best wheelhouse?? need opinion!!

Hey all, I’m considering buying a wheelhouse and was curious what style/brand everyone prefers. Obviously Ice Castles are the big one out there, but would like to learn more about some other brands as well. I would like something that’s 8.5′ wide and 16′ long. Im new to the site so I may have missed a previous thread about this topic. Any thoughts?

I’ve heard good things about Yeti.
Welcome to the site!

I am currently finishing a 19′ Yetti.

I like the axle all the way through even though it limits holes it is way stronger.

I dont like the factory fur out of the 1×2, many split ends and the way they used crimp connectors for all the tail and marker lights I ended up soldering them all. I would have them skip the 2×2 and request soldering all wire connections if they want the sale if I were to do it over. It also did not come with a lic plate holder and light.

I will be honest with you, I chose to finish the inside myself and its A LOT of work. I am a shop teacher and have all the tools needed yet am still amazed at the time it is taking. I come from a construction background and am learning the ways of RV/mobile home construction. I DONT LIKE THEM. So, everything I am doing is above and beyond RV mentality. You have to keep in mind this thing will be bouncing down the ice road and over time that will take its toll. Take the extra steps to reduce potential issues.

quality screws

solder wires

accessibility to certain areas in walls

research many floor layouts

ask questions to other house owners of perspective brands

Its quite a process but it will pay off in the end. I hope…

I had a Ice Castle and I also had a Lodge.
The Lodge was much better built, noticably stronger, pulled better and was better insolated.
I didn’t have any problem with my Ice Castle, the Lodge was just much better built IMHO.
The Lodge I had in comparision was heavier and was also
more $’s.
Happy shopping. I miss mine… Kinda

Thanks for the input! My budget is around 10k so i will need to find something used. Just from looking online, I like the team lodge elite, just cant quite afford that one. I’ve read that the ice castles aren’t the most durable brand but they are very popular so that’s my situation. Anyways- thanks again for the advice… CANT WAIT FOR THE ICE!!!

I have had a 6.5 foot by 14 foot ice castle for four years now. At first I was extremely pleased with the overall quality, but as the years and miles were put on, I could honestly say that I will never buy another Ice Castle. The quality is rather poor and they use the absolute cheapest materials available. I bought this house to mainly use on LOTW and a little at home. I live in Alexandria and the 250 mile, one way trip, sure has taken its toll on the ice house. I have had to do 2 major axel repairs, both of which happened while on LOTW. One was only 2 miles off of Pine Island, and the other was 21 miles off Pine. I do not “off-road” or beat this thing up either, I go a maximum of 15 mph on the ice and below that in the rough areas of the ice road. The frame has bad rust damage, almost to the point where I will need to sandblast it and put on a layer of rust prevention paint.
I do like the layout of the inside however, it fishes 3 grown men very comfortably and works perfectly as a base camp for when we wanna get out and explore the ice a little. If I were you, I would really look at the Yeti and Lodge ice houses, they seem to be made with higher standards than Ice Castle.