Aluminum Sneak Boat

Andrew L.

Andrew L.

Well-known member
Hello All,

I hope fall is off to a good start for everyone. Austin and I have had fun traveling north early and are now back home enjoying the rest of fall in southern Minnesota.

I have begun to primarily hunt the Miss river and shallow lakes and am finding myself limited with my outboard rig. Therefore, I am in the beginning searches for what I think would be an ideal boat for my situation, a 14' aluminum sneak boat that can accept a 16hp longtail.

I primarily hunt alone with a dog but would like the extra room for decoys/gear and a 2nd person if needed. I like the idea of a slightly larger HP to combat wind and current as needed. I also would prefer a sneak boat to remain as low profile as possible while hunting from the boat vs a regular jon boat.

Any advice as I begin my search would be great.
What boats have others found most useful for river hunting situations? Is my thinking in size for both boat and motor correct?

Thank you!
 
To each there own....I used to have a mud motor... After a few bad experience in high wind... I switched to an outboard and have never looked back. I would rather have the power in big water, and have to push or push pole when the water gets skinny
 
Are you hunting the back waters from Wabasha on down by chance?. We've been hunting that area for decades with a 14' Lund SSV and a 15 hp regular motor. Wish we had a 25 hp motor as with two folks, 15 just isn't enough. If you are hunting the area I think you are, a mud motor would be nice to have to get back to those tiny out of the way holes.


Flat bottom boat I would be wary of if you are hunting Weaver where when the wind picks up, the open water can get quite rough. Been out there when it was rough and was grateful for a V hull verses a flat bottom boat. Also thankful for the regular motor verses a mud motor. Not much help I know......


Mark W
 
Andrew- I have used both on the Mississippi, and of course each has its ups and downs. I think that a longer boat is important when using a mud motor, so my opinion is 14' is pretty short for a mud motor.

I also agree with Phil, and have switched back to an outboard, and in most of my hunting situations that is a better choice.

So the bottom line for me is how much skinny water vs open water do I encounter when I hunt . . . Outboard and a push pole for me.

Miller
 
I would say get at least a 16' on the river... I liked my MLBish Classic but, in a normal Jon boat... I would go 16+
 
Will I was thinking a mod v or flat bottom. Id like to be able to get into small backwaters as easy as possible.
 
Phil

Thanks for the reply. I am finding myself constantly running into weed bed, shallow water and other skinny water hazards which are not a lot of fun with an outboard. I am rarely out on the larger pools of the river and stick mostly to back waters and flooded bottoms.
 
Mark

That is as far north as I venture and have been from there south. I mostly find myself on the Wisconsin side of the river and hunting smaller water. I agree my 25hp is very nice getting around with plenty of power especially when hunting alone.

Perhaps I am misguided but I have a bigger fear of ruining a prop or having to stall and get weeds off the prop in rough water and it has kept me off of some water especially when the wind is blowing.

The stability of a larger skiff and not needing to worry about weeds is what I am after...I think...
 
I have looked at those and find those most appealing from what I have found so far. The price is also the highest.
 
Thanks for the reply James. Ill admit my time in skiffs is limited but their stability I have found is far superior to jon boats which is why I was thinking a 14' would suffice but perhaps not.
do you have trim/tilt on your outboard?
 
I had a 20 HP GoDevil on a 1650 Xpress. I liked everything about the boat... for a Jon Boat. With a blind on it, and a 2nd person it was 7MPH...10MPH if it was just me...





I sold that boat with a 40 Merc on it to make my 20' Honker with a 60 Yamaha.

I found that I wanted a smaller boat (1 boat will not do it all) and So I found a BBII... didn't like it. So I bought a knock off TDB Classic 14 that was floating around here. I ran it with a 25 Yamaha. That is a FLAT bottom, and loved the boat. It only worked for me and Kodi, and thought that I might want to hunt with someone else... (I forgot that I don't like most people and more don't like me) so I sold the TDB and built a 17' Devlin Scaup last year.





I was worried my first day out in the TDB. 35 mph gusting to 50 mph, and there was a lot of wild celery floating that was getting wrapped around the prop. The boat handled the wave great, and I would reverse to clear it. If you are wanting a 14' I would tell you HANDS DOWN... get a TDB Classic. Also, as flat of hull as that is, a mud motor might work on it. I think someone has tried it.



Certainly a mud motor is always better when hitting logs and stumps, but I run a SS prop and have not had a issue. I would rather have the ability to get out of Dodge when I need to. I go 25-30 MPH across the big water... and am willling to push or push pole across the weeds or shallows. I have used all of these boats on Pool 9 (Lansing) The outboard had not been a problem, you just can't be careless. The Honker is just BIG and doesn't hide easily... BUT SAFE!

TDB Classic

2015 17 Devlin Scaup


 
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Interesting. You are making me think. 10mph sucks to say the least.

Also understanding 1 boat doesn't do it all I am mostly after a skinny water boat and understand that running the main channels in wind isn't safe nor what I am looking for this boat to do.

I hadn't thought of the TDB option though. How much water does that Devlin draft?
 
My buddy ran a 25 longtail on a GoDevil 16x54. 10-12mph tops.
Bumpy wet ride when it got rough.

A surface drive on a 16' semi-v Lund or deep mod-v might be a better option, much more power & speed compared to a longtail.
 
Yeah thats slow. Although even my 25hp outboard probably would not push a 1654 all that fast either especially with multiple bodies.

I am not a fan of the regular jon boat route. To tippy unless I go at least 16' and much harder to hide than a sneak boat model.

Id like to stay as low profile as possible.
 
I would say 7-8"... with me in it. The TDB 14 was closer to 4". The V that is in the Scaup really aids in stability, but I have to push it in the skinny. I am not sure about where you hunt, but MOST areas on Pool 9, I can trim up the motor and get with in 10-20 yard of the bank. Most water I hunt is 18-36" deep.

Here is something to think about.... I know you don't intend to travel open water in the wind, or the channel... BUT... storms come up... and you may alter where or how you hunt, which might require open water travel.

If it was just me and Kodi... I was not concerned about ANY water conditions on the Mississippi in the TDB. I feel the same about both of my Devlin's.. me +1 in the Scaup, or me + many in the Honker.

I have seen 2 in a blinded up 14' jon... (UG I shutter) they had SO little freeboard. I would not have been shocked to hear that they capsized... Thankful that was not the case... I would say they were not safe.

If you want to see/test my Scaup, I will be in Lansing Most every Wednesday night -Sunday in November.
 
Yeah thats slow. Although even my 25hp outboard probably would not push a 1654 all that fast either especially with multiple bodies.

I am not a fan of the regular jon boat route. To tippy unless I go at least 16' and much harder to hide than a sneak boat model.

Id like to stay as low profile as possible.
Click to expand...


My 40 Merc would only do about 28-30 loaded on the 1650 Xpress.
 
Have you looked into gator traxx boats? They make some models similar to the phowler boats. I've never owned any but they seem like we'll built aluminum and are designed for mud motors. They also have some deign where you sit on the floor of the boat and blind is built around you. Pretty cool stuff.

The TDB classics are great small water boats, I wouldn't personally put a mud motor on one though. Mud motors Excell in areas where hitting underwater obstacles is a major concern. If you are concerned about hitting a stump or log or trash of some sort I would stick with a metal boat. If you are only concerned about getting across shallow areas I would get an out board on a jack plate. That will get you though 90% of what your boat can draft. A push pole, as stated earlier, will do the rest. IN my opinion that gives you the best of both worlds
 
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