Ice Castle, Grey Wolf, Yetti or ????

[Wildyote]

Please explain, closed cell insulation is water tight how does this promote wood rot? I feel that the insulation on the floor of my house has made a world of difference in keeping warm air on the floor and most importantly feet.

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It does keep it warmer. This is coming from several fish house manufacturers as they wont insulate their floor as it does not allow it to dry and you will get humidity and moisture and promote molding and rotting. Team Lodge has 50 year warranty on their floor. I have frequented many ice castles for fishing and hunting and they eat propane because their walls are insulated with bat insulation. Bat insulation settles between studs time when it being towed. You can special order them with spray foam. It took them years to put dead bolts are the doors so they would not fly open. Most everyone I know that has owned has had battery charging problems.

 

[FishinRN]

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It does keep it warmer. This is coming from several fish house manufacturers as they wont insulate their floor as it does not allow it to dry and you will get humidity and moisture and promote molding and rotting. Team Lodge has 50 year warranty on their floor. I have frequented many ice castles for fishing and hunting and they eat propane because their walls are insulated with bat insulation. Bat insulation settles between studs time when it being towed. You can special order them with spray foam. It took them years to put dead bolts are the doors so they would not fly open. Most everyone I know that has owned has had battery charging problems.

i totally get get the fiberglass insulation settling, would never argue that fact. I have had what I consider excessive frost in the area of the bay rear window on the wall and of course on the windows themselves. The way it was told to me is even the arctic spray package from ice castle didn't have foam ceiling as it would be too air tight further increasing interior moisture. I don't think it matters what you have if you take 4 people in that space melting ice and living for 2 days cooking and burning propane is all going to make moisture. My thoughts are insulated floor keeps it warmer further allowing to dry not the other way around. Either way from a comfort standpoint I have zero regret insulating the floor. I have had no problem keeping it warm with 30k btu furnace. Price of the arctic package will buy lots of propane. These are just my observations and I have no experience with other brand manufactures on ice just homemade shacks.

 

[raider]

I have been impressed with my Team Lodge. They are well built and well insulated with spray foam. An insulated floor on a fish house is just a bandaid fix for poor insulation other places. It also promotes floor to rot.

closed cell foam at bout 1-1.5" is waterproof depending on the foam (research perm ratings)... if using it under the floor, i would put carpet on the inside to let the moisture escape... if you want an interior waterproof floor i would use a polyurea like herculiner to coat the top of the floor and leave the underside bare to dry from the bottom...

i would not do both, as jacking up a house that is frozen in will pull the foam underneath loose, and you could lose your perfectly encapsulated floor with an entry point for moisture, which will then freeze and start breaking the floor apart, accelerating your floor issues...

imo, if you want to fish barefoot (warm and dry), do it in the boat...

 

[Captain Ahab]

Team Lodge was the first company to RVIA certify their houses. FYI

 

[muskelllunge13]

Check out CoreIce new huts! Saw them at Eelpout festival last winter. Combo wheel/Skid houses state of art design.

https://core-ice.com

 

[Wildyote]

i totally get get the fiberglass insulation settling, would never argue that fact. I have had what I consider excessive frost in the area of the bay rear window on the wall and of course on the windows themselves. The way it was told to me is even the arctic spray package from ice castle didn't have foam ceiling as it would be too air tight further increasing interior moisture. I don't think it matters what you have if you take 4 people in that space melting ice and living for 2 days cooking and burning propane is all going to make moisture. My thoughts are insulated floor keeps it warmer further allowing to dry not the other way around. Either way from a comfort standpoint I have zero regret insulating the floor. I have had no problem keeping it warm with 30k btu furnace. Price of the arctic package will buy lots of propane. These are just my observations and I have no experience with other brand manufactures on ice just homemade shacks.

I am just trying to help you out not pick a fight. I visited with a few guys that lived in ice castles in the oil patch and went through more propane in the fish house than there house in SD.

 

[Auggie]

Yeti, Team Lodge Extreme, or Firebrand is what I'd go with. The dealer in Garrison is good to work with and sells Yeti. I'd be hard pressed to not go the Yeti route. Ice Castles are comfortable, but not built as tough as the aforementioned brands.

 

[espringers]

those core ice look good. curious how the skid option works. i don't see much for skids. wonder if they would work in deeper snow. also, i don't see leaf springs on the wheels. are they just not showing up on the pictures?

looks like the hitch is sort of rounded up with plate on the bottom of the hitch tied into the bottom of the house and it just rides around on the bottom of the house. not so sure how that would hold up to hardened snow and ice chunks. but, i suppose if its hard, you just use the wheels. if its soft and deep, its probably good to go.

 

[littlefish]

My brother built one and he got a couple quotes for spray in insulation so of course he took the cheaper one. Well when they finished
the insulation was about 1/2 inch thick at best. The house turned out nice but it goes through a lot of propane

 

[Auggie]

Don't know about the skids, but I assume the CORE house has torsion axels. Zack Shacks have that system. They ride/pull nice. If you want a house to just fish out of that won't have many comforts of home, the Zack Shack is a great option.

 

[3Roosters]

Any of you have or been in a Glacier? Had the opportunity to kick a couple of tires on some of these units a couple weeks ago. I especially like the radiant barrier insulation that these units have and also..for the crank system..NO CABLES!! but rather a 2inch nylon strap system.
www.glaciericehouse.com Talked to a young salesman fella...I know I know..salesman..haha.. but at any rate, he said he worked with a guide in the winter up at LOW and they ditched all their ICE CASTLES because they didn't hold up and were not happy with them.

 

[Fish whisperer]

Any of you have or been in a Glacier? Had the opportunity to kick a couple of tires on some of these units a couple weeks ago. I especially like the radiant barrier insulation that these units have and also..for the crank system..NO CABLES!! but rather a 2inch nylon strap system.
www.glaciericehouse.com Talked to a young salesman fella...I know I know..salesman..haha.. but at any rate, he said he worked with a guide in the winter up at LOW and they ditched all their ICE CASTLES because they didn't hold up and were not happy with them.

Buddy bought one last year. He loves it so far. Sounds like they're built a lot better than an Ice Castle.

 

[espringers]

This^^^isn't hard. Considering the price.

 

[Skeeter]

Any of you have or been in a Glacier? Had the opportunity to kick a couple of tires on some of these units a couple weeks ago. I especially like the radiant barrier insulation that these units have and also..for the crank system..NO CABLES!! but rather a 2inch nylon strap system.
www.glaciericehouse.com Talked to a young salesman fella...I know I know..salesman..haha.. but at any rate, he said he worked with a guide in the winter up at LOW and they ditched all their ICE CASTLES because they didn't hold up and were not happy with them.

I'm on the start of my third season in my glacier. Will never go back to an ice castle. IMO the best made house on the market now. Looked at the yeti a few years back, but wasn't impressed. They might be different now. Owned a lodge for a few years and really liked that one, but they priced themselves out of my range. Ice castle guality went to hell. My last two I had were junk.

 

[Igotanotherone]

Anyone ever have problems with the construction under their ice house? Looked at a wolf and it was steel beams with plastic covering the spacein between. I see have solid bottom a pain if it all freezes down but the plastic I between seems like it would just RIP and tear and becrapa

 

[FishinRN]

I set my house down on 2x4 's to ensure I never freeze down and I never leave mine unattended for the same reason. If care is taken to properly bank around the house and utilize some sort of hole sleeve to make contact with the ice I feel you still get a good deal. I would encourage anyone with questions about wheelhouse to check the Facebook ice castle owners group, tons of info archived there both positive and negative about IC and various other manufacturers.

 

[espringers]

the core-ice still intrigue me. i suppose i could call carrington and see what they cost.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

So what is the “right way” to build a house in terms of the exterior and interior walls, floor and insulation? And don’t take to long to find me the ”right way” because I have a frame that’s freshly sandblasted and primed and waiting for the next step.

 

[Jigaman]

If I was in the market I would purchase a frame from a reputable welding shop like Miltona Blacksmith and build my own. You will likely end up spending just as much or more than buying one from a manufacturer but you will get exactly what you want and know that it is built to last.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

My frame is from Miltona. I can’t say I’m thoroughly impressed. IMO, the design is outdated when it comes to the axle and winch system.

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I watched a YouTube video of ice castle new axle system. It’s definitely a more well thought out design. There is a smith shop in Detroit Lakes that is turning them out for IC.