As long as these are the same TYPE of battery (agm/gel/sla), hooking them up in parallel should make them operate as one large battery. They aren’t connected by the chemistry, they are connected by the electrons that the chemistry creates. As long as you dont start mixing the different types of batteries that work on slightly different voltages, parallel away! It is only going to be when you splurge for the lithium house batteries that you’re going to have to delete everything and start over. (Note – gel batteries require slower charging, so don’t use them unless you know your house converter is setup for it)

I grabbed that eskimo 650xd. I had a fatfish 6120i, and this hub FEELS way nicer than my old fatfish. The storm shield outer fabric over the quilt is super durable feeling. The actual pole hubs are the same, but they were already heavy duty. The full length door is rediculous. The bag is oversized (compared to rolling on the condom that I used to deal with). Also, the 94 sq ft looks like it is going to feel way bigger. I advise it.

I do wish that there was a decent comparison video out there with the marcum vs aqua vu vs vexilar cameras out there. I was thinking about pulling the trigger, but I would like to see a side-by-side-by-side comparison of a dozen or so cameras to see if you can spend $350 or you have to shoot $800+.

I know this is only semi-related, but I dont see anything about mille lacs this winter. Does anyone know if we will have a slot there?

queenswake wrote:

I’m looking at the 6-sided hub options to have more space than my Otter Lodge hub. Other than that, keeping the wallet pretty closed this year. I’m kind of over the continual buying new fishing stuff all the time, when what I have works and gets me out there.

But that’s why I come here to get excited about what other guys are getting.

Just sold my 6-sided. I have historically seen ones in like-new going for around $300 on craigslist and Facebook. These outbreaks are 5 sided, and I think that the 450xd is still a bit bigger than the standard cubes. The 650xd that I bought is a monster, bigger than my 6 sided by a noticeable amount.

I am mostly aligned with your mentality of trying to save your cash, which is why I started this thread. There is so much stuff out there to play with, and my bank only runs so deep. I wanted to hear about all of that stuff that i was forced to pass on.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I made the jump to regular Panoptix ice bundle for this season, I want to get a good feel for the tech before deciding if I make the $$ jump to the 3rd generation of the technology next year.

You know what I just read that I hadn’t thought about? If you do a higher-end livescope setup, they come with video out. If you planned it out right, you would be able to place a livescope ducer up to watch the whole water column for every hole in your house, so you dont need 3 sets of electronics running at once down each hole watching jigs. Put that up on the tv, and you’d be able to watch each jigger, each dead stick, maybe even well placed tip-ups! This is a game-changing discovery for me. I’ll have to pilot it with the buddy’s livescope and report back.

Rich Stuhr wrote:

Loaded up on ice line to avoid bare shelves come Dec/Jan. Will be trying fluoro for the first time on ice this year…3 lb Sufix Invisiline. That is, if these old eyes can tie a knot with it, lol.

I did similar such actions. Picked up some of that new clam mono 2lb, stuff feels pretty good in your hand so far. Also just got a spool of 6 lb fluoro for the walleye rod, havent gotten it yet but I am excited to try it. That fluoro is spec’d super thin. I think this 6 lb stuff is going to be thinner than the 3lb mono I had on last year. I hope I like it.

Brandon S wrote:

Purchased a Livescope setup this summer and can’t wait to try it out on the ice. Bought the Summit shuttle, bag, and tripod. We’ll see how long it runs on my 9ah Ridgid drill batteries.

A couple of buddies of mine have livescopes, but they are only running their flashers on drill batteries. I think they both bought 30ah lithiums for the scopes. Those things though… oof is that nice. Especially when you’re like me and like to pick a spot and sit for the day. Pop a couple of holes, see where the spot needs to be and set up when you’re on it. I havent decided if I liked having it on after we were set up. Sure you get to see the fish coming, but then you know how many fish that you’re really missing… and that gets frustrating.

Slipbob nick wrote:

Fish house, going to get an auger and Honda 2200.

Tell you what, the Milwaukee drill and new kdrill 8.5″ is pretty exciting. I also really liked the 8″ pistol bit by eskimo and the lite flight by strikemaster. You can always use a $125 hammer drill!

I have 2 of the champion 2k generators that I bought used for $500. They have been awesome generators. I had to replace 1 board on one for $180, but I think it is because there wasnt good instructions on paralleling them, so it was probably my fault. I would definitely buy them again. My buddies have 4 different champions that have held up just as well.

I like the hand warmer idea. Was thinking of getting those battery insoles for my boots… but maybe I just need new boots. I got the puzzle piece foam mats for the ice, and i think that will make a difference for our feet too. Problem is, when the ice gets thick enough for wheelhouses I am only going to need my slippers!

I cant agree more that Eskimo does some innovating. I just sold my FF 6120 for the new Outbreak 650XD! I can’t wait to get it out there and set up without having to fit through those little doors with gear. Loading and unloading the sled will be able to be done in the heat rather than breaking down the tent first so I can get stuff in and out. Clam had that garage hub with the big swinging door, but it doesn’t seem that it exists anymore. That wouldn’t have been bad to set up either.

Ha! The switches came pre-labeled. I lined up that one with the red lights that I hang in the overhead of my hub. LED light bar is my hole lights. Overhead lights are the white overhead and in-tub lights. Driving lights are red tub lights and glow cups. The other two are aux switches for accessory plugs I have available on my sled.

I did the simple lunch cooler. Small, light, and easy. No battery, but my sled has connections to hook up to 12v, and this is my backup for the wife and/or kid.

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Thing is though, it exhausts outside… so it isnt going to be like a torpedo heater or anything. People use them in their campers and truckers use them in their cabs all of the time! I am intrigued.

I just got a fatfish 6120i this season, and I love the thing! I havent had a hub in the past, but I cant imagine that having the 6-sided is any harder than the 4-sided ones are, as it is pretty darn easy to pop and anchor. I got mine because I knew that I was going to occasionally be fishing 2 adults, 1 kid, and my large dog. There is a lot of room, but when everyone is set-up it doesnt feel like you’re wasting space. The buddy heats it just fine in the cold, and maintains t-shirt temps on low.

It is pretty heavy, but much like WalleyeStudent suggested, I also have a solo flip sled for days that I can get out without packing the whole family.

My ultimate suggestion: get yourself a HUGE hub and fish for comfort. Give yourself elbow space. Also, grab the cheapest solo flip you can find used on CL, and slam some ice by yourself on occasion without breaking your back.

Smitty done. Wailed some small keeper crappies tonight. What a difference the skis make! It was a breeze compared to saturday. Getting better at getting it into and out of the truck too. Can’t get it up there loaded, which is honestly a drag, but take out the helix bucket, the propane tank and the buddy heater, along with the 8 or so inches that I gain on the smitty, easy day. Someday, we may even get enough ice that i can just drive out to my spot… I think I only drilled through 8 inches of ice tonight on the little lake that I have been trying to frequent.

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I got a fatfish 6120i this season, and I love it! My buddy just picked up the clam 6-sided thermal too, and it is also pretty sweet. The clam is taller and wider, and admittedly, that makes the doors taller and wider which is nice, but the extra height and width makes his clam longer than his 6.5 foot truck bed. The eskimo fits straight on, and he needs to put his in the truck diagonally.

4 people, no problem. You’ll have to give a little thought to layout so you aren’t tripping over one another if someone needs to get outside, but nobody is going to have to sit on a lap. Also, it stays super warm with a buddy on low. I also was planning overnights, so knowing that I have 100+ hours on the heater because of thermal efficiency makes me less worried about freezing in the middle of the night.

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First trip out, and I was a little disappointed that I didnt get setup faster. Thought it would be a 5 minute hole drill and hub setup. Took more like 25-30 min, and it felt a little like a cluster. Was just me and the kid though, trying to keep the dog close. Felt nice when we finally got sat down. Didnt mark a single fish in 2.5 hours. Was going to move… but after I was packed for the move, I just moved back to the truck instead.

I NEED to get the smitty done. It was terrible to pull from the truck in today’s slushy conditions. Got the skis already, just need a menards trip for some hardware. Probably tomorrow so I can get back out this week.

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Here are a few more. I’ll post some from the lake saturday.

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Last couple of pics before trying it out on saturday. I am bringing the kid to the local spot, so I wont be testing how I like the lights and stuff, but we will try it out otherwise.

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I know for sure that the 20 lb tank fits under the rear seat, and the heater can go under the front one. I dont know about the auger going inside, but my plan was to strap that and the hub tent to that area behind the seats when I was dragging it. It may fit inside, that magnum sled is an absolute unit!

Also, down to the home stretch. Got everything wired on the sled insert. Final 2 items to do are terminate the circuits to the switches and then terminate the fuse panel to the switches and I am ready to fish! This has been pretty involved with all of the soldering and terminating, and taken WAY longer than i wanted and/or anticipated. They payoff is pretty darn sweet though.

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I’m going to bump this thread with some progress pics. I put the sled in the hub the other day to see what kind of room that I was going to have. I went out on the lake saturday and used the hub with the kenai pro inside, and I got worried because the kenai felt like it took up a bunch of space… and it is small! Turns out, i should be ok.

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I have seen some smitty builds that are notched that would just lift apart into pieces. Put eye bolts into the ski sections and ratchet strap the hub/auger/chairs to the cross members and it would be locked in. Easy to pull too.

Or… pull a big a$$ sled like I am building and be right back where you started.

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Ok, now the wiring… I have to solder everything, including the LED strip connections, which take a bit. My problem was that I couldnt solder until I knew how long the wire was going to be. Here I am all laid out. I also took a pic of the aux plugs that I mentioned were going to be on independent switches for auxiliary items like flashers and fans and whatnot.

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Got it!

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So I am in the garage now, just finished carpeting all of the doors to the sled lid, mocking everything up to either start to install hinges or move it to the saw horses and work on electrical. Honestly, I think that it looks awesome and I am really excited…

The whole time that i was carpeting the doors I was thinking, “I wish that I had an older guy over my shoulder saying ‘yeah, you can do it like that and use 800 staples, but let me show you how to do it in half the time with 5 staples’. Or when I was wondering how much wood to trim for carpet room, he could say ‘more! Always more!’.” Now i either have to figure out how to trim my electrical door 1/2″ or build it over. Not cool.

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I actually made the cupholder lights out of these two items:

[Upgrade]UV/Ultraviolet… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXSWJM8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Boat Cup Drink Holder 2PCS… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V9CBLKM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I saw them on a YouTube video and I thought it was a good idea. All of my friends have those glowcup attachments on their flasher shuttles, and I thought that dual purposing my cupholders would work just fine. Not that I need a reason to take a drink, but having to grab my beer to get my jig to shine seems legit to me!

I will grab you the links here:

iCustomRug Affordable Indoor/Outdoor Carpet with Marine Backing, Many Carpet Flooring for Patio, Porch, Deck, Boat, Basement or Garage 12′ X 4′ in Grey https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0756LNP4L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gCHjEb6SBFQKD

That was the carpet. Here is the glue:

Dap 00442 Weldwood All-Weather… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQUG9I?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

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I will concede that these are very good questions! While I do have a wheeler for it, it isnt very accessible as I dont keep it at my house. I was thinking that I would primarily use this while I can drive the truck right out to the spot and set up from there. I also snagged a couple of cc skis from the rafters of my parents farm that havent seen sun for a few decades to make a smitty to haul it around with if I was so inclined.

Getting it into and out of the truck shouldn’t be too bad. The sled is almost 6 feet long, so I should be able to pop up the front and slide it right into the truck bed. Maybe easier in theory than practice, but we will see.

So I have a couple of more pictures from today that could go up. I did finish trimming the door panels to make them ready for carpet. I also built a battery box with a foam bottom and installed it into the sled frame. I want to have the lid assembled and back on the saw horses tomorrow evening for wiring.

These photos are during and after carpeting. To be honest, this was the scariest part of the whole build. I only had one chance to get it right, and I nailed it! I put a crapload of waterproof adhesive down after stapling one side, stretched it over the top, and stapled the other side. Then I cut all of the holes and stapled them down. Finally i finished the front and back. No big deal.

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