the bottom of your shelter.  If it has molded in runners, and if your cross bars are too far apart, Your only making contact with the impressed runners over a tiny area.  In the case of my flip-over I also had the uprights too far apart.  I narrowed the sled to 27in wide, then added two front to back 3/4" wooden slats spaced to match the inside width of the tunnel created by the molded in runners.  This greatly increased the contact area with the bottom of the tub, and it prevents any side to side motion.  The slats are held in place by 10 penny nails which are used as removable pins through predrilled holes, and are thus easy to remove for transport.  Problem solved; shelter stays put going up, down or flat.

never got back out last winter, but like your idea, I bought another flip over at a rummage sale this summer that's a lot bigger than the clam pro that I'm using now. haven't put it on the smitty yet. Material on new shanty is full of mouse holes and needs a new cover, it's august already, I better get busy. Later

[IceHutt]

SMITTY....looks like you have done it again !    Good idea !  Happy trails....and easier trails with Smitty's idea !     Regards, IceHutt

[smitty0312]

This is the time of the year to get building your "smitty sled".......let's see em'!!

[Elrik]

I've got my skis from this summers community garage sale. Now i just need to pickup some of the hardware and find the time!

[jbird68]

I got a set of kids skis last year and haven't built anything for them yet. I'm thinking of a box for those days when I don't need to haul out the shanty. Would like something with easy access to rods without having to use a rod bag or a case. Then have room for tackle bag,  showdown,  scoop,  bait,  etc. In my mind I'm thinking two side compartments for  4 rods with doors that hinge down and storage space in between. I'm not great at working with wood though. Also a bracket to hold a bucket on the front for carrying all the fish I plan on catching.

This is what I have in mind.

[lefty2053]

I got a set of kids skis last year and haven't built anything for them yet. I'm thinking of a box for those days when I don't need to haul out the shanty. Would like something with easy access to rods without having to use a rod bag or a case. Then have room for tackle bag,  showdown,  scoop,  bait,  etc. In my mind I'm thinking two side compartments for  4 rods with doors that hinge down and storage space in between. I'm not great at working with wood though. Also a bracket to hold a bucket on the front for carrying all the fish I plan on catching.

This is what I have in mind.

(Image removed from quote.)

Looks really nice. Something I couldn't build as I am not a carpenter. I can cut risers for my ski's and that is about it.

[jbird68]

I can't cut a board straight with a circular saw. I know someone who can but he would probably charge me a bunch.

[hardwater diehard]

I can't cut a board straight with a circular saw. I know someone who can but he would probably charge me a bunch.

If you keep your dimensions/measurements simple/flexible  you can buy pre cut wood at the big box stores ..they will even cut some for you... some even have "scrape" bins  ...good luck

[jbird68]

I designed this using 1/2" plywood. Don't know how heavy it would be. I didn't want to go too thick and wasn't sure if 3/8" would be sufficient.

[OldSailor]

3/8" should be more than sufficient! I would think that you could use 1/4" if using good quality plywood, such as luan plywood if you can find it!! It costs a bit more, but is well worth it! And I CAN cut a straight line with a circular saw!! 

[SprinterX]

I've had enough of reading this thread and being envious of all you Smitty Sled sporting DIYers.
I'm going to build one too.

[jbird68]

Would it be better to make my box out of boards placed side by side  instead of plywood?

[matzilla]

I can't cut a board straight with a circular saw. I know someone who can but he would probably charge me a bunch.

Clamp a fence to the board and rip the board...I suck at woodworking as well lol

[JJBat150]

This is a box that my grandfather build close to 40 years ago.  It's half inch plywood, and has a few dividers on the inside to separate tip ups from bait bucket and other things.

Dusted it off a few years ago when I got back into ice fishing, but finding out it's a bit too small for equipment I'm bringing along, and I have to carry rods and heater in a 5 gallon bucket, as they won't fit inside the box.

Grandpa has it set-up so a 6" spoon auger would fit inside, with part of the handle sticking out the back end... I've improvised by bungee strapping stuff on top. 

Skis are cross country skis bought cheap at a garage sale; had to replace the originals when box was brought out of storage. 

The half inch plywood has held up very well over the years, with little maintenance other then a coat of paint now and then.  (actually just put a new coat on last night)

Because of the space issues, I'm  getting ready to build a new one.

Existing box is 30 inches long, 15 wide and 12 tall. 

New one is going to be 36 long, 20 wide and somewhere from 14-16 tall (want to raise it a bit for better seating).  I like jbird68's idea of a side compartment for rod storage, and will most likely have it built-in to 1 side only.

Existing box has skis attached to  2x4 laid flat, so there's only an inch and a half of clearance; new ones will be 2x4 on edge to get a bit more clearance and help get the extra height I want. 

The shanty strapped on is a Frabill Frontier (5ft X 5ft) and the box fits inside with enough room to move around once set-up to fish.

[Corndog]

This is a box that my grandfather build close to 40 years ago.

Awesome! How do you like the Frabill Frontier?

[JJBat150]

Awesome! How do you like the Frabill Frontier?

It's not insulatated, so pretty lightweight and portable. If there's any wind, definately want to tie it down.

 Advertised as a 2 man shanty, but definately more of a 1 person set-up; expecially with the sled inside.

Found it one sale for $89 at a local sporting goods store last year, so for the price I'm very happy with it.

[P Meyette]

very nice sled

[Corndog]

Found it one sale for $89 at a local sporting goods store last year, so for the price I'm very happy with it.

Thats a great deal! Im looking for a non insulated lighter 1-2 person. Hoping that there will be deals as Black Friday approaches. Its a toss up between the Eskimo Quickfish and Frabill.
Thanks for the info

[VTWoodchuck]

I'm assembling materials for a "Smitty Sled" and I'm going to our local high schools ski swap soon to get some beater skis to use.  My question is do you guys that have built them like the wider downhill skis or the narrower cross county style better.  I like that the cross country skis don't have sharp metal edges to slice me or my car up but I can see the wide alpine skis floating better?

[BIGCREW]

Wider skies are better they help to keep the sled on top of the snow