Backwards sneakbox

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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Staff member
Given today most sneakboxes have a motor what are the advantages/disadvantages of reversing the sprayskirt so that the hunter guns over the front of the boat instead of over the transom? I can see some tradeoffs but wonder if anyone has thought through it or tried it. Seems like the topic was discussed a number of years back but I don't remember the specifics.

Eric
 
eric seems like an easy mod to make a reversible skirt. would just pivot in the exact middle of the boat on a bimini top like mechanism. run with it as a spray shield in the bow and gun with it as a cover in the rear.
 
I used to have mine set up to shoot over the bow. The Highlands sneakbox developed by Frank 'Ozzie' Thomas here in NJ was originally designed to shoot over the bow. It had a dog box between the main cockpit and the engine and front decoy racks on hinges that would drop down.

They work well if you hunt with a dog, but the disadvantage is that if you don't have a dog or need to use the boat to go get a cripple quickly it is not as easy to just start the engine up and motor out as your engine would be up on the sedge rather than hanging in the water. The main advantage is you are not shooting over and around the engine.

I still have my canvas set up to be reversible. The box style canvas is my favorite because you can drop it down to pick up decoys or reduce the wind profile of the boat and then prop it up when running and use it as a spray shield.

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Eric
One of the problems I see of shooting over the bow, is the case of the guy that has got a dog box behind his copit. it would mean the dog would get the full sound of the blast from his shotgun, thats why when my boat is made I intend to shoot over the transom.
Take care and God Bless
Eddie and Amber
Its all abut Building that Bond.
 
Eric,

I pondered that myself when setting up my old boat. I even debated in my mind if it would be possible to position the hinge point of the dodger in such a way as to allow the frame to pivot either forward or backward. With removable/reversible side curtains it just might work.

For myself, I concluded a backward facing setup was best and would work for the majority of the places I set up in. The only real advantage in facing the bow, is eliminating the motor from your gunning view.
 
Thanks for the input. The reason I'm asking is I had a spray skirt (teepee style) at one time but is was really too small to be of much use. Thomas hunts with me at all times so I've never pursued a dodger style skirt. For the most part I have always grassed the boat up, brushed it with leaved oak limbs cut on site, and then gunned over the side. I started thinking the cockpit is wide enough for Thomas and I to sit side by side so the thought of having a dodger made has crept into my mind so I'm trying to think through the possibilites.

Eric
 
This is another option, but more set up to shoot from the sides of the boat. We were going to figure out a way to drop it down and raise it up easily, but have been hunting it like this and it has been working out quite well.

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If you set up a sort of box canvas that could be raised and lowered, then you could just drop it to the deck around the combing of the cockpit when you don't need it up.
 
Eric,

In my experience, the forward half of my boats tend to stay the "driest" even with out the dodger erected. The forward deck protects a larger area than the rear deck does. Also that water which ends up inside the boat tends to collect at the stern rather than the bow. I can store my gun and bag under the forward deck and expect them to stay dry. It made the most sense to add to this protection by putting the closed end of the dodger on the forward deck.

I usually enter and exit at or near the stern, so most of the mud ends up there also.

Depending on just how level your boat floats, you may find that with both of you at the back of the cockpit, the bow will rise to a point which may block more than the motor would if you were facing towards the stern.
 
Not sure who started the forward facing dodger, but I think its a dumb idea. Classis barnegats were designed to be driven up on the sedge and gunned from. I cant imagine the headache of backing in. It would ne nice not shooting over the motor, but the disadvantages of reversing the dodger make shooting over the motor the only way.

I like that Garvey, is that a David Clark boat?
 
Eric,
This works for me- and you get to recline! (you can see room for one more in the boat)

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Pulled up on shore is probably not a big deal to hunt any direction. However, there is a huge disadvantage to reversing direction if there is wave action as the chop hits the stern and comes in the boat. This was a big deal when we used to hunt southern oxbows anchored off to a cyprus tree.

-Bill
 
I switched to shooting over the engine again because it is a pain in the rear end to pull the boat up on the sedge backwards. Only have to do that a few times before you've had enough of it!

[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]I like that Garvey, is that a David Clark boat? [/font]
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Thanks Davey, it sort of is. Dave didn't build it, but did own it at one time and did some modifications and the canvas work. It's a modified Devlin Cackler. I'm the fourth owner I believe, Dave was the second.
 
That's why we started building wider boxes to hunt 2 guys side by side and shoot out the back. I couldn't imagine backing in. Most places I hunt, you would have to tilit the motor up, then push pole to back it in. NO WAY! It's a hell of a lot easier to just run it up on the bank, leaving the motor in the water. All I do is push a paddle into the mud between the sponson and the motor. Makes it a lot quicker to retrieve a duck or move decoys. Keep It Simple!

Note my dad in the boat. Plenty of room for 2 guys in the boat and we're both about 250+ lbs. It has a 5' wide cockpit.

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i have a KMT sneakbox that was desinged to shoot over the bow when i got the boat i switched it around to a full dodger so i use the second cockpit for my gas container .. Frank Thomas originated the design then KMT got his molds
 
Kevin, what boat is that where you hunt two guys like a sneakbox? Thats pretty slick dude, I like it.
 
It's a design that we came up with. Atleast to the best of my knowledge, I haven't seen any like it. The one in the pic is mine, the1st one we built. We've built a few others with a few teaks here and there. They're 12' with a 6' long x 5' wide cockpit. 3/4" v to the bottom and weigh about 225 empty. Super stable, we can take 2 guys and both stand one the same side and it hardley rocks. The other benifit of it being wider is that it is a really shallow drafting boat. I can push pole in about 6" of water. But I've also run in 3' swell in the bay. 2 guys and a full lod in the boat with a 15hp runs about 16-18mph, 20 hp runs 25+, and with a 25hp I call it FUN. With the sponsons the boat doesn't draft any deeper from the extra engine weight.

We do take orders to build and Cumberland County DU will be raffleing off one in the spring. I'm also considering selling the one in the picture and building myself a new one.

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Thats definitely a clever design. Nice for when you wanna gun two guys from one boat.
 
My spray dodger was made from PVC, canvas, and hog wire. I bungee it to the bow of the boat while running to keep the spray from coming in the cockpit. When I get to where I want to hunt, I can either shoot over the stern without disconnecting the bungee or I can switch it around and shoot over the bow. The other thing I can do is use my dodger upright as a blocker, which allows me to sit on the deck of my boat and hide behind the dodger. It's much easier on my back that way.

Grace and peace,

David

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