building a barnegat bay sneakbox

I think I want to biuld a traditional method. I hunt alot of sloughs and flooded habitat early season and then would be hunting the missouri river in the late season.I like the BBSB but need to put a big enough motor on to take me up stream in the river. I would think atleast a 15 horse. Any suggestions on design would be appreciated.
 
Blake,
Good to see another western Missouri hunter on here!

I've been looking at boats for that same reason (late season hunting on the MO river, Truman, etc). I'm going to pose a question on your post since I think I know the answer, but want to see if some of the guys with more experience will verify this. Moving upstream against the Missouri can be a challenge. It really hauls. The traditional BBSB hull is a displacement hull, which won't ever win any speed contest, no matter what horsepower you put on it. However, it'll get you home through some really nasty weather every time (sort of like reeling in a bobber, it pushes a huge pile of water as it moves). I think more of a planing hull would be a better choice for the MO River. With big lakes like Truman in the mix, one of the hybrids is probably the direction I'll go (black brant III is what I'm currently thinking I'll build).

To those of you with experience on rivers like this, would you agree/disagree with this?

Scott
 
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Also "American Small Sailing craft" by Howard Chapelle has plans. I would get them both.
 
Blake, try D.N. Goodchild Publishers. As for the question on planning or displacement hull, It's purely a matter of preference. I now have a displacement hull sneakbox. I use to have a planning hull. Both were good boats but there is no comparison when it comes to safety. I hunt rivers that can be smooth as glass or as rough as the ocean during a squall. Go with the displacement hull. "Slow and easy wins the race!" Be safe......................Kevin
 
I have had the Devlin Mallard which was a displacement hull and have since moved to the Devlin Bluebill. Reason for the change for me is for speed. Around here (Missouri) on the lakes we do not get much of the ocean size waves like on the coast. Yes there can be sometimes where there are definitely some whitecaps on the lakes, but not like the ocean. So I was looking for something that could push my way through the river at a faster pace. I do agree that "slow and easy wins the race!" when it comes to rough water. So if a lake around here would be rough, I would be going slow and easy. But I see no real advantage in Missouri for a displacement hull. Displacement hulls will ride bow high when you put any speed on them, which made it hard for me to see over the bow to look for trees, rocks, underwater dikes, and other obstacles that would be in a lake or river. Usually in a bay or ocean you do not have those obstacles unless you are close to shore. That is just my two cents for here in Missouri. Now if I were to be living and hunting on the coast and going across bays and ocean, then I would probably change my mind.
 
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