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How to Repair an Ice Fishing Sled?

How to Repair an Ice Fishing Sled?

Having an ice fishing sled can be overwhelming. The use of the ice fishing sled is to move your equipment from one place to another. This is only possible when you have a fully repaired sled.

A common malfunction would be to have a hole in your sled or facing a wide crack through it. In today’s article, we will discuss simple and effective ice fishing sled repairs.

Problems That Occur With An Ice Fishing Sled 

Ice fishing sleds are made for the convenience of anglers to carry their stuff and haul the gear with comfort while ice fishing. It is an ice fishing ‘machine’, in other words. So, just like other machines, sometimes, an ice fishing sled also needs to be repaired.

So, let’s have a look at the biggest problem that almost every person faces while they carry their stuff on any ice fishing sled.

Holes In The Sled

hole in an ice fishing sled
Imagine this, you are enjoying your ice fishing adventure while carrying your equipment on an ice fishing sled. What do you suddenly see? There are holes in your sled that could ruin your trip. It is one of the most common problems seen in the ice fishing sled.

Pulling the sled behind a snow machine such as an ATV or snowmobiles can break your ice fishing sled very easily. The reason for this being because of the heavy load or dragging across the ground. The sensitive equipment can be very easily damaged when pulling a sled. The cause of the holes and cracks in the ice fishing sled is due to the harsh abrasive nature of the ice. Overall the gear will become weak in time and inevitably break.

The repairing process may take a long time for beginners. Therefore it is recommended to understand how to avoid making any repairs in the first place. Hopefully helping you to relax your mind and enjoy your adventure. So let’s get to the repairing ideas.

How To Fix A Problem?

Every problem that arises comes with a solution.

Eyebolt And Bungees

strap your ice fishing gear down with eyebolts and bungees
When you are moving your sled with your equipment the damage possibilities automatically increase. Therefore, it is necessary to be responsible and strap your gear down.

Keep in mind to add eye-bolts on the edges of your sled at intervals to operate bungee cords connecting them to maintain gear in position. You should also ensure that a trap on the top head of your gear allowed by bungees keeps the sled away from loading up with snow.

You can buy a good number of eye bolts with 1 ½ inch of thread to install at the edges of your sled at intervals. It is essential when you measure your sled length and split by four, and find the spacing. Don’t forget to buy the fender washers and matching nylon nuts.

Now, it’s time to drill the holes at your required intervals. A fender washer is necessary to keep hardware from dragging by the comparatively weak plastic. Once you do this, then screw the nylon nut down tight.

Make sure that the bungee cords are shorter than the sled’s width. So, if your sled is somehow 30 inches wide, you should go for 24 inches’ cords. The eye-bolts and bungees process is one of the most reliable and convenient repairing methods for ice fishing sleds.

Rod Holders


Keeping pre-rigged rods separately is a great way to avoid tangles. The super cheap and easy thing to consider for the accomplishment of this method is PVC.

Firstly, you will need to take a pipe of around a 6-foot section. Then you have to cut it into 1-foot segments with the help of a jigsaw.

Now make sure that you drill the holes 2 inches from the ends or edges and around six holes over your sled’s stern. Following this, you will need to run 4-inch bolts by the PVC via the backside of your sled and add washers.

You will know that you have to tighten the nylon nuts as much as you can because the more you tighten them, the more they do not compress the pipe.

The rod holder’s installation and the assembly process take less than 5 minutes to do it efficiently. If you are still doubtful about the safety purposes, you can also add slots on the pipe’s top, so it holds stems safely.  This method is enthralling and beneficial simultaneously.

Auger Holster


When planning deep ice fishing the drill is one of the most essential parts of your gear. Although, when an accident happens, it also seems to be most vulnerable to damage.

Firstly, you need to strap on a blade protector cup to keep the blades sharp while traveling. It also helps from preventing any chips or cracks on the blade.

We are aware that many ice anglers will want to drill holes and move their sled simultaneously. You can simply add brackets to the bow of your sled to do this.

You must drill holes to attach them to the opposite sides of your sled. Then you need to twist the bracket into the hole, and now it’s time to angle it accurately. Don’t forget to repeat on the other side. Many people use this method to get rid of discomforts when ice fishing and repair their sled more efficiently.

Aluminum to Fix Sled

Aluminum Tape/Aluminum Foil Tape – Professional/Contractor-Grade - 1.9 inch x 150 feet (3.4 mil)

A simple movement over a branch could cause a large gaping hole within your sled. It can be a wide crack that makes you feel more worried about being able to use your sled ever again.

To solve this issue, you can use an aluminum piece to patch the hole or crack. You can also take the aluminum cut and make the aluminum to suit the shape of your sled. You might need pop rivets  as well to secure the patch in place.

All you need is an aluminum piece and an intelligent mind to handle it sharply and get rid of your sleds malfunction to enjoy your ice fishing adventures once again.

Plastic Welding Repair

Fixing Sled - Using Plastic Welding

What to do if there is a crack in the bottom of your sled? You may be worried because you have put your stuff and equipment right within your sled to enjoy your tour with ease and comfort, Right? We have your back.

Firstly, you need to get a genuine soldering iron along with heavy black plastic. Now you have to weld plastic, but keep in mind that fiberglass, glue, or epoxy will not work for this type of welding. Simply because fiberglass usually fails to fix plastics.

Plastic welding is a good option if you need a quick repair and can’t afford more expensive materials.

It is recommended not to use an airgun. If you use a hot air gun it can melt more of your sled and make the problem worse. Therefore, it is better to use a soldering iron. Melt off the plastic parts onto your sled. This is one of the simplest methods in today’s article. Ensure you test ride the sled before going on any long trips.

Plastic Welding Tool Set

Jounjip Plastic Welding Kit - 2 Welder Tips, 2 Wire Mesh, 20 Black Plastic Rods, 80W Iron

When everything fails to patch the holes present on the top or bottom of your sled, and you have issues knowing what to do.

Take the thin super weak plastic layers from a plastic welding toolset and place them on the top of the crack or hole. Then start melting them but keep in mind that moderate heat is essential for perfect bonding. If you think there is too much plastic, you can simply shape it off.

Welding plastic onto the holes and cracks while giving it moderate heat to fix those holes is the only reliable way to repair your sled and enjoy your adventure.

Roofing Cement To Repair Cracks

No Weld Sled or Boat Hole Repair

If you have got cracks on the corner of your sled and want to repair them yourself you will need to do the following.

Firstly, you need to take some solvent and keep that area wet. Keep a reliable and high-quality solvent that dries as soon as possible. Wipe that cracked corner down and let it dry. Take the roofing cement and put it onto the crack or hole. Let it dry and give it a final try before putting your heavy equipment on your sled. Take your time and do it correctly and it will work.

Attach Snow Machines

to hook a snow machine onto your sled
If you feel that you have to be a lot more careful about your sled, but at the same time, you have heavy equipment to put on your sled for ice fishing, then it is essential to hook a snow machine onto your sled.

There are several types of snow machines, but usually, ATVs and snowmobiles are preferred. The elevated speed of the vehicle helps you to balance the weight of things and people.

It will help you pull the sled easier taking a lot of the pressure off of it. The chances of cracking a hole in the sled will be decreased after hooking a snow machine or a long rope or anything that helps in pulling the sled.

Because holes and cracks usually appear when there is a lot of heavy equipment in your sled, which is also necessary for ice fishing. So, adopting this may help balance the weight. It will also help prevent any further damage to previous holes as well as ensure no damage occurs.

If none of the above options seem to work for you the only option left is to buy a new sled or not continue your ice fishing adventures. But keep in mind that some of these tricks do a lot of wonders to repair your ice fishing sled and should never disappoint you. Even a few quick fixes can be just what you need to get rid of your problem.

Finishing Notes

enjoy your ice fishing with your buddies
It is not unusual that people quickly get cracks and holes in the corner or the bottom within their ice fishing sled. Simply because of the heavier equipment or items they put. But of course, they have to take their essentials with them on the sled.

If you have the same issue in finding the best method to repair your sled, several repairing methods can help you.

You can go for eyebolts and bungees and buy the fender washers and matching nylon nuts to repair.

Rod holders, auger holsters, and aluminum pieces can also solve your problem of holes and cracks in your ice fishing sled.

Plastic welding and getting harbour freight is one credible option that many people choose to repair their sled.

Even roofing cement can handle your issue, but the only thing necessary is to get all the things required for whatever option you choose.

Just keep in mind that no matter what trick you choose, do it smartly and enjoy your ice fishing with your buddies.

Best of luck on all your ice fishing adventures.