# Ice thickness and heaters



## swine (Jan 13, 2007)

I noticed a lot of the pictures lately had heaters running in shanties on pretty thin ice. What thickness of ice are people comfortable with running heaters? Being pretty new to using a shanty I have always suffered in the cold if the ice is less than 5 or 6 inches.


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## STRONGPERSUADER (Nov 5, 2006)

Crank that heater on high whenever you need it. 4” you will be fine.


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## STRONGPERSUADER (Nov 5, 2006)

Well as long as it’s not a torpedo heater.


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## ErieGoldSportfishing (Feb 5, 2009)

Mr Buddie heaters will soften the top 1/2 inch or so is all. Like Strongpersuader said 4" is plenty. A lot depends on the ambient temps but 4" is a good rule of thumb.


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## Evinrude58 (Apr 13, 2011)

Question should be why do you need a heater if the temp is above 15 degrees? Lol


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## swone (Jan 24, 2007)

I have literally used my heater on full blast on as little as 2 inches. Honestly it just never occurred to me. I’m a very large man. I don’t know if I just got lucky, but I’ve never had a problem


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Bet the "Mosquito 7" had a heater going on that thin ice, all jammed into one tent! Just sayin'!


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## STRONGPERSUADER (Nov 5, 2006)

c. j. stone said:


> Bet the "Mosquito 7" had a heater going on that thin ice, all jammed into one tent! Just sayin'!


What do you figure the total weight of those 7 was? It was at least 700lbs I bet on 2-3” of ice. Heater had nothing to do with it lol.


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## bobberbucket (Mar 30, 2008)

Anyone who knows me knows Ive always got my heater on doesn’t matter if I’m fishing 2” or 10”. Never had an issue except sometimes causing my shack to be a swamp because I keep it 80 in there. If you want to avoid the swamp I have a buddy who puts his heater up on a milk crate it seems to help with the pooling. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Never needed a heater. 
Have an Artic Armor float suit that kept me comfortable with or without a shanty.


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## swone (Jan 24, 2007)

c. j. stone said:


> Bet the "Mosquito 7" had a heater going on that thin ice, all jammed into one tent! Just sayin'!


I don’t even need a cup of coffee now that I read “Mosquito 7”


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## swine (Jan 13, 2007)

Thanks. I appreciate the info. Hopefully the ice thickens up quick enough that it won’t be an issue


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## odell daniel (Nov 5, 2015)

we will be referring to the mosquito 7 for years to come, I wonder if children services has visited these people yet, have to pretty dumb to drag your little ones out on that ice.


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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

I love to use a heater. I get into the shanty and just fish in a sweatshirt and bibs all day long. I don’t worry about it melting the ice because I don’t go on ice less than 3”.


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Sad to say, but those kids most likely will never want to go ice fishing ever again.


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## joekacz (Sep 11, 2013)

STRONGPERSUADER said:


> What do you figure the total weight of those 7 was? It was at least 700lbs I bet on 2-3” of ice. Heater had nothing to do with it lol.


Don't forget they probably had 7 holes cut also in the there.Formula for disaster.


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## swone (Jan 24, 2007)

icebucketjohn said:


> Sad to say, but those kids most likely will never want to go ice fishing ever again.


I almost drowned when I was four and I still love to swim, so maybe they will ice fish. Kids are resilient.


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

Not to derail the thread but just wanted to add to this... 

Making sure you're comfortable is actually worth the time and money. It WILL increase your chances on catching fish. I never used to care much and was always too giddy to get out there and fish. Would forget gloves, hats, jackets, etc. Then instead of focusing on the fish I'd focus on trying to get warm or comfortable. Then get lazy on switching up presentations or drilling holes and so on and so forth. Take the extra time before you go to make sure you're comfortable...it's worth it.


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## SMark (Jan 24, 2018)

I agree 110% 1MoreKast!
Getting out is one thing, staying out is another.


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## madm0j0 (Sep 10, 2008)

STRONGPERSUADER said:


> What do you figure the total weight of those 7 was? It was at least 700lbs I bet on 2-3” of ice. Heater had nothing to do with it lol.


I was figuring at least 150 each for both adults and at least 100 per kid. So my guess is on the very conservative side of 800. We should start a “Mosquito 7” weight pool. Closest to correct +\- 10 pounds wins!!! We can use the money for “safety shame” research and development!


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## STRONGPERSUADER (Nov 5, 2006)

Shortdrift said:


> Never needed a heater.
> Have an Artic Armor float suit that kept me comfortable with or without a shanty.


I do both. I have artic armor also but handling bait, fish, repairs, and changing lures can really chill the hands and make those tasks extra difficult. Those things are way easier to do in a warm shanty. It’s nice to have a cup of coffee and a bologna sammich in a warm shanty also.. not so much a cigar like some of these fellas do.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

If I know I'm fishing the same general area all day with a group I'll drag out a 8 gallon steel drum,put it on a couple bricks with a bag of charcoal an a few chunks of wood an set it up in the middle for everyone to warm up an heat food up on. I only do this on really cold days tho


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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

Saugeyefisher said:


> If I know I'm fishing the same general area all day with a group I'll drag out a 8 gallon steel drum,put it on a couple bricks with a bag of charcoal an a few chunks of wood an set it up in the middle for everyone to warm up an heat food up on. I only do this on really cold days tho


I want a hot dog now. I'm fishin with you!


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## Buzzking (Feb 15, 2013)

Our shanty has a floor so it has never been an issue. warm as toast! When the fishing slows you can get kinda sleepy too. Ain't that right ohiobassmaster?


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

I wear only a hoodie while in my shack, I hate having a bulky parka on. I want to chill in 50-60 degrees not ice cold.


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## Kenlow1 (Jul 14, 2012)

Swine, getting back to your original question, I think it all comes down to the constant temp. in shanty? Have to remember the heat from the Buddy heater will rise, then it comes down to what type of shelter you are fishing out of: thermal, insulated, non-insulated? Some of the heat will escape: vents, opening or unzipping a door, etc. A 4 man shelter vs. a 2-man shelter. I think as long as it stays 40 degrees or lower in shanty, the ice will not melt enough to worry about. Now if you camp out or fish over-nite and the temps increase inside your shanty-it may melt some of the ice. Thickness of ice is another factor. Like someone else posted, as long as you don't have a torpedo heater making it 50 degrees or warmer, I think you will be ok. Most guys have their suits on initially and have to shed clothes once inside. You can fish comfortably in 35 degrees inside, remember no wind inside shanty to get cold from either. Sorry for the long rant.


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## swone (Jan 24, 2007)

I want to create a fake account for Bill Nye and start weighing in on all these science matters so so so bad. I’m trying not to get in any troll trouble as part of my New Years resolution/plea agreement so I am not going to do it. On another note, I have had the screen name “Swone” on here for over ten years and just this very minute noticed that it is only one letter from “swine”


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## swine (Jan 13, 2007)

Thanks again for all the input everyone, and sorry swone if You think I was trying to copy but I have had swine in my email since I created the AOL account in 1994...I will be happy to change my screen name here


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

I agree with some of the guys here...I never once suspected my heater had any affect at all on the ice. I never recall it even making the ice wet on top.


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## swone (Jan 24, 2007)

swine said:


> Thanks again for all the input everyone, and sorry swone if You think I was trying to copy but I have had swine in my email since I created the AOL account in 1994...I will be happy to change my screen name here


Oh, not at all, I just was laughing at myself because I honestly never once noticed the similarity! I just made up “Swone” when I had to think of an email address when I was in line buying my first computer and there were a bunch of impatient people behind me getting mad because I didn’t realize that every variation of Steve Williams was already taken


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## swine (Jan 13, 2007)

Funny stuff!


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## tsproperty (Jan 29, 2013)

I'm with the guys who just run the heater if you are cold. I don't buy there is any way those little buddy heaters melt any measurable amount of ice. Never seen a problem with it. As mentioned before, it is very nice to be be fairly warm in there. 

As the the Mosquito group, surely it was the combined weight, in a small area, combined with the drilled holes that lead to the disaster.


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## MRJ (May 9, 2014)

We`ve built some pretty big fires right on the ice. Thick ice that is.


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Never had a problem of the ice melting, even in my pullover with a buddy heater.


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## mosquitopat (Apr 3, 2014)

saw this on a twitter feed.....pretty eerie huh? Looks like something or someone's watching.


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## joekacz (Sep 11, 2013)

mosquitopat said:


> saw this on a twitter feed.....pretty eerie huh?
> View attachment 291461


W/O a doubt that's spring fed.


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## TopRaider15 (Mar 10, 2015)

You're fine running a heater on 2-3 inches of ice. I never go without mine, sitting in my 60 degree shack in a hoody is like my own little couple hour vacation to some where warmer. Granted early ice I'm usually hole hopping and will step inside for a few minutes to warm the hands then go back out.


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## Jeff Mogg (May 25, 2016)

4" of ice is plenty on a pond or a body of water with minimal currents. So, with the wind speeds these next few days, on LAKE ERIE, the thinner the ice, the greater the chance of it breaking up from these winds. 

Be careful out there.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

STRONGPERSUADER said:


> Crank that heater on high whenever you need it. 4” you will be fine.


I have to agree. 4" is very safe for a person and shanty. I ended up with my 3/4 ton ford truck out on 3" to 4" of ice while playing in the snow one day. I very slowly tried getting off the lake with no luck. I had to move way out on the ice farther so I could get up some speed to get the truck off the ice. a buddy heater will melt from the top so you will know how much is melted. the ice freezes from the bottom so a buddy heater will have little if any effect on good ice.

back when I was young and ice fished I didnt use a shanty, heater, or real warm clothes. I started with 2 pair of jeans wool socks and combat boots. I did get a cheap pair of coveralls and a pair of micky mouse boots before I stopped going but I did survive. now my ice fishing buddy is dead I just cant make myself go alone. but if I ever try it again i'll have a shanty, heater, and power auger. good luck out there and be safe.
sherman


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