I too need to make this sled. I am very disappointed in how hard it is to pull the Kenai. Seems it was designed for someone with a machine to pull it. The mfg of CLAM products is a very good company and very responsive to customer requests. So I am a little surprised that an easy to pull through the snow shelter is not available. Funny thing is I made my own with a Jet Sled, conduit, blue tarp, chain in the hem of the skirt to keep it down, and a sewing machine. Used it for 10 years. All during this time I wanted the "real thing" assuming it would be better.
So now I am going to make the Smitty Sled (thanks Smitty) and stick with the Kenai. I plan to make the shelter fixed to the sled so I can stop and fish without unloading it. I plan to add a hook (like used to hold a padlock) on the front on one side and on the rear of the other. This way I can have a permanently installed cable with a hook/clasp on each side of the sled to hold the shelter in place to stop it from sliding forward or back. I am also going to add a small end piece at each end of the 2 x 4's to act as rails to hold the shelter from sliding side to side.
This is my plan. I will post pictures when I get it done. I sold my Clam suitcase model last year and the sled that I made with it. I can tell you that the skis make this whole thing workable. I could take that Clam anywhere with little effort (parking lots, grass, snow, ice). Only sold it because it wasn't very mobile once you had it set up and the telescoping rods made it difficult to set up take down multiple times in a day.
One more mod I am making as part of the sled is to remove the bench seat. It is comfortable and probably works well for most, but the support structure makes the floor space difficult to use. So I am going to get rid of it. If the sled works really well , then I will make a box with a swivel boat seat on it. Don't want to add weight right away so I will use a bucket until then or leave the bench installed if it isn't too high off the ground.
