If you love ice-fishing but are worried about accidentally driving your mega-ton SUV to the bottom of a partly-frozen lake, then the Wilcraft could be your 500lb answer. Not only is it lighter than an SUV, it’s amphibious, highly maneuverable, can carry a 600lb payload (that’s a lot of fish), gets around 20mpg and has a top speed of 20mph. In other words, it makes ice fishing fun, not frightening.
The Wilcraft gets its name from its amphibious characteristics – Water, Ice, Land. Inventor Tom Roering has developed the vehicle for the icy outdoors. Or for the hunters, there’s a ‘camo’ version that is more suitable.
The Wilcraft has a 305cc powerplant and a two-speed gearbox, while traction is delivered via a locking differential. But it’s more than just a means of transport to a fishing hole or hunting blind. Once your holes have been augured (an augur mount is an accessory), the Wilcraft becomes a great portable fishing shack. The canvas enclosure and 2" insulated floor are designed to keep occupants warm and dry.
And when it’s time to move, simply pull up your lines or collect your hunting decoys and be on your way to your next location in roughly five seconds.
Fishing safety
In worse case scenarios, should you bite off more than you chew and accidentally break through the ice surface, while traveling or stationary … the Wilcraft floats. Something else an SUV doesn’t do well.
Buckets with rubber gaskets seal the fishing holes, the rest of the hull is water tight with all control lines entering hull above the water line. Also, the large tires provide additional flotation. (Buckets double as storage for bait, tackle, catch, beverages, etc).
The Wilcraft has endless uses including ice fishing and hunting or even an ice rescue vehicle. As an Ice Fishing Vehicle, the Wilcraft offers great mobility, comfort and safety. As a hunting vehicle, the Wilcraft brings you and your decoys closer to the geese. As a rescue vehicle, the Wilcraft offers excellent stability on water, ice and land.
Hunting
The Wilcraft provides easy transition from land to water, can travel through tall grass and, with the wheels in the up position, propulsion is provided via a paddle wheel method. The Quick Top provides an instant hunting blind. Another available option is the dog perch.
The Wilcraft has strategically designed weight placement, a long wheel base, wide footprint deliver a safe and stable ride. This wide stance results in only 1.811 lbs/in2 of ground pressure requiring ice of only walkable thickness. Add 11 inches of ground clearance and a smooth bottom and the vehicle is suitable to most terrain fishermen will encounter.
Should you experience thin ice, the manufacturers say the Wilcraft is easy to extract.
Wilcrafts are cheap to run and are claimed to get 20mpg (depending on load and conditions). The manufacturers say that 98% of the time users travel fewer than 10 miles for a full day of fishing. With the one-gallon tank the gas stays fresh and weight is kept to a minimum down.
If you’re truly adventurous, Wilcraft has an optional track system for those extreme adventures.
The Wilcraft Team has spent 12 years developing, extensively testing the vehicle and each one comes with a three-year warranty.
- Standard specifications