Ice Fishing Hut Technical Question

Post by **steve2112** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:32 am

Hello Everyone

I just finished rebuilding my hut. I put a tin roof on it and changed the floor plan. My hut is 8 feet by 8 feet and sits on two skis inset 2 feet from the walls, the joyces are 5 4x4's. Anyways, I want to have 4 or maybe 5 holes cut in the floor.

My question is what is a cheap solution to create a tube from the floor to the ice to stop snow from covering the hole and obviously making the hut cold? I want approxiamately 12 inch diamater holes in the floor. I thought about buckets but the problem is that they are wider at the top than bottom. This will cause problems when I add more blocks to jack up the hut. I was told by a friend that plastic plumbing pipe would be very expensive.

What have other people done?

Thanks

Steve

Post by **bts** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 11:26 am

Sona tubes

Post by **Gord** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 11:48 am

....what BTS said.

Post by **JimmyBuffett** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:23 pm

Sona Tubes is definately a great Idea

What I did last year was got a bunch of cardboard boxes went out with an exacto blade a hammer and some roofing nails, and basically sheeted around the hut right to the ice with the cardboard.... the whole underside(floor and joists) of your hut is completely covered from wind and snow build-up!

If ya can't get a visual from my explanation I'll draw something

Cheers,

Rich

Post by **Lunker Larry** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:39 pm

Check the construction sites out. There is lots of discarded water pipe in lengths that will suite your need.

Post by **fatluke** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:40 pm

MonsterRelease wrote:Sona Tubes is definately a great Idea What I did last year was got a bunch of cardboard boxes went out with an exacto blade a hammer and some roofing nails, and basically sheeted around the hut right to the ice with the cardboard.... the whole underside(floor and joists) of your hut is completely covered from wind and snow build-up!

If ya can't get a visual from my explanation I'll draw something

Cheers,

Rich

That is a better Idea Steve.. If the tubes (or whatever you choose) freeze into the ice, you have nowhere throw the ice chippings when you re-open the whole, except out the door. Without tubes or anything you can just throw the chipping back under the hut somewhere..

Or..

Just be sure to take your tubes out each time you leave the hut to prevent them from freezing in.

Post by **bassboy19** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:34 pm

arent 5 gallon buckets like equal the whole way down?

Post by RJ » Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:49 pm

Be very careful just throwing your ice chips under your shack....you'll have a hell of a time getting it unfrozen...

Believe me....we lived it...

Our gas auger was the main culprit...they throw a ton of water and it has nowhere to go but around your skis....

We have dumped our skis altogether and mounted it permanently to a trailer....we plan to use sona tubes as well...

Good Luck...

RJ

Post by **fatluke** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:09 pm

RJ wrote:Be very careful just throwing your ice chips under your shack....you'll have a hell of a time getting it unfrozen...

Believe me....we lived it...

Our gas auger was the main culprit...they throw a ton of water and it has nowhere to go but around your skis....

We have dumped our skis altogether and mounted it permanently to a trailer....we plan to use sona tubes as well...

Good Luck...

RJ

True..

A good way to be prepared for the problem is make sure you have your ski's or runner's screwed on. In the event that hut does get frozen in (been there as well), you can just unscrew the runners. This also makes chipping the runners out a lot easier because you can get to both sides of them.

Post by **JimmyBuffett** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:02 pm

IMO clearance is your main concern... If those ski's are at least 2" off the ice, you should have no problems, as I've been trouble free for two years now

.... I'd also like to add that clearing the auger slush(term???) from around the skis is an excellent Idea as well

Not knockin any lads that did get frozen in... I'm just lucky

Cheers,

Rich

Post by **JimmyBuffett** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:04 pm

A good way to be prepared for the problem is make sure you have your ski's or runner's screwed on. In the event that hut does get frozen in (been there as well), you can just unscrew the runners. This also makes chipping the runners out a lot easier because you can get to both sides of them.

This an excellent Idea as well

Post by RJ » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:06 pm

We had ours raised about 3 inches up....but not being diligent in keeping slush away from the skis did us in...

Not this year...

We now have a portable 8X8 shack...

RJ

Post by **JimmyBuffett** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:11 pm

Ahhh... Goin' Mobile

I was thinkin the trailer route but opted for Ski's again

I think it was the whole tire removal procedure that ruined me!!

Rich

Post by **fatluke** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:38 pm

We were up on 2x6 ski's when we got frozen in... Problem was a fast melt and a quick freeze... Sometime clearance just doesn't cut it either...

Mobile is the way to go!!

Post by **steve2112** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:01 am

Hi Guys

Thanks for the Info. I am going to try Sona Tubes. I will pull them out after fishing and put back the floor pieces. I Plan on jacking my hut up and putting it on cinder blocks. I used Cinder blocks 2 years ago and it never froze over the top of the block. Plus I plan moving the hut quite often, so this should help stop freezing the skis in.

Cheers
Steve