Intro & Persistence Pays Off

[Gabe Berkey]

Welcome. I am in NJ as well. Boats and duck gear take a beating. Its constant maintenance but you will eventually get it sorted.

Nice job on the wigeon. Been looking for them here now for a long time. Still haven't been able to connnect.

I'm no stranger to the salt, lived in it my whole life. I've been running boats for more then a few decades. I've been a licensed Capt since the early 2000s. What got me was not hunting last season and kind of losing track of things. That in addition to all my gear, the boat, motor, trailer, all being old. Sometimes you just have to pay to play, right? Rust never sleeps. But I'm already looking forward to next season.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Hello everyone,

I've poked around here on and off for a few years. I've always been impressed with the amount of useful knowledge and how freely it's shared. I've learned a lot and have been helped out and inspired on different projects.

Currently, I hunt around southern NJ, in a BBSB that was almost on it's way to the dump when I acquired it about six years ago. I also do some hunting on foot, and use a kayak sometimes too. I've mostly been in the SB the last few seasons. I really enjoy hunkering down in that little boat and seeing how close I can get birds to decoy. It hides so well it makes for some really cool nature watching in addition to the hunting (hawks, eagles, herons, seals, etc).

When I bought the boat I paid a friend who does fiberglass work for a living to bring her back to life. He did a nice job on what I prioritized at the time. It was a lot to get her tight and seaworthy again. Another friend had a 2001 Yamaha F6 he wanted to get rid of for a very reasonable price. So that's what pushes her. The boat was on a homemade trailer of wielded up angle iron.

This season the saltwater finally did in the trailer. It wasn't safe to use anymore, so I ended up purchasing a new trailer. I couldn't find a decent used trailer that wasn't going to be a big hassle to register and be legal on the road. That kept me from starting the season on time. Once that was squared away I just kept running into one thing after another. Leaking waders, fuel line issues, clogged cooling system, blah blah blah. It seemed like every hunt produced another issue. I take good care of my gear. Age was the main factor and it was just time for some things to be replaced. With a few weeks of the season left, and a bunch of money and time expended, I finally was able to get some good hunts in. On one outing I was set up for bufflehead with my lab and we had some wigeon nearby that gave us a close pass. I should have dropped a drake but I blew it. We mostly see black ducks as far as dabblers go. That would have been my first wigeon. A couple days later the tide was right to try again near the same area. It all came together. Not only did I get my first wigeon (a pair), I also had a single Eurasian sneak in from behind me and drop in with the black duck blocks. I didn't blow the opportunity and that bird as well as the the pair of Americans are going on the wall. One hunt made all the work and aggravation worth it. The stud mallard that dropped by when I was thinking about calling it quits didn't hurt my feelings either.

I've got some issues to address with the boat this off season. The deck in getting springy. I think it's time to re-core it. I'll be looking for advice with that. The outboard surges (rpms up and down at idle and low speed in gear). I've tried adjusting the idle but no change. I've heard it's common with that engine but I can't find a fix mentioned anywhere.

If you read this far in my rambling post, thanks. Any advice on the deck and/or outboard is greatly appreciated. I plan to build a pond box this summer. Any ideas/advice on that are also welcome. I'm going to follow Mr. Sanford's plans. https://stevenjaysanford.com/sanford-gunning-box-2/

A few pics from the season below.

Thanks,
Gabe

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Good morning, Gabe - and welcome!

I thoroughly enjoyed your "rambling" - and am so glad your persistence paid off. The tribulations sound all too familiar to most of us, I imagine. On the other hand, the joys of watching the world from a well-hidden vessel also bring back many fine memories.

I was especially struck when you described your Sneakbox as almost ready for the dump. My RED-LEG was in fact leaning next to a dumpster at an auto body shop when I "rescued" it back in the late 1980s. I restored it then to hunt for several very happy seasons - then re-built it several years ago - in 2016. Here it is back in my Long Island days....



The posted a very detailed tale of the rebuild process here on duckboats.net. Search "Sneakbox Renovation" (by me) in March 2016. As you will see, I replaced the decks entirely - to add a bit more crown and get the cockpit size and shape the way I wanted it.

Here it is just about done. I plan to add a small 'glass spray shield ahead of the dodger later this year.



Here it is with its off-season storage cover.



I hope you get all the bugs worked out long before next season!

All the best,

SJS

 

[Jay K]

I'm no stranger to the salt, lived in it my whole life. I've been running boats for more then a few decades. I've been a licensed Capt since the early 2000s. What got me was not hunting last season and kind of losing track of things. That in addition to all my gear, the boat, motor, trailer, all being old. Sometimes you just have to pay to play, right? Rust never sleeps. But I'm already looking forward to next season.

Yup. Same here. I have had my ticket since the early 2000's as well. It happens no matter how good you are with maintenance. I have 3 boats so I know all too well how maintenance can be. I started upgrading my items to newer models. Last year I went with a 2023 Yamaha F25 to replace my 1995 Merc 25hp. That bought me some time with this motor for sure.