Duck boats for the marsh

[jamoose]

Hello--
Wondering if someone here might be able to point me in the direction of a good set of plans. I'd like to build a small (under 14') boat to be used for duck hunting in small marshes. Ideally it would be lightweight (under 70#) such that I could carry it into some backwater areas. Primary means of propulsion would be poling, although there are times when i would like to strap a trolling motor on it for the longer distances.

Would anybody know of designs for such a boat?

Thanks
Jamus

[Venchka]

Pirogue. Canoe. GOOGLE knows where they are. A friend of mine has a fiberglass pirogue with an electric motor and rudder built in. He uses it for fishing and duck hunting. Loads it in the back of a pickup. Carries it to the water. It's too much of a handful to carry in the marsh except maybe dragging over high spots.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[boatbuilder.org]

Try http://www.devlinboat.com/dcduckboats.htm for plans and go to the duckboat forum and ask there for other sources of plans http://www.duckboats.net/forum/wwwboard.html
---Joel---

[Venchka]

With all due respect to regional tastes, when you say ducks and marsh, the pirogue has been getting more folks to more ducks in less water for more years than anyone can count. It's also going to be the lightest, easiest built boat feasible.

Uncle John's Pirogue (http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/default.htm)

http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/buckey/packed.jpg
http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/bradley/bradley-13.jpg

Builder's photos (http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/photos.htm)

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Donn]

http://www.ghonline.com/drifter/duckboatlg.jpg

This is the style hull used for duck boats around here, and I daresay they've been using them as long as pirogues have been used in the swamp. :D

They're usually fiberglass, these days, and the deck is completely covered with marsh grass.

I thought this was a pretty neat bit of camo finishing for an open water layout boat:

http://www.duckboats.net/lockstockbarrell.com/w2.jpg

http://www.duckboats.net/lockstockbarrell.com/whistler_top.jpg

[N. Scheuer]

How 'bout one of the originals? A Melon Seed Skiff? Plans from the Smithsonian $15.

Moby Nick

[Thad]

The Chesapeake Maritime Museum has a great collection of boats and plans of these types, http://www.cbmm.org/wh_store_bplans.html

[Venchka]

Originally posted by jamoose:
Hello--

... small (under 14') boat ...lightweight (under 70#) ... Primary means of propulsion would be poling ...strap a trolling motor on it

Thanks
JamusI rest my case. Pirogue or canoe. My neighbors fiberglass thing looks a little like the camo boat above, but is narrower and I assume lighter.

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[jamoose]

Great feedback guys, thanks for the info.
I should add a little more about what I'm looking for. I have hunted out of pirogue and love them, but the areas I hunt (and that the ducks love) typically have next to no cover (read: 12" of grass). For this reason, I'm looking for something that has a slight decking to it so that I can grass the deck and lie down to shoot. I have a fiberglass fatboy dp from momarsh (www.momarsh.com) which is great in the water, but the transportation can be challenging for my areas. I'm looking for something in this spirit, but lighter, preferrably with a throw-back feel, since nostalgia is worth something too.

I have a call into the chesapeake museum regarding their rail bird skiffs. We'll see what that yields.

thanks for the ideas and keep em coming

Jamus

[Steve Lansdowne]

Here is Lance Turner's fine rendition of the railbird skiff. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid155/pb20212436ae70c0c04c6d99d03f917f8/f562d84a.jpg WB had an article on building this several years ago.

[ 01-21-2005, 09:39 PM: Message edited by: Steve Lansdowne ]

[Jamaica Mike]

Surprised that no one has mentioned DUCKBOATS.NET (http://www.duckboats.net/duckboat.htm)

This is the best site on the web - plans, pictures, and a forum for builders and users.

Sam Devlin has a number of stitch and glue versions of the classic Barnegat Bay sneakbox, and the site above documents some of them being built. This is probably the most popular samll duck boat of rthe home builder, and it is a very good one.

I built a sneakbox some years ago and it was a splendid duck boat. I shot a lot of ducks from that boat. Good Luck.

JM

[ 01-21-2005, 10:12 PM: Message edited by: Jamaica Mike ]

[jamoose]

Thanks for the reply. I am a frequent visitor of the duckboats site and I am a big fan of sam devlin's designs. I built one of his boats a few years back, the black brant II and it is one of my favorite boats of all time. A great sneakbox.

At this point, I'm trying to figure out a way to get to some brds in a couple tricky spots. They're a good pace from the road and they're out in relatively open water with minimal grass to hide in. So I need something light enough to carry and designed such that I can grass it enough to hide in minimal cover.

Thanks for the picture of the rail bird skiff. Neat boat. What does it weigh approximately?

Thanks
Jamus

[boatbuilder.org]

Take a look at this design http://www.devlinboat.com/dcpeeper.htm . It is not listed in the duck boat section of the Devlin website, but I plan on adding it there soon. I do not have any pics, but you can see the basic hull shape from the sail version of it at http://www.boatbuilder.org/mudpeep.htm. As built in the pictures it is quite heavy, but if built as a simple rowing skiff it should come in at around 80 LBS.
---Joel---

[Venchka]

Originally posted by jamoose:
...At this point, I'm trying to figure out a way to get to some brds in a couple tricky spots. They're a good pace from the road and they're out in relatively open water with minimal grass to hide in.

Thanks
JamusWell shut my mouth! I didn't know you wanted to hunt FROM the boat. Folks around here use pirogues to get to their blinds. Or build a blind over a flat boat like my brother does.

Now, if those ducks are smart enough to be where it's hard to get to, I say leave them be and go for their dumb and dumber cousins! :D

Wayne
In the Swamp. :D

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

I paddle a 45 LB pirogue (Cheap Canoe)religiously.
From building it and some other S&G's I would say that you're 70 LB limit is going to require some choices.
Your weight limit would most easily be met with stitch-and-glue construction.If you want the sides thick (1/4") you'll have to make it shorter. If you're willing to spring for some expensive 4MM okoume the boat can be bigger but will require more care when afloat. Any decks will add weight for the sole convenience of carrying camoflage.
Then there's the method of transport. About the only boat that can be easily carried solo across difficult terrain is a canoe/pirogue.
An 8' S&G pram can be built to your weight limits and will be plenty stable for hunting but the width (46"-56") will make it hard to carry overhead. Also, the wider S&G hulls require interior bulkheads which would make assuming the layout position very uncomfortable.
If your hunting grounds would allow the use of a canoe/kayak cart you could probably haul a heavier boat solo. They cost about $100 and weigh under 10 LB.
The only boat I can think of that would fit your requrements is Nice Canoe from www.boatplans-online.com. (http://www.boatplans-online.com.) It's all S&G with no framing or other interior obstructions to get in the way.
Charlie

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

One more thought.
The above mentioned web site also offers a double ender sailing skiff that's 12' x 42". If the sailing gear were left out it would easily meet your weight requirement and would be a fairly stable rowboat and shooting platform.
Charlie

[jamoose]

Hi all--
I found a few picture of a boat that looks interesting for my purposes. I have contacted the builder about the specifics and permissions to copy his design, but for the purposes of speculation, do you think this boat could be built in a stitch and glue manner? I'm most especially curious about the two panels that would have to form the botton the hull. It appears they would have to take a wicked twist to form the bow. Any thoughts on this? Any suggested reading for how a design rookie like me could lay out the panels?

Thanks
Jamus
http://www.duckboats.net/images/bengallup6.jpg
http://www.duckboats.net/images/bengallup8.jpg http://www.duckboats.net/images/bengallup9.jpg

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

One thing's for sure. The guy in the picture is not going to carry the boat a half mile on his outstretched arms.
In order to carry a boat on your shoulders, ala portage style, the boat has to be deep enough that it rests on your shoulders and not the top of your head. Trying to carry a boat (even a boat of 35 LB or less)on either shoulder for along distance can get pretty uncomfortable.
I have a kayak with a bottom that is very shallow and very flexed but not as severe as the one in the picture. It had to be done in tortured 3 mm plywood. Designers have pretty much abandoned this technique because it is so difficult and requires the most expensive plywood.
Charlie

[dmede]

woah, tell me more about that railbird skiff? it's gorgeous. got any more pics of it?

dave (thinking of next boat...)

[Paul Scheuer]

I just ran across D.N.Goodchild's "The Barnegat Bay Sneakbox", "Its History, Design and Construction".
Lots of good traditional stuff.

[Jamaica Mike]

Originally posted by jamoose:
[QB]
I found a few picture of a boat that looks interesting for my purposes... It looks a lot like one of Bill Grunwald's (Aoelus Boats) mudboats - a lightweight ply sculler designed for use on South SF Bay.

Unfortunately, Bill is gone and a boat might be hard to find, but there might be someone who would provide measurements if you post on the duckboat site. It would be fine with 1/4" ply and stitch and glue construction.

JM

[Steve Lansdowne]

Here is a site showing Lance Turner's Railbird Skiff building process.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lannyandnellie@sbcglobal.net/album?.dir=/mail&.src=ph&.tok=phSuVaCBZv4rGW_r