Wilcraft boat for ice fishing

Hello all,

I am new memeber to ice fishing community. I am looking to buy Wilcraft used boat 2WD. Has anybody had one before? I am curious to talk to an owner before purchasing one.

Best,
Denys

No One Goes On Pool #3 this Time of Year!

Here’s a link to my experience with a Wilcraft. My only real concern is deep fluffy snow. It’s not a snowmobile.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

No One Goes On Pool #3 this Time of Year!

Here’s a link to my experience with a Wilcraft. My only real concern is deep fluffy snow. It’s not a snowmobile.

EXT with skies would do well in snow,I see those have huge rear tires.I have never seen one in person,nor have I ever seen one used for sale.If I ever rode in one,I’d be short on 32K plus trailer cost!Airboats are not cheap,and they are thirsty,loud and cold.And an airboat will break bad ice before a Wilcraft will.And a guy on the river years ago hit bad ice with an airboat and dunked it and drowned.

I’d put my money towards a Wilcraft before an airboat,everything is self-contained.Just drive off trailer with everything and never have to leave it while fishing.

Are these not all 4WD? Guess I always thought so. How else do you “climb out” once you’re “in”?

You climb out backwards with the 2wd models. Look up some of the videos. They are pretty interesting machines.

WishIwasWiser wrote:

Are these not all 4WD? Guess I always thought so. How else do you “climb out” once you’re “in”?

I have seen them driving on White Bear before, pretty cool machine. Guy just drove up to his spot on 5-6 inches of ice popped up the shack and was fishing.

2 guys got stranded on a lower backwater area of Pool 4 with one earlier this year. From what I saw it broke through and couldn’t get out, leading to an airboat tug and rescue.

Besides breaking though on P3 in front of Diamond Bluff, we broke through in Bay City in the Flats. As long as there is some solid ice near by, I’m not sure how they wouldn’t be able to climb out. I’m not doubting you Bucky… just trying to figure that out in my mind.

I know Don Lincoln had warned me about “trap doors”…but that was all.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Besides breaking though on P3 in front of Diamond Bluff, we broke through in Bay City in the Flats. As long as there is some solid ice near by, I’m not sure how they wouldn’t be able to climb out. I’m not doubting you Bucky… just trying to figure that out in my mind.

I know Don Lincoln had warned me about “trap doors”…but that was all.

Yeah I do not know either, but I saw the situation both with confirmed pictures and posts from the local authorities outlining the situation. The wilcrat could not get out when it went through and they had to be retrieved.

I could do some digging, but I know it was December of this winter when it happened.

Once you’ve broken though, there is some technique to getting back up onto the ice. And like anything; the more you practice this maneuver, more proficient you become.
Two wheel drive is okay for climbing out of the water anyhow; because if you break through, you want to put it in reverse and get back up onto ice which you just drove across (if you already broke through, chances are the ice in front of you is just gonna get more crappy)

I’ve done it hundreds of times on every type of ice condition you can imagine and have always been able to get out; it’s actually easier to climb onto soft ice at the end of the season tha it is to climb out of a spear hole onto hard thick ice.
Some times getting out of the water took longer than others, sometimes I had to break a 75 foot long trail of crappy ice (with my rear tires, in reverse) to get back to ice that was strong enough to support the Wilcraft climbing up onto it. And this was 75 feet of ice that I had just driven across; it takes stroget ice to GET you up than it does to KEEP you up. Given enough time and enough gas, I’d break my way all the way back to shore if I had to (although thankfully I’ve never had to).
With a two wheel drive model and the smaller knobby tires (as opposed to the bigger paddle-tread tires), you often need a push pole to keep the rear tires in contact with the edge of the ice.
So if someone was stranded, I’d expect they didn’t have the expertise and equipment required in the situation and/or the time to get themselves out before someone tugged them out. When we travel with two Wilcrafts, we sometimes tug each other out, but only because it’s quicker.

All that said, IF ever actually stranded after breaking through … rather be sitting dry in a truly amphibious machine and waiting for a tug, than treading water above my vehicle/ATV/snowmobile and waiting for a rescue

Denys
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
I have spent hundred of hours operating Wilcrafts in all kinds of conditions imaginable. Helped the manufacturer field-test much of advancements which have been made in the past 15 years and field-tested prototypes of other configurations which never came to market.
I’ve taken many new Wilcraft owners out and taught them the intricacies of operating a Wilcraft at its optimum ability, including putting it in the water and teaching them hands-on how to get back on the ice.

I would buy an airboat,safer, more versatile,can haul more people cross open water and can use year round. That’s what they use to get to the strand rigs.https://www.facebook.com/100067659318993/posts/pfbid0wvKFrERN2EWwb6V328ttLmgP8dd8cvyZkwPXSFWCgF7r3CUTnajWqfFwkvKz5iiTl/?mibextid=Nif5oz

It’s hard to drill a hole in the bottom of an airboat.

I’m not an expert Wilcraft guy, but even I can see these two guys are stuck. I’m not sure what’s holding them in place but a push of a pole would let the tires grab, unless they ran out of gas.

There are a number of Fire Depts that use the Wilcraft for water/ice rescue.

I don’t know why those two on the Buffalo County Facebook page couldn’t get out of that situation. That Wilcraft has the big paddle tires, I’ve never even needed a push-pole with that tire type.
I’ll just say this; Wilcrafts and airboats both have their place, and yes airboats are bigger and faster … thus if you don’t have superior (or at least proficient) skills with an airboat, you’ll get into bigger trouble faster than you will with a Wilcraft

Air boats and wilcrafts are two different tools with different purposes…no doubt. Both will give you a false sense of security if you don’t know what you are doing or don’t take precautions (hence this situation).

If I was in the market for either based on how I recreate, I’d be purchasing the airboat for sure.

To the OP, I would want to go on a test run and see it perform what it’s marketed as (an ice fishing machine that can crawl out of the ice) before purchasing it.

buckybadger wrote:

To the OP, I would want to go on a test run and see it perform what it’s marketed as (an ice fishing machine that can crawl out of the ice) before purchasing it.

Totally agree.

I have been told there is a big difference between the older and shorter wilcrafts then the newerlonger version. Guy I know designed longer version and sold shorter one. It’s alot more stable and gets out of water easier. Now wilcraft is making longer one I do believe.

Does anybody understand what is the mechanism behind Wilcraft used boat 2WD? I know they no longer do it, but curious to understand how it works to see if it’s worth buying one. Also if you know where to find someone who can serve it or where I can find it please let me know.

pass0047 wrote:

I have been told there is a big difference between the older and shorter wilcrafts then the newerlonger version. Guy I know designed longer version and sold shorter one. It’s alot more stable and gets out of water easier. Now wilcraft is making longer one I do believe.

Can you please connect me with that person?

Why would you go with air boat and not wilcraft?

Deny,
We Just won a 2023 wilcraft I don’t know all of the details, but I guess it MSRP at 31k. Shoot me an offer if you are still looking. I am looking to start poasting it but I don’t know all of the details yet.

Pm sent Deny