Last weekend, used my 14X36 Lowe Jon boat with 9 hp GDLT to bust through 3/4" ice for a couple hundred yards. Sounded awfull, but no apparent ill effects. Went through steady and slow.

Have others done much of this? Am I tempting fate? My hunting buddy asked me if I had ever heard of the Titanic.

We have to bust ice just about every year here, it does sound horrible. I haven't done it much personally, but folks around here don't have much of a problem with it. It gets probably 2'' thick or so, I doubt you did any harm to your boat.

Hell that is cold enough to kill a coonass

I've been busting ice with my Lowe 1848 since I got it in 1984. We bust ice almost every year. No ill effects yet, but we are very cautious. I will ease the boat up onto the ice, watching to be sure we have enough weight to break through, while being sure to keep enough boat in the water to be able to back off if it doesn't break through. It is a slow process, but I never like to get in a hurry in ice!

I believe if you attempt to run back through a path you have broken and catch the edge of the ice wrong, you could definitely open up a production boat.

About two and a 3 inches and my barge will stop busting it and start riding up on it. It makes for some fun hydro sliding if you hit it at full speed and then ride up on the ice.

Thanks for the input. I fear however that by this weekend, with highs forecast to be in the teens and lows near 0, boating to a duck blind will be about over.