How to Build an Ultimate Ice Shack

The ultimate ice shack stands out from the crowd and has the perfect balance of practicality and portability.

The ultimate ice shack has to be better than all the rest, leaving no stone unturned in terms of practicality and comfort. It should feel spacious, convenient, and just like home if you can find all the right parts and put them together properly.

Things You'll Need

• Flatbed trailer base with offroad/snow tires
• Lightweight, insulated aluminum wall and roofing materials
• Bolts, nuts, washers & screws
• Aluminum beams
• Propane heater
• Lightweight bunk bed unit
• Solar or large battery power source
• Hinges
• Shelving
• Hooks
• Windows
• Screen and front doors
• Window shades
• Portable toilet

Instructions

1. Find an old flatbed utility trailer for the ideal bob-house base. It should have working lights and a functional hitch mount. Reinforce the floor with a few layers of strong but light plywood, and build your aluminum walls and roof around it. Use the lightest building and framing materials you possible can. Aluminum beams are the best bet, and use bolts, nuts, and washers for fastening everything together.

2. Mount a good-sized propane heater on the wall and set a table or counter space up near it so you can also connect a propane cook stove for the kitchenette area. Bunk beds are a great idea, too. You can either build your own or find a lightweight and basic setup you can work into the design. This way you and a guest can spend the night if you get snowed in.

3. Install a solar or battery power source for ideal comfort. This way you can have working lights, a radio, and maybe even a TV hooked up to a gaming system or a DVD player. A series of car batteries or an industrial-equipment-type battery works best if you can't figure out a solar option.

4. Build tons of shelving and hinged seating for the ultimate space-saving solution. Hooks are also a necessity for keeping tools and utensils on the wall as well as bags of groceries and other items. Of course, there should also be a corner or cabinet somewhere for all the fishing gear. Hook up a tiny lighting unit right into the fishing hole in the middle of the floor as well. You should be able to access the ice through this hole under a trap or sliding door in the floor of your house. When it's closed it should be level with the floor so people don't stumble or trip over it.

5. Set up a window on each wall, with a smaller, narrow window on the shorter walls and the biggest windows on the longer walls. You can substitute a door with a small window in it for one of the shorter sides as well. It's always good to have some way to look out in all directions to gauge oncoming weather conditions and enjoy the winter scenery. Install shades over the windows to reduce glare.

Tips & Warnings

• There is no limit to how comfortable and practical you can get when creating the perfect ice shack. You could even figure out a way to install a shower or a hot tub if you're really creative and handy. Just keep in mind the larger and heavier it is the harder it will be to travel with and move from shore to lake and back. There's a guy in New Hampshire named Charlie Coffin who can actually drive his unique bob-house right across the ice, so if you're mechanical that's an option, too. Last but not least, don't forget to bring a place to go to the bathroom. A camper-type portable toilet is the best option. Tuck it away in a corner with a shower curtain you can draw around it for privacy.

References

• A moving passion: Rumney, NH man has Unique Bob-house