Shanty Project

[Higgy]

Disclaimer: I know, I know... I REALLY should be posting this in the Ice Shanty section, but I'd like to just discuss my project with everyone in here because there seems to be more traffic in here for now. Perhaps when my shanty is finished the mods would move this thread then? Thanks!

So I want to build a shanty which will comfortably fit two people, and still have elbow room. I'm thinking a 6x8 design. I'm thinking either an arched roof, or gabled roof. I'm thinking that due to the fact that New Hampshire ice can be here one minute and gone the next it needs to be very portable. I want to take my shack to the ice, and pull it out with an atv, and pull it back off at the end of the day.

So I am thinking...

lightweight

easily portable by atv

easily trailered, or even towed

super-quick to set up.

I'm looking for ideas. I'm a skilled fabricator, and was thinking of making this with a steel frame. I will be building a small woodstove to heat it with. Anyone have any new thoughts or ideas about this? Any ideas kicking around out there that someone has been too busy or too broke maybe to try? I am open to all.

waddaya think? 

[Mainedog]

I think you are describing the shack we would all like to have.

Here's a few comments based on hard knocks:

6x8 seems to be a good size to hold 2-3 people, easy to heat, not
too large to move around; (consider 5x7).  Make it so you can stand
up without banging your head though.

I remember reading a comment on an ice shanty building article.
It concluded by saying, we never build them lighter than we expected.

Roof style:  Flat roofs are the simplest (least material, lightest), but also
need a good angle so as not to be leak prone.  Also make sure the melting
ice on the roof doesn't drip on the top of the door (open or closed).

I don't spear fish, and only run jig/rattle wheel inside the shack.  Make sure
the hole is not in a high traffic path, but try to keep it near the stove so
you can stay warm.  Also use a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out inserted
through a 10" hole in the floor and inserted into the ice hole to keep out drafts.   

Also, make sure there are plenty of
windows (to look out and keep tabs on your traps);  put the windows at
a level that is easily viewed at a sitting height!  Again, use lots of windows,
preferable Plexiglas (light and not easily broken); make sure you can easily
open one or two. 

Make sure your shack has good ventilation--so moisture doesn't build up inside.

Oh yes, did I say keep it as light as possible (weight that is) if you are planning
on pulling it with a sled, or  by yourself.  You will still have to load/unload it on
a trailer if its on skis. 

Also, build it on a solid base/floor.  You might consider attaching the walls to the
frame of the base, and then cutting the plywood floor to set inside the walls; that
way if the floor rots or needs replacing, you don't have to tear down the walls.

Just some thoughts as I continue to try to design my next best lightest yet,
most comfortable, most efficient, best ice shanty yet...hard side that is.
You  will hear a whole different set of opinions on soft sides....but I'll shut
up for now.
Cheers.

[Higgy]

I remember reading a comment on an ice shanty building article. It concluded by saying, we never build them lighter than we expected.

First of all, thanks for sharing your thoughts, Mainedog. I really appreciate it!

Yeah, I totally agree with the above statement, and that is one of the reasons I feel it is necessary to parlay some ideas about with others who may have been down my path. The last shanty my brothers and I built took 5 of us to push around. A snomobile or atv would have helped some, but we did not have any at the time. So lightness and strength are my primary concerns, as are portability and ease of use. I am thinking I would really LOVE to make the frame out of aluminum square tubing, but I do not have a working spool gun for my mig right now. Also, based on the places I like to go, I want to have a very transportable shanty as well. I would love nothing better than to flop the rear wall down and use as a ramp, then drive my atv up and into the shanty. Then I would hook the shanty to my truck and transport to the lake, unload the atv, hook the shanty to the atv and we are off.

This may not be economically-feasable. It may be very difficult to build a shanty that can serve double-duty of hauling my atv ~and~ being lightweight enough to be comfortable enough to tow out on the ice. The lads up in Wisconsin and Michigan get 2-3 feet of ice, but we do not. If we get 2 feet here, its been an exceptionally-harsh year. so lightness is a real concern.

Lightness does indeed steer my design quite a lot. I welcome any and all ideas and opinions here concerning lightness, and how to build a light shanty.

  Also use a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out inserted through a 10" hole in the floor and inserted into the ice hole to keep out drafts.

I was thinking of putting in a square-within-a-square design, but this way sounds foolproof!   

Also, make sure there are plenty of windows (to look out and keep tabs on your traps);  put the windows at a level that is easily viewed at a sitting height!  Again, use lots of windows, preferable Plexiglas (light and not easily broken); make sure you can easily open one or two.

Yessir! Big windows... that open!

Make sure your shack has good ventilation--so moisture doesn't build up inside.

The windows and the woodstove should easily prevent this.

Oh yes, did I say keep it as light as possible (weight that is) if you are planning on pulling it with a sled, or  by yourself.  You will still have to load/unload it on a trailer if its on skis.

 

Ah, there is the rub. I can build a super-light shanty, but it would not be able to withstand much weather, nor would it last long being towed by an atv or snowmobile.

Also, build it on a solid base/floor.  You might consider attaching the walls to the frame of the base, and then cutting the plywood floor to set inside the walls; thatway if the floor rots or needs replacing, you don't have to tear down the walls.

I am thinking 3/4" PT plywood for the floor. If I can keep my buddies with the huge ice crampons off it, I should be just fine with either design. 

Just some thoughts as I continue to try to design my next best lightest yet, most comfortable, most efficient, best ice shanty yet...hard side that is. You  will hear a whole different set of opinions on soft sides....but I'll shut up for now.

Noooooo! Keep hammering out the ideas! We'll revolutionize the ice shanty industry! 

[pegasus]

Plywood floor, metal 2x4's, foam walls and roof and shrink-wrap.

[ice dawg]

There are some ice shacks made in North Dakota called Zach Shacks. The 6x10 will haul an ATV and weighs only about 800 lbs. They are made to be pulled by an ATV on the ice. You might want to find out how these are built. I know the 6x10 is about $5,400.00. Too spendy for me.

[Higgy]

Plywood floor, metal 2x4's, foam walls and roof and shrink-wrap.

Shrink wrap! Now that sounds like some good ol'-fashioned DownEast ingenuity! Hey Peg... I told you I grew up in Bass Harbor, right? Well, Bernard, actually.

[Higgy]

There are some ice shacks made in North Dakota called Zach Shacks. The 6x10 will haul an ATV and weighs only about 800 lbs. They are made to be pulled by an ATV on the ice. You might want to find out how these are built. I know the 6x10 is about $5,400.00. Too spendy for me.

Yeah that is a bit spendy!

[Higgy]

The past couple of days I've been thinking an awful lot about making some sort of "foam sandwich" using luan plywood, 2" insulation foam, and industrial adhesive. Either embedding support studs or using steel 2x4s.  Build a wall, then glue the interior and exterior wood to it, then cut out the windows and doors.  Just some crazy ideas.

Hmmm... This gets me thinking...

Why not foamed-in insulation? I have links to websites where you can easily buy the stuff in bulk, and the price is reasonable. You can also buy several grades of it, from soft rubbery foam to rigid closed-cell stuff. This might be the trick to make super-light but strong structures. My one concern here is durability. My buddies tend to be rather brutish in their treatment of ice shantys (dang it, we call 'em bobhouses around here, and its hard for me to speak in a universal tongue!).

Another construction method I have been tossing around is - believe it or not - cedar strip... like a cedar strip canoe. You'd build the floor platform, then construct the frame, then cover with bead and cove cedar and fiberglass. It may not be conventional, but I would bet it would be tough and light. If one were to use ash for the structrual members, it would be pretty rugged.

Your thoughts?

[Mainedog]

I wish I could spend as much time fishing out of my shack as I do thinking
about building another!

[crowkiller]

I wish I could spend as much time fishing out of my shack as I do thinking
about building another!

why do you need another one you can only fish from one at a time

[Mainedog]

Sell one to finance the next one (trade up to a lighter one).

[ice dawg]

Yeah that is a bit spendy!

   It is for me anyway. I see some around here that are in the $12,000.00 range and some in Minnesota get up to around 25k and above. They make mine look like a POS,

[Higgy]

   It is for me anyway. I see some around here that are in the $12,000.00 range and some in Minnesota get up to around 25k and above. They make mine look like a POS,

I dunno, man. Sometimes I get to thinking we dont need all that sh*t. Will you catch more fish out of a $25k shanty? LOL!

[billditrite]

. Will you catch more fish out of a $25k shanty? LOL!

absolutely i would....because it would be my primary residence   

[Higgy]

I know people who paid less than that for the homes they live in. Sad, huh? 

[rob-s]

i think the steel 2/3s would be strong enouph if you went 2 ft or more on center it would lighten it up a lot.especially if you use the braceing it should be ridgid enouph. 1/4 in ply wood on the outsides.
 build the rugged floor you mention, make it so your tow points are rugged. that blue foam foundation insulation looks good. if it wasnt rugged enouph
 panel the inside with 1/4 in or 1/8 panel. for  the roof 1/2in or possibily 1/4 sounds good with with that aluminum metal roof the snow seems to slide off good.  sounds lighter than most i have seen.
 i think even if you leave it at lake edge you need a way to ancor it down so it dosent blow way.

 what do you think the condensation factor would be with the metal studs?
 

[grumpymoe]

I've built afew over the years, and I never seem to learn that there comes a time to load, drag and at the end of the season get the brute off the ice...if I were doing it again, (which I might), I would use 1x2's or 3's....sheet with 1/4" plywood which is cheaper than OSB and apply a good coating of highgloss exterior latex....insulate?...never...paint...may be...whatever means you decide to heat the shanty with, condensation is always a factor, and insulation just ensures that the moisture is retained unless you use some method of ventilating which counteracts keeping it warm...the floor is the foundation in any shanty, and anything less than 5/8" with 2x4's is asking for trouble...seam seal all joints with flexible outdoor sealer, and simply paint over with the same used for walls...the ideal width IMHO is 6'.....alot of spots used by vehicles tracks around this width....dragging a shanty in thawing ruts, or semi plowed access roads is not kind to anything wider than 6'...make it longer if you wish, and remember to keep the stove or heat source central to the shanty...anything else will keep things too warm on one end, and too cool on the other....same with the door....keep it as close to the stove as possible.....another good thought when planning your new winter weekend home, is take some chunks of cardboard out and layout the floor area....plan seating and fishing holes and see just how tight things can be with different configurations....Grum p

[Art 53]

Higgy For what's worth why don't you get a good portable shanty if your going to pull it off each day. I have a Shappell 3000 I put in a rack of my ATV it works great you can fish any lake you want with out being tied to one. The only rub here is we have been lucky the last couple of years in N.H. with the lack of snow if we get a foot + the ATV's are junk just my thoughts ART

[Higgy]

Higgy For what's worth why don't you get a good portable shanty if your going to pull it off each day. I have a Shappell 3000 I put in a rack of my ATV it works great you can fish any lake you want with out being tied to one. The only rub here is we have been lucky the last couple of years in N.H. with the lack of snow if we get a foot + the ATV's are junk just my thoughts ART

I hear ya, Art. There really is no perfect solution is there! To be perfectly honest, I have the clothing to withstand some pretty bad weather. Most of the time we travel light and drag along a jet sled; being out in the elements is part of the adventure. You should have been there when we were out on Sunapee with everything blowing sideways at about 40mph. What a treat THAT was, lol! I was flipping scoops of hard snow into the air with my skimmer and hitting my buddy in the back of the head 30 yards downwind while he was jigging. The wind was that fierce.

I'll have to think about a portable. Some are pretty nice. 

[Mainedog]

Ok Builditrite, Pegasus, Grump, and anyone else, show some pics to help out Higgy.
You probably all seen my before...known to locals up near my camp as the Green Hilton:

[billditrite]

here is a link to the thread i had going when building my shanty...hope it helps!!

   Crappie Shack 2006

[Higgy]

here is a link to the thread i had going when building my shanty...hope it helps!!

   Crappie Shack 2006

Dang, I am so in awe of your skills. Thats a great shack!

[rob-s]

  have you broken ground on this project yet??

[Higgy]

have you broken ground on this project yet??

Not yet. Still building a rock wall, which incidentally as taken a life of its own. 

[grumpymoe]

.....not too much to do to the Green Machine....repair one skid and add puckboard for easier sliding...reseal the seams on the roof...then ready for season #6.....Grump

[Art 53]

Mainedog   great looking Shanty what did you use for skies

[slider]

do you have to pay property taxes on that  lol

[grumpymoe]

skiis were made from 3 ea of 2x4x12's screwed from multiple sides then hand planed and cold waxed to stop moisture intrusion. property taxes lol....have to keep the woodbin filled with seasoned ash...it holds enough for about 6 outings plus. Grump

[Art 53]

Grump that is a great sky  and the Shanty is cool too

[archbishop]

Grump that is a great sky  and the Shanty is cool too

grump is hardcore, notice the AC unit sticking out