O.k I got the o.k. from the better half to purchase a wheelhouse,as long as it has a/c,& we can use it to camp in.
Looking for wheelhouse owners opinions on what to look for,best ones out there,blah, blah,blah 8×16,able to pull with a 1/2 ton chev. sleep 4 max.no more than $10k read alot of different reviews online.(would rather hear it from real ice fisherman.) 
For the price these guys make quite the house! http://www.fishhousestore.com/ They are worth checking out. My buddy got one of the 13ft heavy duty V-nose models and loves it
Been there and done that. IF I had to do it over again – I would NOT get one with a rooftop AC unit. Expensive and a PITA in the winter – with cold airflow issues. I would get a standard unit and put a small window unit in place in the summer…… I bought a small unit from Lowes for 80 bucks – and it works wonderfully – and only takes a minute to put in place.
T
I had the 6′ X 14′ Ice Castle. I recommend the brand. Very happy with it. I DO NOT recommend the size. I would say at least 8′ X 16′. If you don’t want to go the 8′ at least stay in the 16’+ range.
Baby the hell out of the bearings/hubs/wheels and axle assembly. A winter’s worth of road salt down there tears it apart.
Mine had a V nose and a bathroom in the V nose. Very nice option but it took up a ton of space.
The reason I got rid of it was because EVERYONE wanted to be my fishing buddy until it was time to clean the toilet, stove, do maintenance, etc.
I had a 1997 Chevy 1500 with the 4.8L. Fighting a head wind you’d get about 5 MPG. Maybe around 9 MPG without a head wind.
We fished 4 or even 5 out of mine but it would get very crowded. Especially when you’ve got all the hole covers off and lines down. You loose a lot of floor space when the holes covers are off.
Even with a lot of careful consideration form the manufacturer about the layout, I did a fair amount of modification to make it what I wanted it to be.
FWIW I’m with Timmy. IF I did it again (and that’s a huge IF).
I went with a ICE CASTLE brand in 6.5×14 V front single axle being I put one alot of miles pulling and really like the size. When on the ice I chain up the pickup and as long as we do not high center the truck in snow we can go anywhere. Pull it with a 2004 ford f-150 and actually pulls very well. When I was looking I wanted one with rear doors and removable bunks so when fishing you can put the bunks up to the ceiling or take them out and put them in the pickup and with several people you have to option of going out the other end instead of stepping around everyone. Orginally it had a bathroom on one side of the V but after one season of this being a closet and getting no use I did a complete overhaul of the inside to open up more space. Also I was looking for one with a door actually on the V instead of the side this will open up quite a bit of floor space but my only issue is from road spray the door knob lock will freeze up being its on the front and not side. There is 5 holes but with having removable bunks I am debating on adding 2 more hole in the back corners for rattles. We quite often fish 4 people with no issuse other then interference or sonars in deeper water but that will be somewhat of an issue no matter what. Sleeping 4 can get a little tight space wise when all the bunks get brought in from the truck but we have slept 6 before. If your up in the north metro and want to come take a look just shoot me a PM.
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Been there and done that. IF I had to do it over again – I would NOT get one with a rooftop AC unit. Expensive and a PITA in the winter – with cold airflow issues. I would get a standard unit and put a small window unit in place in the summer…… I bought a small unit from Lowes for 80 bucks – and it works wonderfully – and only takes a minute to put in place.
T
I agree with the roof A/C. My suggesting is get a stand alone unit and not a window unit. To vent the stand alone I do the following. I bought a spare catch cover and cut a hole the size of the duct work from the A/C. Run about four feet of duct through the hole and seal. When I’m ready to run the A/C the standard catch cover comes off and the A/C cover goes on. Then run the duct under the frame and out the side of the house. Works well. This will also save you a nice chunk of money over paying for a roof mounted A/C. I’ve also been told that over time, you might get leaks through the roof where the A/C is mounted.
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I had the 6′ X 14′ Ice Castle. I recommend the brand. Very happy with it. I DO NOT recommend the size. I would say at least 8′ X 16′. If you don’t want to go the 8′ at least stay in the 16’+ range.
8′ wide is a must. If you have the bunks running across the house, the 6′ wide just doesn’t get it done. You might as well sleep on the ice.
Also, look on craigslist. You can find some almost new houses for a steal of a deal.
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