Just before Christmas, I decided that I wanted to get into ice fishing more seriously than I have been in the past. I researched all the latest gear and gadgets... figured out how much money I wanted to spend... and determined what I wanted to buy. For a sled, I had a full-size Jet sled in mind. However, on Christmas morning I was surprised with an ice fishing related gift from my dad... which happened to be the Strikemaster Glide Lite sled. This sled is about half the size of your typical sled, designed for ultimate mobility and convenience.
I must admit, at first I was a bit concerned. I thought I was going to have to buy another, bigger, sled... which would result in one more extra thing to store up in the loft (which my wife hates, BTW). After searching the web for modification ideas, I decided to Pimp My Sled, if you will. Below is a series of before and after pictures, showing the modifications that I made and how they will be used.
This first one is a picture of the sled, before any modification, just as it comes out of the box (bucket was added). The sled is approximately 18" wide, 16" high, and around two feet long... made out of a thin black polyethylene plastic I believe.
First things first... I had to come up with a way to attach my auger to the sled. A two-piece auger can be broken down and tucked inside the sled, but that just isn't practical... it robs valuable space and who the hell wants to take apart their auger whenever they make a move? I did a lot of brainstorming as I was browsing through Home Depot. I stumbled upon thoses plastic hook hangers that are made for hanging pipes from rafters. I bought a couple different sizes since I wasn't sure what would work the best, and they were less than a buck apiece. After a bit of eyeballing, I mounted the hooks to the sled with two bolts each. NOTE*** I wrapped the hook "shanks" in electrical tape first since these things are brittle and I didn't want them to crumble when I torqued the bolts. When I hung the auger on the hooks, the auger fell towards the rear due to being off-balance, which I figured would be the case. My remedy: a couple strips of velcro in front of the front hook. The velcro was attached to the sled with 1/2" self-tapping screws, with a dab of loktite superglue on the threads.
Here's the resulting auger carriage...
My next idea was to construct a hatch over the front compartment of the sled. That way I don't lose my valuable ice jigs, miscellaneous items, and of course I want to keep my precious Redman Golden Blend nice and dry. :smiley_bril: I wanted it to be light and see-through, so I went with 1/4" acrylic plastic... similar to plexiglass but a bit more rigid. A couple cheap hinges, attached to the sled with more superglued self-tappers, are what connect the hatch to the sled. To keep the hatch shut I installed a magnetic spring loaded catch, just like the ones on entertainment center glass doors. I must say, acrylic is very nice to work with. You can shape it easily, and polish it up with a little flame from a torch. It does however seem to be fairly brittle, so at this point I don't know how long this hatch will last. Another NOTE... yea I know, the hinges are on the outside... but installing them on the inside and folded up just wasn't going to work out.
The interior of the sled offers pretty limited storage for larger items, and since I wanted to reserve most of that space for my underwater camera, I had to find a spot for the Buddy Heater. On the back of the sled is a bit of a shelf with holes in it for putting ice rods into. Since I only use two rods, there was plenty of space on the back to set the Buddy Heater on that shelf. I installed four eye bolts on the top four corners of the sled to use as tie-down points. The back two work perfectly for securing my heater to the back of the sled.
That's pretty much the extent of my sled modifications at this time. I'm sure there will be other ideas that I come up with as I use the sled in the future. One thing I would like to do is add extra plastic runners onto the bottom of the sled so that I don't burn holes in it while dragging it across rocks and parking lots.
Here are a few pictures of the finished product, all rigged up and ready to go. My shelter is a Cabelas Ice Team 6'x6' hub shelter, which only weighs about 26 lbs so it will be carried on my shoulder on the way out. Everything else that I need will be either in or on this little sled. I'm very happy with the way it's turned out so far. Even though I was concerned at first, I have no doubt now that this sled will suit my needs just fine. Best part of all, it's small enough to throw in the trunk of a car if necessary, and it stores away nicely up in my garage loft.
I would recommend this sled to anyone who is a mobile fisherman, or anyone who has limited storage space. If you have any questions about materials or methods, ask away!
I must admit, at first I was a bit concerned. I thought I was going to have to buy another, bigger, sled... which would result in one more extra thing to store up in the loft (which my wife hates, BTW). After searching the web for modification ideas, I decided to Pimp My Sled, if you will. Below is a series of before and after pictures, showing the modifications that I made and how they will be used.
This first one is a picture of the sled, before any modification, just as it comes out of the box (bucket was added). The sled is approximately 18" wide, 16" high, and around two feet long... made out of a thin black polyethylene plastic I believe.
First things first... I had to come up with a way to attach my auger to the sled. A two-piece auger can be broken down and tucked inside the sled, but that just isn't practical... it robs valuable space and who the hell wants to take apart their auger whenever they make a move? I did a lot of brainstorming as I was browsing through Home Depot. I stumbled upon thoses plastic hook hangers that are made for hanging pipes from rafters. I bought a couple different sizes since I wasn't sure what would work the best, and they were less than a buck apiece. After a bit of eyeballing, I mounted the hooks to the sled with two bolts each. NOTE*** I wrapped the hook "shanks" in electrical tape first since these things are brittle and I didn't want them to crumble when I torqued the bolts. When I hung the auger on the hooks, the auger fell towards the rear due to being off-balance, which I figured would be the case. My remedy: a couple strips of velcro in front of the front hook. The velcro was attached to the sled with 1/2" self-tapping screws, with a dab of loktite superglue on the threads.
Here's the resulting auger carriage...
My next idea was to construct a hatch over the front compartment of the sled. That way I don't lose my valuable ice jigs, miscellaneous items, and of course I want to keep my precious Redman Golden Blend nice and dry. :smiley_bril: I wanted it to be light and see-through, so I went with 1/4" acrylic plastic... similar to plexiglass but a bit more rigid. A couple cheap hinges, attached to the sled with more superglued self-tappers, are what connect the hatch to the sled. To keep the hatch shut I installed a magnetic spring loaded catch, just like the ones on entertainment center glass doors. I must say, acrylic is very nice to work with. You can shape it easily, and polish it up with a little flame from a torch. It does however seem to be fairly brittle, so at this point I don't know how long this hatch will last. Another NOTE... yea I know, the hinges are on the outside... but installing them on the inside and folded up just wasn't going to work out.
The interior of the sled offers pretty limited storage for larger items, and since I wanted to reserve most of that space for my underwater camera, I had to find a spot for the Buddy Heater. On the back of the sled is a bit of a shelf with holes in it for putting ice rods into. Since I only use two rods, there was plenty of space on the back to set the Buddy Heater on that shelf. I installed four eye bolts on the top four corners of the sled to use as tie-down points. The back two work perfectly for securing my heater to the back of the sled.
That's pretty much the extent of my sled modifications at this time. I'm sure there will be other ideas that I come up with as I use the sled in the future. One thing I would like to do is add extra plastic runners onto the bottom of the sled so that I don't burn holes in it while dragging it across rocks and parking lots.
Here are a few pictures of the finished product, all rigged up and ready to go. My shelter is a Cabelas Ice Team 6'x6' hub shelter, which only weighs about 26 lbs so it will be carried on my shoulder on the way out. Everything else that I need will be either in or on this little sled. I'm very happy with the way it's turned out so far. Even though I was concerned at first, I have no doubt now that this sled will suit my needs just fine. Best part of all, it's small enough to throw in the trunk of a car if necessary, and it stores away nicely up in my garage loft.
I would recommend this sled to anyone who is a mobile fisherman, or anyone who has limited storage space. If you have any questions about materials or methods, ask away!
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