Cost of Wheel houses

Ok Guys and Gals,

What is going on here! I have been in the market looking hard for a lot of years but just keep setting aside money for a new (to me) one.
my old house frame (90’s king crow) rusted out about 5 years ago and I have been looking really hard ever since for a decent priced one. im finally in a position to buy a decent one last year and the prices are a couple grand high so I decided to wait for them to go back down……WRONG! now they are really really high often many thousands more than they where when they where new on the lot several years ago! what do I do? bite the bullet and buy one now? or wait and maybe something will give? idk What do you all think?

I bought my 2019 glacier new late summer of 2020. I’ve been looking online at the new ones now and there almost 10k more for the exact same shack with just different graphics on the outside! It’s insane, I can’t believe people are paying the prices they are getting now days.

Personally if I were looking to buy one now days I would wait and just buy a high end portable for a year or two and see what the prices do. There’s no way I would pay 30k+ that they are getting for a new 16’-17’ shack.

Don’t get me wrong they are nice fishing in BUT you could go on probably a lifetime of ice fishing trips at a resort for 30k. You have to weigh out the cost and how much you plan on using a shack.

Coletrain27 wrote:

I bought my 2019 glacier new late summer of 2020. I’ve been looking online at the new ones now and there almost 10k more for the exact same shack with just different graphics on the outside! It’s insane, I can’t believe people are paying the prices they are getting now days.

Personally if I were looking to buy one now days I would wait and just buy a high end portable for a year or two and see what the prices do. There’s no way I would pay 30k+ that they are getting for a new 16’-17’ shack.

Don’t get me wrong they are nice fishing in BUT you could go on probably a lifetime of ice fishing trips at a resort for 30k. You have to weigh out the cost and how much you plan on using a shack.

this,I love ice fishing but would never spend that much on a fishhouse.

I paid $500.00 for a Friday sat overnight fishhouse on red several years back, doing the math that’s 60 weekends of fishing

if people would stop paying these ridiculous prices, eventually the price will go back down. anyone who bought a boat last year took it in the rear. i guess some make too much money and don’t care as it’s all instant gratification. i am not in the market but some day possibly. one thing is for sure and that is no way am i paying 10k more on something i could have gotten for less a year ago…….no way! i would have to kick my own A$$ if i did that.

I gave up on the idea of owning a fish house. Partly due to watching my friends struggle with breakdowns of equipment and hassle but mostly due to prices. You can be like me and join the number of people that have started camping in pop ups. Works great and way cheaper….

One option you have is buying someone else’s home built wheelhouse. The prices on those are the same as they were 5 years ago

In my opinion if you find a shack that you want and its with in reason what your willing to pay i would go for it, i wouldnt settle for somthing, and i wouldnt way over pay! imo the high price’s are not going away,materials are up, labor is going up, and demand is up. I rolled the the dice mid summer and bought a used wheel house and thought i slightly over payed and now i have no regrets!

Feds are planning on reeling it in soon with interest rate hikes. That and $5/gallon gas things will happen fast. I’d wait it out. I about cried when I bought my first wheelhouse a few years ago. I’m on my second one now, I bought just in time before the explosion of price. If you can get your family into it, it’s the best money you will spend. Im on day 5 sitting on Red with my 2 boys, and going to pack up in the morning. The the boys are asking if we can stay until Sunday despite fishing has been really slow. Unfortunately that is not an option. But it makes me feel good they want to stay.

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If you’re looking at strictly a fish house (a non-RV edition, like you had before), I’d wait until spring.

You’ll see some shacks listed high, but throw them a reasonable offer and go with it.

The RV shacks are worth top-dollar year-round, so there’s not much wiggle room with them.

That said, you only live once and what’s a few thousand bucks more. Get out and enjoy it, especially if you have kids or a wife that likes it.

We’re out on the lake right now (not Red, Mille Lacs, or LOTW), and the kids are loving it!

They’ve caught some eater pike, their first eel pout, and a big ass walleye on their own today

They’re the toughest little shits in the world (note Ben’s butterfly bandage lol) and will fish in the boat in February, or in the portables any day, but the comfort a wheelhouse has to offer is unbeatable.

A shack costs a lot of money, but they hold their value to a point.

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B-man
Your kids just crack me up! They always look like they are having the time of their life! I think your boys could have fun with a stick and a tin can. Love it.
You are a great Dad!

I’m in the same situation, I almost bought a glacier rv edition last year and held off. Now this year that same unit is 12k more. No thank you. I’ll wait it out.

My brother in law has one that is about 7 years old. He initially bought it solely for ice fishing use but over the years he’s used it way more during the off season as a camper instead. Heck, he may not even use it for ice fishing this season. Just make sure there it has air conditioning in it otherwise you will roast in the summer.

If you are looking for a more no-frills one like the King Crow, this is your best bet at finding something affordable. I forget the names, but there are other small scale manufacturers like he was still running and producing the more old school houses with ribbed sides and more utilitarian.

The extra finish and comfort of the Ice Castles, Yetis, Firebrands, etc are definitely nice for the longer trips and if you want to use it for a camper in the summer, but any wheel house that you can build bunks in is enough for most guys.

You are also looking at the worst possible time of the year.

gim wrote:

My brother in law has one that is about 7 years old. He initially bought it solely for <em class=”ido-tag-em”>ice fishing use but over the years he’s used it way more during the off season as a camper instead. Heck, he may not even use it for ice fishing this season. Just make sure there it has air conditioning in it otherwise you will roast in the summer.

You don’t say.

Only you can set your pleasure and financial priorities. Your the one deciding what and how you want to enjoy an endeavor and how much your willing to pay for it. Anyone can justify either way whether they buy or don’t buy something. These conversations are nauseating, asking others to justify your $$$per enjoyment factor. It’s like asking a bunch of people whether you should get married to a particular person???

I’ve been looking for an older snowmobile or 4wheeler for ice fishing and I just cant believe what some people are asking for them. There are some sleds that are over 20 years old and people asking 3k to 4k for them! I just laugh and keep looking.

Has me thinking I should sell one I got two falls ago if the prices are up that much. Got a 6×14 castle and haven’t used it as much as I would’ve expected to.

MNdrifter and B-man, the memories made on those trips are priceless and I love seeing the pictures. I bet those boys will do the same with their kids someday and bring grandpa along too.

Wonder what they will have to dish out for a fish house when that time comes?

The wheelhouse world seems to be the most popular winter activity in MN now and I don’t see that changing. With the high demand and people throwing cash around like people mentioned above, I personally don’t see the costs of brand new wheelhouses going down. Definitely leveling out but not going down. Used market should dial back a bit but no one can be certain when.

Prices aren’t going anywhere. Inflationary times rarely reverse, rather just slows. Some of the input costs will level off, but labor prices will never recede except for some massive recession. The demand for wheelhouses is absurd but they’re also a model of recreating that has fit well with the ongoing Covid chaos. If I were looking for one, I’d be throwing out low-ball cash offers in March/April, while simultaneously hoping for more mild winters.

Sidenote…I live in SE MN and a guy down the road has a tandem axle with slide. He has to drive 4 hours to find ice that will support it during a 2 month window. Not my cup of tea, but to each their own.

Here’s a little secret. Wheelhouses have evolved into true 4 season RVs. They can withstand comfortably anything North America can dish out and do it better than RVs the style and manufacture coming out of Indiana. Anyone can see the trend. Campers love camping and now with these units on the scene, the demand will only rise.

High demand equals high price. What is the current wait on an RV Ice Catle. Last I heard it months. Good used units disappear off the lots likety split.

keppenhiemer wrote:

Ok Guys and Gals,

What is going on here! I have been in the market looking hard for a lot of years but just keep setting aside money for a new (to me) one.
my old house frame (90’s king crow) rusted out about 5 years ago and I have been looking really hard ever since for a decent priced one. im finally in a position to buy a decent one last year and the prices are a couple grand high so I decided to wait for them to go back down……WRONG! now they are really really high often many thousands more than they where when they where new on the lot several years ago! what do I do? bite the bullet and buy one now? or wait and maybe something will give? idk What do you all think?

I have a 2011 Salem Ice Cabin that the frame rusted through pretty bad. I stopped by Crystal Welding to talk with them about the problem and they said, yes we repair these wheel houses all the time…but it’s not cheap, could be up to $10,000. Well my “Next” house would have been a Black Bear with heavy aluminum frame and hydraulics but the one I wanted was $45,000. I like my current layout so I brought it to Crystal and said fix it. It took them a while but they did a fabulous job and it was about $9200. With prices up it is now back worth more than I paid for it. On a $45K house the taxes and registration would have been $3K, Depreciation after driving off the lot would have been $7K, it cost me about the same. I don’t regret it one bit and I feel my house is good as new again. I think it’s worth looking into.

buckybadger wrote:

Prices aren’t going anywhere. Inflationary times rarely reverse, rather just slows. Some of the input costs will level off, but labor prices will never recede except for some massive recession. The demand for wheelhouses is absurd but they’re also a model of recreating that has fit well with the ongoing Covid chaos. If I were looking for one, I’d be throwing out low-ball cash offers in March/April, while simultaneously hoping for more mild winters.

Sidenote…I live in SE MN and a guy down the road has a tandem axle with slide. He has to drive 4 hours to find ice that will support it during a 2 month window. Not my cup of tea, but to each their own.

I agree…even if demand starts to wane prices will not recede. The used market may open up a bit but that likely multiple years away.

To the op…if you’ve been looking for 5 years how much do you really need/want one?

Just to corroborate the OP (not that it’s needed), noticed this one on marketplace. That’s a 6-1/2 x 10’ model. I agree that the price of new will likely never drop. Maybe level out at some point. The market on most recreational items now reminds me of Harley Davidson throughout the 90’s. Couldn’t hardly buy one off the showroom. Had to order and wait 6-12 months. Used were selling like hotcakes for nearly the price of new. We certainly are in interesting times.

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Matt Moen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
Prices aren’t going anywhere. Inflationary times rarely reverse, rather just slows. Some of the input costs will level off, but labor prices will never recede except for some massive recession. The demand for wheelhouses is absurd but they’re also a model of recreating that has fit well with the ongoing Covid chaos. If I were looking for one, I’d be throwing out low-ball cash offers in March/April, while simultaneously hoping for more mild winters.

Sidenote…I live in SE MN and a guy down the road has a tandem axle with slide. He has to drive 4 hours to find ice that will support it during a 2 month window. Not my cup of tea, but to each their own.

I agree…even if demand starts to wane prices will not recede. The used market may open up a bit but that likely multiple years away.

To the op…if you’ve been looking for 5 years how much do you really need/want one?

Spot on. New price floors are being set quarterly now. The only variables with recreational purchases are that they are luxury items to some and could be the first things dropped in tough financial times…and seasonal demand can change. If MN strings together a few relatively crappy ice seasons with mild winters, demand could wane a bit faster but not enough to lower prices. Businesses will just cut production, a few job related expenses, and maintain their prices at the new equilibrium this inflation has created.

Homes are not much different (just more rooted in demand significance versus a recreational item). There are a lot of people “waiting for prices to drop” before they build or buy. What they don’t understand is that housing prices will likely only slow down, but continue to slowly increase along historical averages 6-12 months AFTER interest rates take a considerable hike.

I spoke with a contractor last week who said he’s booked solid through Fall of 2023 with guaranteed major projects and people putting cash down to just hold a spot for his services. He’s in his early 50s and said he may realistically be able to book out his hand picked jobs to retirement at this rate

Nothing is going to go down in price when it comes to buying new recreational toys. Demand for this stuff is driven by the relative strength of the economy and interest rates. When people have jobs they feel secure in and they either have cash or have lenders willing to lend at low rates, they buy. It’s that simple.

Demand is huge, interest rates are low, labor is in short supply, and materials costs are high. None of that is going to contribute to anything but higher prices in the rec toy space and they aren’t coming down.

As with any seasonal toy, timing is everything if you want a better deal. IMO, buying a wheelhouse now is like buying a boat in May. Worst possible time to be shopping if you’re looking for deals. I’d have to think March is the time to start looking.

Right now, I’m kicked back in my Ice Castle and am enveloped in the beautiful cedar woodwork. The radio is softly playing classic rock and the wonderful sunshine is steaming through the windows. Outside it’s 4 degrees, but inside it’s a cozy 68degrees, my perfect temperature. I just had a yummy breakfast of eggs, hash browns, and toast with fresh brewed coffee. I’m enjoying an absolutely gorgeous day. Every amenity is within reach and every luxury is accessible for my enjoyment. I’m up in the beautiful north woods watching the birds flitting about enjoying a winter treat of berry infused suet blocks. And I’m not even on the ice…

Heck…why is my house worth so much more than it was 5 years ago?

And how about the cost of the truck you’re going to need to pull that wheelhouse? Dealer sends me a couple letters a month offering to buy mine back from me for 125% of book value. I could sell it myself for as much or more than I paid 4 years ago.

The newly unveiled Silverado EV has a msrp of $105,000!!

Unless your prone to having an uncontrolled addictive personality, one that compels you to do things that are detrimental to your health, finances, relationships, exc, Your decisions are based on a cost benefit analysis. It’s still no guarantee it’s a good decision, but hopefully it gives you a fighting chance.

Wheelhouses are built and sold to meet customers demands and at a price they can sell them for. Supply and demand.

Sometimes to meet ones personal priorities one has to make tough decisions. When I turned 16 I was working for my dad stocking shelves in his store. And at 16 I wanted more expensive toys. I approached my dad looking for a handout. He said no, if you want it, you now have to work for it. I asked for a raise, he said no. So I quit on the spot and got 2 jobs at restaurants, both better paying, and I got the funds I “needed”. That was 44 years ago and he never brought up my work ethic ever again.