thoughts on winter transportation...

[fatlazyless]

Here's my two cents; go take a look in craigslist-nh for a used aluminum jon boat for about $250, about 8' length complete with oar locks and two 6' wood oars; go find a sturdy set of lengthy, maybe 84", real wood xc skis at a thrift store and attach the skis to the bottom of the jon boat, and use some of those rubber lined aluminum washers aka leak-stoppers to attach the skis so the holes drilled through the aluminum boat for attaching the skis will not leak. Attach a couple lines to the bow and stern for dragging the boat around the winter lake ice, snow and open water.

This 8' jon boat with skis and oars should weigh about 90-lbs when empty and can hold two or three adults as a rowboat in the water.....an el cheapo amphibious vehicle to be dragged across the snow and ice, rowed through the water, and provide some(?) safety should the boat or you break through the ice and go into the icy cold water. Best to get a quality jon boat built by a name brand like Starcraft, Lund or Alumacraft which has the factory installed flotation, and is a smart move to give the flotation a trial wet-test dunking so you know how it floats when swamped....just in case.

And, the same setup can be done with an aluminum canoe and paddles ..... and maybe just not to use any skis attached .... probably is best to get out on the ice and give it a trial run or two...a 17' aluminum canoe and an 8' aluminum jon boat weigh about the same...about 70-lbs