Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

  • 0

Otter Lodge-Bench or Seat?


Orvis

Question

Receiving a new Otter Lodge this weekend for my Magnum sled.

No seats yet.
Which is better...the bench or seats?

Can I use 2 lawn chairs until I purchase seats or a bench?

Thanks for the input!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

Orvis- do yourself a favor and first check into getting a couple of boat seats from any marine dealer in youre area. Most dealers have very comfortable seats that are odd-balls or are just sitting around for some reason. I have an Otter shack and when I checked into the prices of the Otter seats i almost cried. I went to a local boat dealer and he dug around for awhile, then came out with a very nice folding seat from a bass boat that was sitting around for awhile. He charged me 20 bucks, much better than the 75 for the uncomfortable Otter seat. I just welded up a quick frame and screwed the seat on it and wallah-comfort.Just my 2 cents.

Dog-Eye

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I did a similar thing. A co-worker of mine had just sold his 14-foot boat, and he still had a couple of those clamp-on seats. I took the clamp portions off, bolted each seat to a sturdy board that spans across the width of the sled, and then I secure each seat assembly with bolts through the top edge of the sled. Total cost, about $25.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

One other thing, if you use the lawn chairs inside, you will find that you may not have enough room to comfortably fish 2 or more people. The only area you can set the chairs is in the flat portion of the sled bottom, so you lose a couple feet along one end of the sled.

It will work, but you'll definitely want to figure out some type of seating arrangement.

Cashcrews

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Yes you can use two lawn chairs in the lodge. I am 6'2" 240 and my cousin is about the same. we fit in with elbow room. Yes you loose a little room where the sled is curved up but not two feet. the whole sled is only 6 feet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I dont think the otter seats are uncomfortable, in fact just the opposite. Seems like any of the guest's i have taken out LOVE the seats and rave about them. If you dropped 600.00 for the tub,tent,cover,hitch.....whats another 150 for the seats designed for the sled? Just my .02 Iceman out>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Build a butt-bridge. There were plans on this site a few months back.

I built 2 and they are great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Tbone - How do I print out the actual size for the base of the seat????
any help is appreciated, cuz I'm computer dumb.
Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I did the exact same thing as Dog-Eye did. I went to Mills Fleet Farm and bought a new seat for $25 bucks. Got the metal for around 20 so pretty much made two seat for the cost of what it would have cost for one from otter.

------------------
Grip it and Rip it

IFFWalleyes
I Fish For Walleyes
[email protected]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Hey Dakota, that $150 is 1 less ice fishing trip I can take in the winter-seems to make sense to me.

Remember; if the women don't find ya handsome-they should at least find ya handy!

Dog-Eye

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I tried to print off the plans for the "Butt Bridge" - only about half of each page of the plan shows because it prints out in such a large format-I have tried a number of different printer settings and still the same result - any suggestions? Thanks for your help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

i have an otter lodge and a cabin. made seats just like the aluminum ones you can buy they swivel. bought a bench for the lodge and love it !!! this year put one in the cabin two and sold the ones i made. tony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Just fished in an Otter Cabin tonight with the bench seat. The seat was awesome. Stable and very comfortable. It also flips up so you can get to your stuff in the sled. They are expensive but I think they would be worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • redlabguy
      Mark, Great that you made it back up and great report on another great trip. Sitting here in Urbandale, I am jealous. I’m working on training my new lab, not at all sure he will be ready for pheasants! Thanks for sharing your trip, RLG
    • monstermoose78
      Shot the muzzleloader and I am good. Then saw big groups of woodducks  everywhere. I saw 300 easy as the sunset. 
    • leech~~
      Those darn tournament guys, their always trying new ways to get weight in their fish!  🤣🤣
    • SkunkedAgain
      Hogs! Hogs!!!
    • MarkB
      My 2 cousins and myself just finished up a windy 4 day trip to our favorite lake. It was the last of the year and was eventful to say the least. When we arrived, water temperatures were 61 degrees and when we left yesterday morning the water temps had dropped to 54 degrees. The fishing was fantastic, once again, and we caught walleyes, bass, and northerns on minnows and crawlers(northerns only on minnows). We found the fish adjacent to shallow rock piles(14') in 20'-28' of water. Our best fishing hours of the day were ~5:30 -twilight in the evenings and until ~ 10:30 in the mornings. Although those two time periods were prime time, fish bit all day. For us, the bite was very light and we probably missed or lost as many fish as we caught. Some people think I'm nuts when I say bead color can make a difference and it certainly did this trip. My cousin's "go to" green/white bead combo did zilch on this trip. It was one translucent red bead and a plain size #2 gamakatsu hook with a 3' leader that produced the fish. We ended up with 137 walleyes and 19 bass for the 4 day outing. We caught far more 17"-19.999" walleyes on this trip than on our previous trips and our numerous slot fish measured from 21"-25". My younger cousin caught 4 slot fish in ~20 minutes one evening. We fish exclusively for walleyes and additional species are incidental. With that said, we caught some beautiful smallmouth bass on this trip and they were right down there with the walleyes, usually in the rocks. As usual, everything is catch and release except for the fish we eat while there and the 12 walleyes(3 individual limits) we take home to the wives. While cleaning some eaters we kept for supper, we always check the stomach contents. One of the walleyes had the jig that is pictured below loose in its stomach!  No attached line, no embedded hook, just the jig! It baffled us as to how in the world it could have gotten there . As you can see, the jig is in good shape so the fish must have swallowed it recently .   The boat traffic was minimal this trip and we had a couple days where it looked as if we had the lake to ourselves. Sunday was a brutal day with wind gusts to 50MPH!. We stayed in and ventured out finally at ~5:00. It turned out to be the best 2 hours of the entire trip. This time, the baby loons were around, the eagles were abundant, the changing leaves made the entire lake area look like a painting. If I could make only one short trip a year to the lake, now would be the time. What capped off the trip was the magnificent display of the Northern Lights. We can't wait for next spring to return, God willing, and, in the meantime, good fishing.  MarkB🙂 The jig found in the stomach of a walleye we ate.   My young cousin with his best of the trip.   a chunky 17" smallmouth   19.5" smallmouth
    • leech~~
      Well, since they both say Propane on them.  Not propane QT++ their probably both the same gender!  🤭
    • Wanderer
    • Brianf.
      What an amazing extended weekend. The fish were happy and cooperated nicely.   We also had the unique experience of fishing under Northern Lights each of the last three nights in pristine weather conditions.  I wish everyone could have that experience, even if just once.  The pics below don't do it justice, though you get the idea.  The walleyes are putting on the feedbag and some are getting rather plump.  We caught mostly slot fish with several 'overs' in our bag.  Our two biggest weighed 8lbs 5oz and 8lb 3oz.     The crappies were active at dusk and beyond.  Almost all of the ones we caught were 14" or bigger.  The biggest we caught was a bit over 15".  We lost two muskies at the boat and caught a 38" pike after dark - quite surprising.   Every fish we caught was immediately released btw.  Water temp 54/55 when we left.  All-in-all, another great fishing experience on Lake Vermilion - for which I'm so incredibly appreciative.        
    • JerkinLips
    • leech~~
      The price and the label.  It's that same exact gas.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.