First Duckboat - Flat Bottom or V-Hull?

[Jeff Obermeier]

Hello Everybody, I need some advice. I am a semi-professional woodworker and have toyed with the idea of building a duckboat for years. Now is the time to do it before duck season starts!
I want to build a small boat similar to a 10' Aquapod. It needs to be under 60 lbs so I can put it in the bed of my pickup truck and tow it behind my 14' motorboat to my hunting spot. It will be used to set decoys, retrieve ducks and for layout hunting. I've studied Devlin, CLC, Glen L, and the Kara Hummer designs. Most of the designs have a v-hull constructed of two narrow panels of plywood stitched together in the middle to form a keel. My question is, what are the pros and cons of a v-hull versus a flat bottom design for a small 10' boat with a 30" - 40" beam and a depth of 12" - 13"? The boat would be decked in the front and back and have a large cockpit 72" long.
I'm attaching photos of a flat-bottom kayak and a v-hull construction (both from the Chesapeake Light Craft) as examples. Thanks in advance for your help and advice!

 

[Carl]

Welcome aboard Jeff!
I believe a flatbottom boat will normally draw less water than a semi-v of the same size/weight.
But a semi-v may track a little better. Do you plan to pole or paddle?
I've never built a wooden boat but I'm not sure a glass & plywood hull of that size is going to come in under 60#. Whats the boat plan sites say?
Good luck!

 

[tod osier]

Hello Everybody, I need some advice. I am a semi-professional woodworker and have toyed with the idea of building a duckboat for years. Now is the time to do it before duck season starts!
I want to build a small boat similar to a 10' Aquapod. It needs to be under 60 lbs so I can put it in the bed of my pickup truck and tow it behind my 14' motorboat to my hunting spot. It will be used to set decoys, retrieve ducks and for layout hunting. I've studied Devlin, CLC, Glen L, and the Kara Hummer designs. Most of the designs have a v-hull constructed of two narrow panels of plywood stitched together in the middle to form a keel. My question is, what are the pros and cons of a v-hull versus a flat bottom design for a small 10' boat with a 30" - 40" beam and a depth of 12" - 13"? The boat would be decked in the front and back and have a large cockpit 72" long.
I'm attaching photos of a flat-bottom kayak and a v-hull construction (both from the Chesapeake Light Craft) as examples. Thanks in advance for your help and advice!

Hi Jeff, it is a common wish to build something in that category that comes in a manageable weight. Even getting under 100 pounds for your stated goals, especially to hunt from, is really tough in a build that will stand the use of a duck hunter and getting loaded and unloaded from a pickup. Building wood and glass in a size that can carry a hunter and decoys safely and also load into a pickup bed is a tough combo that I haven't ever seen done well in something I'd call a duck boat. There is a niche where wood is not the best option and plastic or fiberglass shines.

To address your question the v bottoms in some of those offer stiffness that you don't see in a flat bottom without a lot of structure to support the bottom.

 

[Carl]

Building is great, but if you want light weight. wood & glass is not the way to go.
If I ever move back to duck hunting country, I'm getting one of these: https://www.creekboats.com/m98

 

[roy brewington]

If your going to tow a v bowed hull will behave better under tow. Square bowed will tow but have a tendency to want to scoop water at anything more than a slow speed. Of course tow line length greatly effects this also . Might I suggest looking into a hull you can piggy back on your access boat. Even then by the time you buy good materials & glass you can find something fiberglass or plastic usually used cheaper. Something like a used hell bender or similar hull to actually hunt out of and its light enough to piggy back at about 75 lbs.

 

[Douglas Petro]

Build it out of Home Depot foamboard insulation.

Seafoam Kayak, the Unsinkable Foam Kayak Anyone Can Build, 16 Pounds and Eight Feet of Fun

Seafoam Kayak, the Unsinkable Foam Kayak Anyone Can Build, 16 Pounds and Eight Feet of Fun: can you cut a crusty bagel with a knife, stick a sandwich together with mayo, grate cheese, cut thin fabric with scissors, stretch wrinkles out of bed sheets, and roll paint onto a wall? Then you can...

www.instructables.com

 

[Carl]

Thats a pretty impressive foam boat!

 

[Richard Lathrop]

A Bolger\Payson Instant boat or any other pirogue style design may fit your requirements but cost of plywood and fiberglass versus plastic may be worth consideration.

 

[Jeff Obermeier]

Thank you all for your replies and giving me some other options to think about. Stiffness and durability are definitely things to consider, as well as cost and time. The Aquapod would be my ideal boat (especially since they're local and I could pick it up), and maybe I'll just have to bite the bullet and shell out the $3k

 

[Griggs HarbingerBoatworks]

Jeff - Would you be interested in collaborating on a custom designed option?? I have built a couple or smaller 10' boats and can whip up designs pretty quickly. We can either print them out on paper or if you know a local CNC guy send them out for cutting.

I'll agree with some of the other comments on weight - the 10' plywood glass boats I do hit around 80 to 100 pounds. I can handle them into the back of my truck easy enough. Dragging them on the ground over any distance is a bit of a chore though.

Let me know what you think.

Best,

Griggs

 

[Jeff Obermeier]

Nice photos. I admire people who can use computer assisted drawing and design stuff.
The kayak photos I posted are glassed inside and out and supposedly only weigh around 35 lbs
My current setup is towing a lightweight sit-on-top kayak behind my TDB that I use for retrieving ducks. But I want something that I can actually lie down in and hunt out of (like the Aquapod).
I had thought about modifying the plans of one of these kayaks to make it more suitable for duck hunting including stretching the cockpit to 70" and changing the profile of the bow so it matches the back end.

 

[Griggs HarbingerBoatworks]

Jeff,

The boat I have pictured there in the middle I can sit up straight and paddle around, stand up in and push pole, trolling motor works good on open water, and shoot out of from standing up or seated on the bench all with the dog and decoys in front of me. I weigh about 170 with a 85 lb chessey. I personally don't like to shoot from laying down in a boat. Seems like it limits my mobility - comfort level.

If you prefer laying in a boat I wouldn't mind trying to re-design or altering something. The kayaks are probably considerably lighter because they have less material in them. Probably only 6oz glass or something light... and probably the thinnest plywood or solid wood laminates you can get.

My little 10' boats have taller sides than most of the kayaks, or plastic boats you see. I think it helps a ton for working out of and gear capacity.

Let me know what you think.

Griggs

 

[MLBob Furia]

Build it out of Home Depot foamboard insulation.

Seafoam Kayak, the Unsinkable Foam Kayak Anyone Can Build, 16 Pounds and Eight Feet of Fun

Seafoam Kayak, the Unsinkable Foam Kayak Anyone Can Build, 16 Pounds and Eight Feet of Fun: can you cut a crusty bagel with a knife, stick a sandwich together with mayo, grate cheese, cut thin fabric with scissors, stretch wrinkles out of bed sheets, and roll paint onto a wall? Then you can...

www.instructables.com

But please just tow it behind a real boat with some decoys in it and just use it to paddle around a pond in summer.
We don't need to read any more tragic duck hunting stories.

 

[perry]

classic barnegat

 

[Richard Lathrop]

classic barnegat

Nice looking barnegat.