Hub Shack flooring

I wasn't a fan of hub style shacks until I spent a weekend in a buddy's otter in -20 degree weather last winter.

I have a 1 year old son and a wife that wants to fish with me so in order to avoid getting a babysitter every weekend, I need to figure out a way to keep it comfortable enough for the 1 year old to last at least a couple hours

My equipment is all set up for a run-and-gun technique and I have no desire to get a permanent shack so I've been looking at the otter pro resort. I've heard of guys using the foam squares or carpet as a floor in the hub shacks which I think would work pretty good with the youngen. Anyone have any experience with putting in a solid but portable flooring in a hub style shack? Early season should be easy to shovel right down to the ice to get a smooth surface, late season I'm not sure if you could get it flat enough for the foam pads.

forget about the number of people in the shack. The floor is the idea here...

I still can’t fathom this. Just to be clear here, when you talk about a “6x6” hub is that 6ft by 6ft?....or are you talking about a 6 sided hub? If it’s the latter then it makes more sense than what is more commonly thought of as a 6x6 which is six feet by six feet.  

A 6ft by 6ft hub is in the Eskimo Quickfish2 class. I have a Clam Tamarack which is its equivalent and in that one I’ve had myself and one other person and it was tight. In my hub that is one step larger I’ve had 4 (one was a kid) and it was cramped. On top of that with the Tamarack/QF2 size, they are just barely 6ft high in the center....10 guys in one of those would be awwardly cramped and awkwardly uncomfortable which leads me to believe you are referring to a six sided hub or possibly something like an Eskimo Quickfish 6 which is something like 7ft by 13ft. 

all standing drinking sorry for not clarifying.. it was tight albeit warm...

10 guys in a 6x6 hub? You must’ve really liked each other because that would be cramped. Three in my 6x6 is a bit tight. I’ve had three in there plus a kid and it was way too crowded. 

Had a 6x6 hub. took two sheets of plywood and hinged them in the middle. Covered it with marine grade carpeting. Put eye bolts in all corners to anchor the tent to the floor.with simple carabiners or whatever you want,  then used the hub tie outs to secure to ice . its obviously  for driving out only but it was fantastic, easy and cheap. had an outing and if i recall 10 guys in it at one time. warm dry no issues. 

That's pretty much where I got the thought from. My parents had them for the grandkids so when they came over they had their own play area in the basement. It kept the cold off of the floor from moving up. My dad spent a ton on getting his basement just the way he wanted it and wasn't going to have kids spilling their juice or whatever on his carpets, so he left one area of bare floor and put those down.

Sounds like that is the general consensus. Unless a good deal comes up, I'm going to wait to order the Otter XTH lodge until I can see what the new clam shacks with removable floors are like. They sound like they'd be useless but I'd like to see them in person before writing them off. Would be nice to have something that folds up into one carrying case if possible, but those foam pads don't take up too much room and I have some laying around from my kid's play area.

  The best thing I've found is the EVA foam flooring tile the pop together like a puzzle piece. I don't have a picture of mine but I have it cut to create an entire floor in my Clam Bigfoot Thermal.                                                              I go on an ice fishing trip to the boundary waters every year and the shack acts as a tent as well. I can take my boots off when I sleep and get up and walk barefoot in the shack with a Big Buddy on low.                                The total cost was like 100 bucks but it has been great for me so far.

This is a similar problem I'm trying to figure out, but I now have a plan.  This is what I'm going to try once I have time this winter.  I'm going to find an old slide in truck bed liner.  Cut it into sections and add hinges so it can be fold up into a box for towing and the folded out in a flat floor for a hub.  Probably will add skis ala Smitty sled and hope I can make it so hub and gear can fit inside while folded and have a few holes to fish thru while layed out.  Figure old bed liners are tough, cheap, usually corrugated so they might even pull ok without skis.  Will definitely have pics and details up here and on the DIY thread if/when I do it.  Bacon

Even hte carpet with the foam back will obsorb water and be ugly next time out.  Menards carries a foam or rubber square product that will work to lay down to keep the little one dry.

Any pictures of that sled? Weight wouldn't be an issue as I wouldn't be bringing the kiddo out until we were at least driving ATVs, more likely vehicles.

For the carpet I was more thinking the outdoor type stuff with the rubber backing, kind of like a rug I guess. It wouldn't fit the entire hub but it would at least cover the majority of the center areas. Would be losing out on the insulation factor then though and it would probably still need to be dried out each time.

I’ve tried all sorts of stuff but simply go back to the foam stuff. Carpet would absorb water and freeze. You’d have to dry them out before using them again. Not fun.

I built a sled with a hard floor that folded out with three skis underneath to support everything. Pulled out to a spot on two skis, flip the third section over and set the hub on top of the deployed sled. It made it portable but it was a ton of unnecessary weight. A guy could make one lighter if he used aluminum but loading and unloading that thing was a major pain. 

Back to the tried and true foam squares. The uneven ice issue is easily rectified by chipping down the high spots with a chisel. The foam insulates very well, doesn’t absorb water so no need for it to dry out like carpet, and is lightweight. This past year I acquired a one man flip and I’ll bring that along with a hub out when I’m by myself. Run and gun with the flip, once I find a productive location the hub gets set up and I’ll hunker down in that but the flip over is at the ready for me to do some more exploring.