Aluminum Sneak Boat

Thanks Phil I will find at least one day to get down by you and see the rig, pm sending shortly. At Nelson Bottoms I need to be able to cross several hundred yards of shallow weedy water. I currently have been taking my outboard rig in as far as a I can and paddling my carstens skiff in but as weather gets colder that is not ideal and I cannot take very much with me when doing that not to mention I cant really get where I want to be.
Also I'd like a rig I can cross shallow lakes here in MN. We have a number of 3-4' deep lakes that are great for ducks and paddling 2 miles through weeds and celery isn't always what I am up for especially in the wind.

Will I will look up gator trax. I am concerned about hitting stumps & floating debris which I was thinking aluminum but I am not going to be running like a bat out of hell in these areas anyway.
 
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I will only say... I have hit things with wood and glass boats... if the water is that shallow... I am not going that fast. Last year the Scaup got stuck in 4' of water at o'dark thirty... there was a stump from when the cut the trees down and created the locks and damns.... about 4" below the water. I had to get in the water and lift the boat off it. There was no evidence of anything on the hull...
Then again... I have 20 oz of cloth and epoxy on the hull.
 
Dont put anything on a 14ft tdb but an outboard. the extra stress and weight of the motor being mounted on the top would be a problem. Not to mention that without a specific transom mount they wont clear the deck when turning sharp. Had a customer buy a new 14 classic and almost made that mistake. luckily the motor company caught it for him when trying to set the boat up with a new motor.

If buying a used 14ft tdb look them over very well. the wood is rotting in them quickly now days and most of them pre 2000 are having major issues with the transom and rear foam chambers due to the common leaking rear corners.
 
There is a guy in Manahawkin NJ that was making aluminum sneak boats a few years back. I believe at least one person on here has one, maybe Chris from Connecticut? They were all welded and fairly heavy guage aluminum as I recall. Maybe somebody will remember him and know how to get in touch.
 
[reply Perhaps I am misguided but I have a bigger fear of ruining a prop [/QUOTE]

I run a 25 horse merc and just use the $125 aluminum props for it. If there's one thing I learned in Florida, it's not to get bent out of shape (no pun intended) about hitting stuff. There was one place I fished that I'd hit at least one oyster bar per trip. Just carry a spare prop in case you really mess one up or spin a hub. I usually went through on prop per year this way.

As far as weeds go, a 25 is a little bit weak for tearing through stuff, but larger kickers like 75's and 90's can do some impressive stuff in cattails. I mostly have run 90's and 115's on shock boats at work, and a lot of times you can clear the prop just by putting it in reverse after going through some weeds, or by tilting the motor until the prop is about halfway out of the water and revving the engine in forward (make sure the water pump intake is still submerged if you try this method). For really nasty weeds like cattail and bulrush, you'll probably have to stop and use a knife to clear the prop. I always carry a flooring knife for that. Also, a wire grill brush works good for cleaning out the water pump intake if it gets clogged with weeds/muck/algae.
 
NO to the AL... SS on the River.. there is soo much silt and sand in the water, it will wear out a AL prop in a heart beat! Keep the AL for a spare.
 
On larger outboards, I agree, but 25 hp and under I wouldn't bother with SS. I ran an aluminum prop on pool 16 and IA interior rivers with no problems. When I buy one I only plan on having it last a 2-3 years max anyways.
 
I've been kicking around the idea of taking a johnboat and decking it into a Sneakbox like Zack Taylor outlined in his book "Successful Waterfowling"

Could start with a 1436 or bigger and power with a small to medium longtail or surface drive.

An open floor 1442 or 1648 would be a great hull to build on.
 
Nick

I have kicked around that idea as well. My experience in flat bottoms though is they are not stable enough until you get to at least a 1448. Which is some cases may defeat the purpose I am after, that is hunting skinny water solo. The boat I have seen get stuck most that is owned by a friend is a 1448 with a 24hp mud buddy.
 
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