Beavertail blind question

[bob Petritsch]

Stopped of at Bass Pro shop in Virginia and they did not have a blind they could show me. Seems if you buy one through them it is just drop shipped from the mftr. At $700+ dollars it is not a cheap piece of equipment. I really don't think I can bring myself to buy one without first seeing one up close and personnel.
I have been thinking I might not want an 18 foot blind sitting out in open water. My Crestliner 1860 has a long front and rear deck. These decks are only inches below the gunnels. I don't think there would be much useful space below the blind and above the deck. The aft deck is 4.5 feet and the foredeck is about 7. This leaves a deep center section of about 7 feet.
I'm thinking of just leaving the two decks alone, the are camo printed. And building an 8 foot blind over the center section. I would love to get a beavertail type blind for just that part. The shorter beaver tails are not wide enough for my beam.
Has anyone done that type of construction, where the bow and stern are left as is? Does anyone have a beaver tail blind and is willing to let me see it, it would help me make my decision. I live in New Bern NC and would travel some distance to take a look.

 

[Dave Church]

Bob- I have built a couple of different blinds for my boats over the years and always find mistakes and improvements along the way. There are some very good Youtube videos that show guys building their own blinds and some are really clever. The best thing I can say about the videos is that they give me ideas on how I want to construct mine. I too have liked the idea of signing a check and getting a "ready-to-hunt" blind dropped at my doorstep, but I was always worried about fit and finish as they applied to my boat. I have also hunted with guys who have drop blinds and "roll-over" blinds and ALL of them have things that they don't like about their specific set-up. Best of Luck


Dave