# Spearing shanty, building it



## newfish (Feb 10, 2005)

well it is time for me to build a spearing shanty.How to is the question? I've been in a few, and helped move a few and I know I want mine to be light, not heavy. In addition to being light I want it to be cheap. Ive accumulated 8 sheets of used aluminum sheeting 4 and 1/2 foot by 7 foot (6 lbs each) and two old garage doors. The doors are Aluminum framed with fiberglass pannels. There are 10 pieces which weigh (11 lbs each). each piece is 9 foot long by about 20 inches. For size of the shanty I'm thinking 2 persons facing eachother over a hole in the center, a door on each end . I'm thinking a footprint of about 40 inches by 6 or 6 and a half feet.The garage door pannels come apart and aluminum framing from each pannel is sturdy and can be cut and bolted back together. Part of me says take these pannel all apart and build a frame, another part of me says these pannels are light and sturdy, just cut 2 feet off the length stack them up and they can be my side walls. Help me avoid some trial and error. Or at least tell me what you like about your shanty and what you would do differently if you were starting over. Any suggestions or ideas?


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## MrBluegill (Dec 8, 2005)

i know you have all the supplys for you shack already but this is a nice shanty for your needs its light-cheep under 100$, i build my to be the same size as the shappell 2000 and looks great , you can cut the floor how ever you want it, you dont really need the blue prints if your intrested PM me and ill walk you throught it. 

http://www.dirtcheapdesign.com/iceshanty/


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## salmonslammer (Jan 28, 2001)

I'd strip em and build a frame first....You can plan for some shelves to store your kack on...

Cargo netting on the ceiling at either end ( or anywhere you're not going to get your gig CF in it) comes in real handy for storing your gloves and hat in so they don't get soaked....Don't forget some hooks for your coats.

I'm assuming it's not going to be portable??? What about a floor??


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## newfish (Feb 10, 2005)

the floor is a good question! What to use???? I've see them frozen into the ice which can make them hard to remove without damage. What works well out there?? I'm toying with the idea of not putting in a regular wood floor . I have 2 old truck bedliners one plastic(light) and one heavy rubber, maybe just cut them to fit but not attach them to the walls? What have you seen that works well?


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## newfish (Feb 10, 2005)

thinking about a mr. buddy heater for heat . Do they throw out too much light for a dark house? Too much or too little heat?


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

I've built two shanties, and I learned vast improvements from the first to the second. Here are the must do's in my opinion. My new one is dam near perfect. Sorry about the in depth report, but this will save you from many pitfalls that I didn't notice until my first one was built
#1 Make it portable.  My new shanty has carriage bolts and it comes apart each year and makes storage easy.
#2 If you plan for 4 people fishing, plan to make it big enough to hold 6. My new shanty can hold 6 comfortably. I can squeeze 8 if I choose. Its 6x8 and gives me plenty of room to store beer, bait, heaters
#3 Make your door 6 inches above the floor. This will keep snow from blowing in, and also keeps the door from freezing shut to snow, ice that accumulates. 
#4 Make a heavy duty floor. To prevent it from freezing to the ice, it must be raised off the ice. I put 2 18" 2x4's nailed together under each corner to keep it off the ice. A heavy duty floor will keep it from sagging. I also put additional boards under the middle of the shanty and on the sides.
#5 Don't paint your shanty a dark color. Mine is tan, reflectors work well for lakes with snowmobiles.
#6 Make a angled roof so snow runs off, but do not angle the roof towards your door.
I'd stay away from two doors. It'll make it quicker to build, and stronger. The best spot for the door is right in front of the hole. That way you can walk in and go either right or left to your seats. You offset the hole by about 1 ft, so you can step in the shanty without stepping over the hole.
#7 Put a lip in front of your hole on the inside. Mine is about 1.5" high, you'll be surprised how this will keep fish from slipping back in the hole, and from keeping stuff from falling in the hole.
#8 Don't put your seats to high. It makes it uncomfortable.
#9 Use a hole saw to cut 1.5" holes by the seat and put corks in it. This will allow you to see tip ups outside without letting the heat out.
#10 Don't forget to paint your insulation. The darker you can keep the shanty inside, the better off you'll be.
I think I covered a lot of the changes I made to mine. If you had to take any two of my pieces of advice, make the shanty big, and make it portable.
If you have additional questions, just let me know.


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## MrBluegill (Dec 8, 2005)

chuckinduck said:


> I've built two shanties, and I learned vast improvements from the first to the second. Here are the must do's in my opinion. My new one is dam near perfect. Sorry about the in depth report, but this will save you from many pitfalls that I didn't notice until my first one was built
> #1 Make it portable. My new shanty has carriage bolts and it comes apart each year and makes storage easy.
> #2 If you plan for 4 people fishing, plan to make it big enough to hold 6. My new shanty can hold 6 comfortably. I can squeeze 8 if I choose. Its 6x8 and gives me plenty of room to store beer, bait, heaters
> #3 Make your door 6 inches above the floor. This will keep snow from blowing in, and also keeps the door from freezing shut to snow, ice that accumulates.
> ...


very good hints i even learnd a few new thing i could do to my shack still, thanks for the info


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## newfish (Feb 10, 2005)

Thanks for sharing what has worked for you. You have alot of good tips. Learning from others experience and sharing ideas is the best part of this web site!


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## Ferris_StateHunter (Apr 24, 2006)

to add to what chuck said, just another idea. When we built ours last year, we had it up off the ice, but also on the bottom of those posts, we had skies on each side and anchors to anchor it to the ice w/o it slidding off the hole. Also ours was collapseable and It works like no other, we just pack everything on top of it, and the shanty now becomes a sled. I couldnt tell you the amount of time we saved with this, especially with our house being 8x8. If ya happen to be at shanty town this year look for us, I think we will have it up there.... 

We were thinking to add to it this year, by adding a sloped roof, but out idea was to have it so the roofs set on the top of the trusses we have and then pin them down, that way when we get out on a nice sunny day, we can take one of the roofs off while we are fishing. I know its a tad on the extreme side for ice shacks. and you wouldnt need anything like that for spearing but i think it will be nice to try


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## BFTrout (Sep 27, 2002)

More tips for the shack. 
Mine is about the same size as you're talking about. 4.5' by 6'. I can get 5 guys in there if I have to. It's light, 2x2" frames with 1/4" subfloor for the sides and roof. Once I made the frame, I got a hold of 1/4" foam (the stuff they put under steel siding) and stapled that to the frame: sides and roof - good for sealing out the light too. This is enough insulation. 
If you want the thing to be portable, put some pipe skis on it. I made mine out of 3/4" gas line. The leading edge is bent at a 45 and the back bend of the skiis is a 90. Make them at least 12" high. To move mine, I just have to push it over and tie a rope to the skis and I'm off. Going over deep snow isn't fun, but more times than not, you're pulling on ice or a few inches of snow. 
Make sure that you double up your corners that are going to have the skis on them, that way they'll through bolt to a 2x4 rather than a 2x2. 
BIG POINT: I recommend cutting a *diamond* hole. Even a sqare is fine as long as it's rotated so your feet are on either side of a corner, makes it very comfortable. Mine is actually a "stretched" diamond. 30" X 35". I'm not a big fan of my toes hanging over the edge of the hole. Had a few pike sneak in under my boot.
Heat: I've used the sunflower and the mr. buddies. gassed myself a few times with the sunflower. the mr. buddy isn't too bad, but it hisses. Last year I went with a heating element from a gas stove. Infinite heat adjustment, unlike the other two. Also, make sure you vent the shack. I found 3 old boat blower vents (2" i think). Two are above the heater in the peak, and one is on the other peak. 
Peep holes. The suggestion earlier for the hole and cork isn't bad until you wear out the hole and the wind blows your cork into the shack. Here is what I did: cut out a 6" disc out of 1/4" plywood. Drill a 3/4" hole (peep hole) about an inch from the side. also drill a small bolt hole in the center of this disc (like 3/16"). place the disc where you want it inside the shack and mark the shack wall with the bolt hole and the peep hole. Drill the peep hole in the shack wall and bolt the disc to the wall. Once tight, all you have to do is roate the disc to where both peep holes line up, take a look (or fry your eye) and roatate back to seal out the light. 
If you do go with that 1/4" foam, your seal is going to be really good. 
I'd post some photos of my shack, but don't know how. Might be able to send them to you via e-mail. 
Good luck
BFTrout


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## newfish (Feb 10, 2005)

Thanks for the all the great ideas, the diamond shaped hole is a really cool idea. I have had my boot just over hole and had a pike sneak in and with my heart racing and with all the excitement I have to remember to not hit my foot. That would be quite a story at the emergency room.


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## newfish (Feb 10, 2005)

To keep the shanty from freezing in the shany is off the ice a bit with 2x4 or whatever, how do you keep light from entering the hole from the space between shanty floor and Ice? Has anyone taken something and placed it between floor and ice to keep the light out of the spearing hole? If so, what, and how?


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## BFTrout (Sep 27, 2002)

shovel snow around the sides of the shack to keep the light/wind out. if you don't have snow, be sure to save all the shavings from your auger holes. 
you can always use carpet or rubber in a pinch. just make sure to fold the things up and out of the ice/water before you leave. they're a pain to get out once they freeze in. 
BFTrout


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## CaptainNorthwood (Jan 3, 2006)

BFTrout is correct, just shovel snow over the sides of your shanty. It should cover it sufficiently to keep light out. Chuckinduck and I use a Mr. Heater without vent problems, but we also have the new heater that safe for indoor use.


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## eddiejohn4 (Dec 23, 2005)

Newfish use metal 2x2 studs for the frame these are light weight but very sturdy. Use tech screws or self tapping drywall screws to secure the panels.


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## newfish (Feb 10, 2005)

what is a tech screw?


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