if you could do it again - shanty thoughts

[gooseblaster49707]

first off, i've reviewed all 88 pages on this topic and downloaded all the great ideas and pictures.  along with those from other websites and general internet sites.
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i cannot sit on a bench for long periods of time and for most of the rest of my life will need to sit on a folding chair with a boat cushion or equal to get the proper height for my back/legs and hips.   after a while on the chair i need to walk a bit then either sit or laydown on a cot.
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bag chairs and folding lawnchairs are out.   i cannot get into or out of a hammock. buckets will never work again.
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i still want to be able to spear with a minimum of an 18x24 inch hole. prefer a 24x36.
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i'ld like another hole on the far corner of the shack for myself, my wife or a guest.
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everything else would be tip-ups on the outside.
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i want a door on each end of the shack - not an option. must have.
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i would really love to run wood heat.  but, own a buddy heater and a big buddy as well, along withe the nu-way propane stoves.
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i'm pretty good mechanically.   fair at best as a carpenter, but, willing to give it a try.
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i have materials on hand to build a 5'x7' hardside, insulated with a bump out.    have enough material and ideas to make it an expandable 7'x7'.
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own a nice set of steel skis from a previous shack and a nice 5'x6' trailer.
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weather and conditions are not an issue to remove the shack in the spring. have access to a 24'' track skandic ski-doo and a yamaha VK professional.
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here's my request to all the hardside shack guys.  if you could do it over again, looking over my situation, would you. . .
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#1. build a big shack 8'X8" and drag it around?
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#2 would you go 4'x8' with a pop-out/expando either wood or tarp?
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#3 would you just build the SOB big, 8x12' and worry about it in the spring.
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intend to use the shack as a deer blind in the fall and as a ''semi-mancave'' the rest of the year.
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please, no wisecracks. just honest feelings and opinions.
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thanks much

[pipeboy98]

well by your description i would tend to think that you either recently had hip surgery or need it.  my wife is a surgical nurse and the items you list as must haves are identical to concerns that she tells her patients.  i made my shack out of our old pop up and have found that with me the wife and 2 kids the 6x12 gives us just enough room with gear to be in comfort out on the ice.  knowing what my wife knows i built the benches/beds at 17" plus the 4" cushions.  there is a reason handicapped toilets are built that tall...it's so you don't throw a hip trying to dismount...i used the same principle for when i'm older. 

i noticed it's not an option, but a 6x8 would be perfect i think.  enough room for a high bench/bed to sit, or lay down on if need be and you'd still have floor space for the spear hole.  i agree with the 2 door principle though i have found that doors on the sides rather than the ends works just  as well and frees up the ends for beds cabinets and storage for batteries etc.  with the 6x8 you could put the stove in the front corner opposite the bench and save yourself the headache of framing in the bumpout.  the best thing about building it yourself is that you can make it how you want it.  if weight and size aren't an issue i go with the old addage that bigger is always better!

good luck and be sure to post lots of pics while your building it!

[Phoenix]

I would keep it as small and light as you can comfortably get by with. It's nice to have an ice castle out there unless you're the one who has to take it off in the spring.

[surflizard]

Hey GB,
  Check out the popup camper build that Joedirt34  did this fall, it is in the ice shack tips thread ! One guy can pick it up and wheel it around easily and he moves it with his wheeler and it tows down the road at 65 MPH like it is on Rails ! You want a different door configuration, which is easy enough to do. There is a huge wealth of tips and tricks in there to make building a wheeled hard side easier and faster.


Surf

[gooseblaster49707]

i can see i left out a bunch of info. so, here goes with part II:
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the floor will be 2x4 joists and supports. glued with liquid nails and nailed with 12D ringshanked nails from a nailgun.
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there will be no runners like on most shantys made of 2x6 or whatever. i have onhand puckboard, cross country skis and a couple of sticks of TREX decking. i intend to use one of the 3 on the bottom, counterbored and bolted thru the 2x4 base or suitable metal ''boxes'' that are bolted to the 2x4 framework.  the shack will be loaded onto the trailer with a 12 volt winch, towed onto the ice and slid off using the ''plastic runners'' for ease.
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nothing but the woodstove and maybe a milkcrate of wood will be left in the shack when i'm not there. i intend to bolt the woodstove thru the 2x4 floor or again suitable metal boxes with carriage bolts, nuts down so it would be harder to steal.
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brackets and a towbar will be used for minor moves on the lake if necessary.  other than that, it will go back on the trailer with the winch, moved and re-set.  this is not a big deal for me. from my house to where the shack will be is less than 2 miles one way (most of the time under a mile).  furthest distance it will be moved on the ice is 3 miles with the trailer and quad.
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foam insulation will be placed on the ice and the shack blocked with wood sitting on top of the insulation. no wood will be allowed to freeze down but, i do have to leave some insulation at times. it floats in the spring. i've been doing it for years.  right or wrong, i've felt it is the lesser of any of the evils.
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the floor joists/framing will be either painted with oil base paint,  truck bed liner or fence post paint from tractor supply before any flooring is put down.   i intend to use liquid nails and ringshank nails to secure 1/2'' plywood to the floor framing then, paint it, both sides before adding 1'' of blue or pink insulation board.   the foam would be glued ''up'' from the bottom and furring strips would be used to help retain the foamboard.
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the walls will be 2x4 in the corners for a bit more towing/jacking strength.  the walls, top and bottom frames will be 2x2's (ripped 2x4's). all joints will be glued with liquid nails and nailed. i'll probably go with a 2x4 on the hinge side of each door for just a tad more strength.   
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when the shack is framed i intend to use masons grade visuqene that is nylon mesh reinforced for a vapor barrier. this is to be attached with 3/8'' staples from a handheld staple gun.   over that i intend to glue 1/4'' luan plywood.  my plans are to use an air stapler with 3/4'' long crate staples instead of screws or nails for the siding.   they hold quite well and would save alot of time predrilling for each nail or screw. staples are alot eaiser on the wall 2 x 2's. the 2 x 2's don't seem to crack with a staple.    my doors will be framed with 2 x 2's. luan, glued and stapled. doors and interior walls will be insulated with 1/2'' foam board, retained with furring strips.  i'll use a brad nailer on the furring strip for ease of removal incase some insulation gets damaged.
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i'm thinking of a one-way sloping roof. 7' at the tall side x 6'-6'' on the low.  my plans are for using 2x2's glued and nailed with 1/4'' luan glued and stapled onto those. the entire roof would then be covered with ''rain and ice'' rubber stapled down.  this is used under shingles and is sticky on one side. you unroll it to length, cut with a utility knife, remove the backer paper and staple it down with a hand held stapler.  after a couple of hours in the sunlight, all the adhesive ''vulcanizes'' itself and becomes leakproof.  once the adhesive gets into/onto/attaches to the grain of the plywood it isn't coming off.   i know guys who have this on the roof(s) of their deerblinds and haven't had a leaking roof in many years.  they put nothing on top of the rain and ice and the shacks sit outside year-round.  the edges are wrapped up and under the eves. stapled with a furring strip for added protection and no exposed luan roof.  have 3/4 foamboard for roof insulation. retained with furring strips.
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any exposed (externial) luan will be painted with oilbase solid deck stain from ACE hardware or oil based deck and floor paint from Home Depot.  Glidden is the brand i used on the deck of my pontoon and am quite happy with it.  i'm seriously thinking of using the Glidden on the interior floor of the shack and adding sand like i did on the pontoon for ''non-skid''.  i did my pontoon floor in 3 coats. the first coat plain. coats 2 and 3 with sand. quite bullet proof so far. i haven't walked on the pontoon deck with ice creepers so. . . . . . .
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proper vents will be installed along with a carbon monoxide alarm.  i have 2 fans from an old camper that are 12 volt that i can run off a lawnmower battery. 
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on the ''low side'' of the sloped roof my plans are to have a wall section that is 18'' to 24'' wide x the length of the shack minus a foot or so making it about 6' long for a 7' shack.  the height will be about 5' give or take. in the middle of the slide out will be the woodstove. proper fire prevention materials will surround the stove and stack.   it will have coat hooks, shelves, etc but, nobody will sit or stand on it (hopefully). it will be closed up when nobody is in the shack and opened for fishing. it will have puckboard etc on the bottom that will slide on aluminum or stainless strips on the shack floor.  planning on using gate hooks to hold it open or closed with rubber belting as a ''gasket''.    one end of the slide out will have hole for fishing. a hole will be drilled in the ice outside, the shack ''expanded'' and a bucket used to keep the wind out.   the other end of the shack will have the spearing hole that won't be seen until the shack is opened up.  this way, no big hole will be exposed to others and i have the option of leaving a minnow bucket in the spear hole at night.
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i don't think i can explain it any better. wish i had a picture i could reference but, i don't even have a sketch done yet. i would love to have a camper/etc to fish out of but, they're kind of high off the ice to spear out of.  i don't want a hub style and own a trap guide now along with an old, rotten floored spear shack. i  intend to strip the spear shack for steel siding, insulation and hardware while building this new one.   
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[pipeboy98]

sheesh why did you even ask??? sounds like you already have a plan worked out in your head...and it sounds good to me!

[TJG]

If u need room, like u said, build a sideout for the wood stove. Any ideas on a size of stove?
4"x4"x8" on legs with 3 or 4 inch vent is a good start.

[gooseblaster49707]

i just got done building a wood stove from a 30# propane tank. took ideas from here and a yahoo search.  with some modifications, the stove will be good to go.  have the top plate running 350 on full choked off and around 425 on good draft. plenty good enough to heat burritos and warm coffee on. for sure.   
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am dooing the night burn now. loaded the burn chamber with maple and will see in the morning if there are coals left. if not, will make a better mouse trap as far as the stove goes.  i want coals in the morning when i get back to the shack.  if i need to use a bigger burn chamber, i will.
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the woodstove will definately go in a room by itself, bump out or slide out.   the more i think about a slide out, the less attractive it becomes.   binding, hanging, etc.  may just sell the old trailer, pick up a good used snowmobile trailer and go with an 6'x10'. the bumpout will bring me to legal road width of 8'.
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when i get this all done, i'm hoping to get a good write-up and pictures.
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thanks for your reply.