Boat blind height

[justin boucher]

Building a blind on my 16' flat bottom. Gonna have the sides drop down to shoot. Was just wondering how high i should make the riser off the gunnel. Seen they average between 24-36" but i really dont think its high enough

 

[RM Anderson]

Building a blind on my 16' flat bottom. Gonna have the sides drop down to shoot. Was just wondering how high i should make the riser off the gunnel. Seen they average between 24-36" but i really dont think its high enough

Justin,
Since you are building sides that drop down to shoot, I would say go with the lowest height that will support the grassing material you intend to use and that will still hide you and your companion. If your sides don't drop down, limit your height to a comfortable height depending on stability. My Poleboat for example is probably not stable enough for shooting while standing. Hope this helps, RM

 

[Carl]

My sides did not drop, seemed like just another thing to go wrong. Always stand to shoot, feel like it gives more freedom of movement.
My blind is just below eye level when sitting on a hunting chair.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Building a blind on my 16' flat bottom. Gonna have the sides drop down to shoot. Was just wondering how high i should make the riser off the gunnel. Seen they average between 24-36" but i really dont think its high enough

Justin~

I like the height of the "sill" - from the cockpit floor to the rigid walls of the blind to be 34 inches. The flap-boards or frames (my preference) can be 12 - 16 inches. I like them upper parts to fold down onto the sides without crushing the ends of the thatch.



Here is my Sneakbox RED-LEG - with the shooting flap up - ready to be dropped once the birds cannot possibly escape (!). My Dad is inside.



A different vessel - from 2022-23:



We sit on"spackle buckets". It is easy to shoot either sitting or standing. I like open frames - with bundles of thatch through which we can watch the birds As they approach - and thus keep our heads down where they belong - until the Moment of Truth. Note that the windward "wall" has opaque panels to keep out both wind and light.



Hope this helps!

SJS

 

[Clinton John]

Here's my take.

The height really isn't all that important. Adding brush/grass to match the spot your hunting and being on the X is most important.

Second most important thing, is getting rid of the BIG BLACK HOLE.

I have been very lucky, that I was involved with a lot of drone work shooting vid over some duck blinds. And that big black hole, sticks out like a soar thumb. And I'm convinced that is what flares more ducks off then anything.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Justin~

I agree with the importance of how open the blind appears from above. That is why I like the folding boards/frames to have LONG thatch - so the ends come almost together overhead when they are up. It is best if the ends of that nice long thatch do not get broken when the boards are down. Note how they do not rest on the deck when down.

They are not quite closed overhead when hiding - which I prefer to a roof - so I can surreptitiously keep my eye on birds going overhead or behind.



All the best,

SJS

 

[Douglas Petro]

As low as possible, you have to be able to water swat.

 

[justin boucher]

Going another 20" high at an inward angle on hinges. Its comming along. Then i gotta think of what to brush it with since ill be hunting in open water

 

[william bowman]

Justin~

I like the height of the "sill" - from the cockpit floor to the rigid walls of the blind to be 34 inches. The flap-boards or frames (my preference) can be 12 - 16 inches. I like them upper parts to fold down onto the sides without crushing the ends of the thatch.

View attachment 67501

Here is my Sneakbox RED-LEG - with the shooting flap up - ready to be dropped once the birds cannot possibly escape (!). My Dad is inside.

View attachment 67504

A different vessel - from 2022-23:

View attachment 67502

We sit on"spackle buckets". It is easy to shoot either sitting or standing. I like open frames - with bundles of thatch through which we can watch the birds As they approach - and thus keep our heads down where they belong - until the Moment of Truth. Note that the windward "wall" has opaque panels to keep out both wind and light.

View attachment 67503

Hope this helps!

SJS

 

[william bowman]

did you make that front dodger for the tdb

 

[Steve Sanford]

did you make that front dodger for the tdb

William~

I am guessing your question is directed to me?

I made that spray shield for a customer's Duck Wrangler (I think!). It is my "XL Spray Shield" - about twice the area of a stock South Bay shield. Although originally designed for South Bay Duckboats, they seem to fit many gunning vessels.



Here it is all thatched up. Note the polypropylene webbing instead of wooden thatch rails.



Here it is on a Duck Invader. This has laminated Mahogany thatch rails.



BTW: I use the term "spray shield" for rigid ('glass) structures and "spray dodger" for canvas. I just molded an XL spray shield for a South Bay - but will be sewing up a dodger (for an Arthur Armstrong Blackjack) next week.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Josh Schwenger]

I close the top up with grass mats on sticks that have to be reset after we shoot. The more I cover the top the better I do. If I had more angle on the blind and it was 6" higher it would be more effective. It also makes us sit on milk crates which is not comfortable after about a hour.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Josh~

You might want to add a second tier of flap boards/frames Both the upper and lower are hinged - but the lower can stay up most of the time - as for traveling or handling decoys. This is where the "34-inch heightb for the "sill" (height of the first tier) is important. You can sit on a more comfortable seat - and "water swat/ground pound" all day long if you are so disposed.



Hope to see you in Tuckerton!

SJS

 

[Josh Schwenger]

Thanks Steve I added a 4" back but I do need to add some more a second hinge level would work great. I will be in tuckerton I called today to try to get the table next to yours I have a lot of equipment I need to part with.

 

[John Oliver]

After playing with flapper boards and flip ups I finally landed on conduit pull up set to the height of my chin based on the chairs used in the DH (I am also to old to effectively shoot from sitting or laying down anymore). From that point I found some "Tiki Bar" thatch that runs from there up covering my face. The "tiki bar" thatch has some rigidity to it so you can manipulate it when you are set up. This way I can stand and shoot but keep my face hidden using the thatch. Using the height of my Rogers dove chairs based on my height set the top of the blind frame. Having it able to fold down protected my material when towing and bends the blades while stored creating varied material angles. The height just worked out in a DH to come even with the sides when down. After many iterations this really fooled the most weary Greenheads late in the season.

Sorry for the Lab in the picture, he thought it was October!

 

[justin boucher]

This is what i ended up with. I perfer to stand when shooting and usually by myself so this is gonna have to do. Have to try it next year tho beings i wasnt lucky enuff to pull win the blind lottery this year

 

[roy brewington]

Now convert that to EMT conduit to cut down on the excess weight, especially after grassing , and you,ve got something that will work and not severally impact weight capacity of your boat.