Ice fishing Sled, with wind break

[jighead94]

Looking for some ideas or plans on making a small box sled, with a built in wind break. I will be pulling this along the snow / ice by hand. Have seen pics on the net, of them with plywood ends that fold down and the back and top is a tarp. But can't find any reference to size etc. Wondering if anybody has built one, to give me an idea of an ideal size. TKS

[matcole]

not sure if this is the one you are talking about, but here is the link
http://www.fishontario.com/skills/dewal ... 776&page=1

[Pickerel Paul]

The way I see it..... it's all about comprimises.

You know that the smaller you make this, the easier it'll be to pull around. In certain conditions, you might get lucky, and be pullin the sled across bare ice.
The thing will practically pull itself.
2-3 foot deep snowdrifts, a different story.

You also know, that, you want this thing to function.
It's one thing to create something in a garage. It's another to actualy use the thing out there in the cold, ice, and snow.

You might find out, that if you would have made it just a little, bigger then you actually ccould use it as a shelter, instead of a glorified sleigh, that is practically useless when it comes to getting comfortable out of the wind.

If you try to cut costs, you may wind up with heavier materials. The key is light, yet strong. And slide well in snow, slush.

I could go on all day, but I won't .
(phew).

[brixstoneiceman]

jighead..PickeralPaul made some exellent points.
Lighter with good materials is the way to go.......but you dont want to be blown away by the wind either so sometimes Larger is the way to go.
I think it depends if you are fishing only one lake/Bay/system that you are familiar with...look to see what sizes others have been using and if they have been suitable or not.
I've experimented with a few.....Generally using a kids sled bolted to downhill ski's. After several seasons and sleds I found the right height for the sled, off the ski's, for the terrain I usually cover.
Attaching a windbreak is not rocket science.....after finally deciding how much snow clearance you need taking into account how much weight you'll also be pulling.
I found that 6-8" clearance from sled to ski's glided fairly easily over most snow drifts and on clear ice it was just the right amount of gap so's the wind didnt take it and blow it upside down.
After experimentation I also found that if I installed the ski's 4-6" wider then the sled it added greater stability.
Hope this is of some help........

[Pickerel Paul]

One thing I would consider would be some sort of plastic pipes that would be used as posts for a tarpaulin.

These pipes would be of diameters that would allow them to slide into one another so that they wouldn't take up much room.
Once you are behind the tarp, out of the wind, you will be relatively warm.

You use the sleigh as a storage/seating unit.
The plastic pipes eliminate the need to look for and possibly chop down small trees to be used for the posts to tie the tarp to. (I know, we did it for years. Go for a drive on the snowmobile and cruise the shoreline looking for the right tree).

[last cast]

GOOD Day ;
Hope this helps you out . For years we've been hoofing it on the ice and needed to stay light . All we've ever done is take an old dome tent cut some holes in the bottom and put duct tape where we've cut so's it wouldn't run . along with a cheap tobbogan it's easy to tote around . just put the slush from the holes you've drilled around the poles at the four corners . If you put a some heater inside you're as warm as toast . The slush around the poles stops you from blowin away . Just another option . good luck ..........tight lines

[Lunker Larry]

I used this design for years when I had a small honda station wagon and space was tight. What I did was make 2 runners out of 2X4 and cut one of those dollar store plastic sheet sleighs into strips to staple on the runners. I then joined the 2 runners with 4 thin (1X1) strips of wood about 3 feet long or so. I then made a open top box out of some old wall panelling I had lying around. The sides were no higher than a foot except for the back which was about 2 feet or so. The reason for the box shape and the tall back was I would take a lawn chair with me to sit on. When I got my hole set up I would stand the sleigh up, back to the wind and put the lawn chair on the back of the sleigh which is now lying on the ice. With me sitting on it I was out of the wind and it wasn't going anywhere. The wall panelling was super light, easy to pull and it worked perfect for about 10 years until the kids wrecked it hawling fire wood. I can't really recall the dimensions but basically I just measured it to fit me and block the wind when sitting down. Wasn't fancy but I got some envious looks when the wind was blowing.

[SKEET544]

I took a lage plastic barrel cut it in half put short legs, a plywood seat and runners on it. Holds all my ice fishing gear and auger. I have used this for years looks stupid but it stops the wind!

[Lunker Larry]

You know what Skeet54, I think that is a really great idea. Very practical and I can see it working. It probably does look a little odd but I never thought of ice fishing as a fashion show. Just look at Jocos fur hats!!