I fully acknowledge this is a rumor I heard with no actual proof of its truth.
I heard yesterday that SnoBear is going out of business. With key issues being finding workers, supply chain issues, and loss of revenue due to lack of reliability with there product.
Has anyone else heard any rumblings? If those are there reasons it would make sense. I also fully acknowledge I will never afford one of these but it still would be a loss overall for the ice fishing industry.
I think they are kind of neat, but man at the prices they ask for these things its really only an option for a full time guide. I dont know how they have lasted this long. I havent necessarily heard of issues with them, but I havent talked to anyone who has one either.
The main issue I’ve heard is the Tranny’s go out on them all the time.
I have only seen them a few times on LOW. Man they move at a snail’s pace. I hate to see a company go under, its a nifty idea.
I’ve only ever seen one. It was out on the Webster, South Dakota area a few winters ago.
The price tag is beyond ridiculous. You can buy a really nice boat with all the bells and whistles for that amount instead.
There’s a whole fleet of them on Lake Winnipeg. Think they’re getting more common on Devils Lake too. Maintenance issues is no surprise just looking at them.
The price tag is beyond ridiculous. You can buy a really nice boat with all the bells and whistles for that amount instead.
But you can’t ice fish in a boat and they are basically a boat for ice fishing. A big portion of work force is working 60+ hr weeks all summer with no time to fish but laid off all winter.
I think they make a lot more sense than wheelhouses STRICTLY for the fishing part of it. Yes I realize wheelhouses can be used year round and Snobears are a 1 trick pony… kind of like a boat.
I think they make a lot more sense than wheelhouses STRICTLY for the fishing part of it. Yes I realize wheelhouses can be used year round and Snobears are a 1 trick pony… kind of like a boat.
If they were much cheaper I would get one over a wheelhouse. It wasnt all that long ago they were like 30k. Now I see used ones going for 70k. Ouch.
I like the idea plus you can ride on the snowmobile trails on LOW so you can get away from people. I will keep with my snowmobile and portable.
You see many more in ND as they are built in West Fargo. Most ND lakes don’t have resorts plowing roads, so SnoBears are a functional way to get around and still stay comfortable.
A big portion of work force is working 60+ hr weeks all summer with no time to fish but laid off all winter.
Exactly. A lot of people are aghast at the money people have in their ice fishing setups up on Red and LOTW but these are the landscapers, construction guys, realtors, you name it that make good money but literally have nothing to do during winter except plow snow for extra cash. So they bring their 30 foot Ice castles up and stay there for a couple months.
These are the SnoBear guys. What seems like an expensive toy that couldn’t be used much to us, are what these guys are running for weeks at a time. They get their money’s worth.
Don’t know how they can go out of business when every farmer in NE SD has one
Don’t know how they can go out of business when every farmer in NE SD has one
Are there new farmers that are going to buy one?
I know of 4-5 guys that bought new ones this year and will more than likely trade in a for new one next year
i really enjoyed fishing out of one in my two trips to Devils Lake. They certainly don’t go as fast a snowmobile, but moving spots is soooooo easy. and they are really warm. I would love to own a snobear.
You see many more in ND as they are built in West Fargo. Most ND lakes don’t have resorts plowing roads, so SnoBears are a functional way to get around and still stay comfortable.
I thought there based out of Isanti, they have a shop there and a rows of them out there.
Would be cool to see a resort start renting out a fleet of Snobears. I think they would have customers somewhere between $500-$1,000 per day. Might actually make money if Minnesota wasn’t so entrenched in plowed road/wheelhouse culture.
I’ve heard from a guide that Snobear is selling every unit they can make and there is a long waiting list. Every year it seems we see more Snobears on the ice. Couldn’t believe how many we saw on a 2 day trip to South Dakota in January.
I’ve heard from a guide that Snobear is selling every unit they can make and there is a long waiting list. Every year it seems we see more Snobears on the ice. Couldn’t believe how many we saw on a 2 day trip to South Dakota in January.
If this was the case, it seems that Snobear wouldn’t be going out of business, as the OP thought might be happening.
Maybe its just a rumor too. Who knows
If this was the case, it seems that Snobear wouldn’t be going out of business, as the OP thought might be happening.
Maybe its just a rumor too. Who knows
OP’s first sentence:
I fully acknowledge this is a rumor I heard with no actual proof of its truth.
highbanks resort on winnie had one for a while, think they got rid of it.
but any equipment these guys use to maintain ice roads takes a beating!!!!!!!
OP’s first sentence:
Dash Adams wrote:
I fully acknowledge this is a rumor I heard with no actual proof of its truth.
LOL I’m an idiot clearly
I can’t comment on anything related to going out of business, but it’s a virtual lock that they’re seeing some issues related to supply chain. Everyone involved with manufacturing is seeing at least some level of disruption.
Everyone involved with manufacturing is seeing at least some level of disruption.
Yep, its widespread for sure. Guys ordered snowmobiles last year and they are being sent without gauges or not being produced at all. They are still making 2022 models when they should be moving over to 2023. My new truck I just ordered has been delayed production twice.
I think they’re awesome. I have only fished out of one once years ago with a college friend. He kept one for a couple years when he lived in Bemidji. Once he got married and moved to the St. Cloud area he dumped it. His didn’t give him a ton of issues, but I remember something with the transmission and it not idling correctly that he said was hard to figure out and required it going on trailer to the manufacturer.
With that said, they are really a niche market. You first have to be in an area that has enough cold days to make them make sense. If I lived in far northern MN or near Devil’s Lake and lived and breathed ice fishing, sure. For someone in the metro area or any other place that doesn’t get a ton of ice or has a shorter season…the economics of ownership don’t add up. When you sprinkle in the supply issues, growing labor costs, and the growth of wheelhouses squeezing the market, it’s a tough business venture to see growth.
Wheelhouses are exploding because of their year-round capabilities. Some of these large tandem axle rigs are used for maybe 7-8 weeks truly ice fishing, but the owners can still get use out of them most of the rest of the year as campers. It may all be rumor or speculation as some have said, but the path forward for them is easy to question.
Would be cool to see a resort start renting out a fleet of Snobears. I think they would have customers somewhere between $500-$1,000 per day. Might actually make money if Minnesota wasn’t so entrenched in plowed road/wheelhouse culture.
The guy in Winnipeg chargers $700ish US dollars a day. On a lake like that it’s the cats arse. Just don’t see them catching on in Minnesota as there are very few big lakes that don’t have road systems.
You guys are talking about the price don’t forget about the trailer cost. Not like you can slide one of those bad boys on a 3k snowmobile trailer.
Wilcraft is another company I wonder how they do as I never see them on the ice.
They had a tournament on big stone and there was over 40 of them in the tournament just for snobears.
The guy in Winnipeg chargers $700ish US dollars a day.
That’s pretty good. Assuming you get 4 guys in it that’s a similar cost to renting a snowmobile most places. And you get to fish out of Snobear instead of a snowmobile.
Don’t know how they can go out of business when every farmer in NE SD has one
Don’t forget the “struggling” ND farmers that are also buying these things like crazy. I was on a random slough in South Central ND a couple weeks ago and there were 3 out there, I’ve seen at least a half dozen this year.
TSW Don’t know if that’s enough to make a living on them but they were booked enough to add more. He also guides. Perfect lake for those things though.
Long rides no roads long season crazy snow conditions. Big Walleyes.
TSW Don’t know if that’s enough to make a living on them but they were booked enough to add more. He also guides. Perfect lake for those things though.
Long rides no roads long season crazy snow conditions. Big Walleyes.
I remember seeing them all over the place up there.
I have a Kioti tractor that I use for hauling my fish houses around when lakes are shy of the thickness I’m comfortable to go on with my 1 ton pickup. I got to thinking how awesome it would be to get a set of tracks for the tractor? That evaporated when the quoted cost was $30 thousand. That’s a $50 thousand investment just to pull fishhouses around.
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