My first build

[Whopper Stopper]

Thanks for the pics DD,  The rebar thing is def a great idea.  I have been thinking about installing something to keep out the slack.  Problem is I just wanna fish! Seems like everytime I go down there with something I realize I need something else.  Oh well,  I plan on spending some serious time out there from here on out this season.
-Jack

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Nice looking house you have there.

              WS

[RugerRuby53]

I have a shack story i would like to share. Sorry for the length but its worth reading. I have built a few shanties over the years, and my favorite one was my first one that i built with a friend while in college. After many Busch lights she was complete. We could fish 5 people, and the thing was named the "caddy" (being heavy as a Cadillac). We all played football at the time and could lift it up in the truck and get it to the lake. It was similar to the design that you guys have been talking about, except it was a cross between a truck camper and a canvas covered wagon. The gable ends would fold down when not in use, and when propped upright with spreader bars in place it had a rounded canvas roof. It was a great shack. I graduated and moved away, and many years later i moved back to Dillon Montana and ran into a old rancher friend that told me my old shack was out at his ranch, and asked if i wanted it! I went out and it was not pretty! The years outside neglected and having all sorts of wildlife living in it.. Not to mention the canvas was trashed. I felt obligated that i owed it to her to bring her home and bring her back from the dead. I stripped her all down and ripped all the 2x4's in the framing in half to lighten it up. I then replaced the old plywood with new, and installed carpet and added a new tarp for a roof gave her some paint and ice ready she was! That season, i realized the tarp had to go. too loud in the wind, and dripped condensation inside. I also needed a "lift kit" under the rails in order to get her to pull through the snow better. Needless to say, over the next couple years i kept adding improvements (metal roof, poly insulation, and windows). Finally, I have her in all working order and she is perfect for me and loves being out on the ice! If only her walls could talk!! Or not, beings how my boy and i fish in it all the time! LOL Every year a few of my old college football buds come to Dillon and we have a reunion in the "caddy" with some Busch lights and get some fishing done.

[Whopper Stopper]

That looks comfy.

          WS

[RugerRuby53]

Thanks Whopper! It is pretty comfortable inside. It can be sub zero, and the lantern heat alone will keep you warm. If i turn on the Mr. Heater it will have you in your t-shirt in less than a minute. The thing i like about it, is that the poly foam insulation not only keeps it warm, but it really makes things snug in there. No drafts, and the wind can be howling outside and you wont hear it. Beings how this was the first shack i ever built many years ago, it holds great sentimental value.. Lots of good memories in there! It always seems there is something i need to change when i bring it back home in the spring.

[fishinnut]

Thanks Whopper! It is pretty comfortable inside. It can be sub zero, and the lantern heat alone will keep you warm. If i turn on the Mr. Heater it will have you in your t-shirt in less than a minute. The thing i like about it, is that the poly foam insulation not only keeps it warm, but it really makes things snug in there. No drafts, and the wind can be howling outside and you wont hear it. Beings how this was the first shack i ever built many years ago, it holds great sentimental value.. Lots of good memories in there! It always seems there is something i need to change when i bring it back home in the spring.

Don't make it tooo snug in there. Carbon monoxide is a killer.

[RugerRuby53]

Yeah you are right about that. I have heard of guys staying the night in their shacks and not waking up... Quite some time ago a shack blew up out on the lake and hurt some guys inside.. Something about a faulty regulator on the Mr. Heater. I usually keep a window cracked, and i thought about even placing a small vent up high on each of the gable ends. Usually we are in and out of the shack frequent enough to keep fresh air inside. Always better to be safe than sorry.
 

[fishinnut]

A cheap battery operated CO2 alarm would be a good investment.

[RugerRuby53]

Thats not a bad idea at all!

[fishinnut]

Thats not a bad idea at all!

Take the battery out when you leave the shanty  and replace when you get back.

[Jrmcd282]

Take the battery out when you leave the shanty  and replace when you get back.

OR LEAVE IT IN AND MAKE ALL THE OTHERS WONDER IF THEY ARE HEARING THINGS???

[lawnguyjack]

RR53, Thats a cools story and a sweet looking shack! hope it last many more seasons

[RugerRuby53]

Thanks LawnGuyJack! She has a lot of history behind her and it was my pleasure to bring her back to fish again!