Broadbill or Kara Hummer?

J

Jeff Lee

New member
I plan on building a small boat for hunting the rivers and small lakes/marshes in the area. I bought plans for the 14" Broadbill from Clark Craft a while back, but haven't started building. As I look at my needs, I am wondering if the Kara design might not be a better choice. Use info:

Solo Hunter most of the time
Shallow, sheltered water (mostly small rivers, occasional small lakes)
Pole or paddle is fine, motor nice for return to launch, but not needed
Some float or sneak type hunting on the rivers

I think either will suffice. The Kara Hummer seems to be a slightly simpler/faster build with slightly less material. Cost isn't a concern, but is always a consideration. The Broadbill is set up for an outboard without modifying plans and could probably handle a small chop on the lakes a little better. I do have a 12' jon boat that could be used on the lakes so I'd guess whatever I build will be primarily used on small slow moving rivers.

My motivations for building are simply that I enjoy the process and would love to hunt out of something I built myself. I've built several strip built kayaks and am familiar with glassing and basic construction. I will say up front that I want a framed boat and am not interested in stitch and glue construction. (Just a personal preference)

What do you recommend?
 
Back when I was still a solo hunter, I had planned to build a Devlin Bluebill.
I would go with a Devlin Broadbill or Bluebill, which will handle a chop better than a Hummer and is much more seaworthy and stable than any 12' jon boat.
Low profile and stealthy.
Plus you can put a motor on it.
 
Thanks for the replies. I've been looking over the plan set for the Broadbill tonight. I think I've convinced myself that the Broadbill is the way to go. It's a pretty straight forward build, low profile enough for sneaking on the river, but big & stable enough to run on larger lakes as well. I've been sitting on the plans for a couple of years while I built fences and barns, it is time to get going on the fun stuff!
 
Jeff,

I built a Devlin Broadbill years back, which I have since sold. Nice little boat but I wanted to hunt bigger water which was my motivation for selling it. I have paddled it and will tell you that it's not something I would want to do on a regular basis. It is a wide boat for its length and you are pushing a bit of boat - compared to a kayak or canoe. Load that up with gear and you will want that 9.9 or 15hp on the back. It would be fine for smaller lakes/river hunting and will handle a chop. It has a low profile and hides easily.

In my opinion the broadbill and kara are two different boats for two different applications. They may cross over in some situations but the broadbill is a much more seaworthy boat. Whereas a kara would be better suited for marsh/flooded fields.

If you search my past posts you will find some build pictures I posted along the way. There are several broadbill builders out here and if you search "broadbill" you will likely find their builds as well.

Good luck and if I can answer anything more specific please let me know.

Ryan
 
Jeff,

I built a Devlin Broadbill years back, which I have since sold. Nice little boat but I wanted to hunt bigger water which was my motivation for selling it. I have paddled it and will tell you that it's not something I would want to do on a regular basis. It is a wide boat for its length and you are pushing a bit of boat - compared to a kayak or canoe. Load that up with gear and you will want that 9.9 or 15hp on the back. It would be fine for smaller lakes/river hunting and will handle a chop. It has a low profile and hides easily.

In my opinion the broadbill and kara are two different boats for two different applications. They may cross over in some situations but the broadbill is a much more seaworthy boat. Whereas a kara would be better suited for marsh/flooded fields.

If you search my past posts you will find some build pictures I posted along the way. There are several broadbill builders out here and if you search "broadbill" you will likely find their builds as well.

Good luck and if I can answer anything more specific please let me know.

Ryan
Click to expand...

Thanks Ryan. I've searched the forums and have seen your build pics. Looks great! The plans I have are for the 14' version. I understand the differences in the two boats and have convinced myself that the Broadbill is right for me. I don't hunt flooded fields often (and usually just use waders when I do) and think that Broadbill may be a bit more versatile. It will work on the lakes but also for floating the river.
 
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