Carstens vs. Momarsh vs. ... -Help!!

Daniel Lavallee

New member
I'm looking for people to help me in my decision on which one to purchase. I have never seen either one up close but want a boat that can handle myself, dog, gear and possibly/occasionally one other person. It will be used in small swamps and rivers and streams. I will be ordering off the internet without ever trying it out as there are no dealers in my area. Any info would help. If you own one, please weigh in and give me your opinion. Any and all info will help. I really like the look of the Carstens Pintail and Mallard and looked at the Momarsh FatboyDP on line. I also saw the various Pirogues and other layout style boats and kayaks. I presently have a canoe but want more stability and versatility in my boat. I will not be using a motor and would prefer to paddle or row but having the ability to use a small electric or gas motor in the future is always a nice thought. I will use my truck racks to transport or possibly in the back of truck until/unless I get a small trailer to aid in transport. Being able to use for fishing in the summer is also a nice feature as there are some nice bays for striper fishing down on the coast. Thank you for your help and I look forward to hearing from all of you.
 
I had a MoMarsh and liked its low profile. Dog would fit nicely behind the hunter if you opted for the 3/4 door blind. Very stable boat too.

It was a bear to load on my camper shell by myself, especially if camo'd up. I used a small trailer to haul it. Would fit into a long bed pickup truck too.

The Fatboy DP will be a little tight for two hunters. It's perfect, though, for a hunter and his/her dog.

Good luck deciding! You can never have too many duck boats!!!

David
 
I have a carstens mallard for sale. Hides well, and you can stand up and push pole. a buddy and I took it out this week down a flooded river. I'm 230#, he is 180#, a cooler of beer, dewalt radio, seats, and ores. and it did great. If your ordering from the factory the carstens is made in MN and the momarsh in MO and im in IA so the shiping to CT would probably be comparable. I,m wanting to get something thats going to be under motor power most of the time. I'll bump my add to the top in the classifieds. Let me know what you think. Take care.
 
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Daniel,

I can't comment on the Carsten models. But I owned an original Fatboy and overall was pretty happy with the boat. It was very stable and with it's low profile hide very easily. I used a 46lb thrust trolling motor and that moved the boat pretty well. I had the boat loaded up heavy at times and it can haul a load. I used it on occasion to take me, another hunter, deeks, guns, portable blind and other gear to a blind spot on an electric only lake. It's a work horse.

If you plan on using the boat and paddle power is your main propulsion, I would say the MoMarsh boats are not for you. It's a wide, flat boat and they just don't paddle real well. You can make it work it's just a work out to keep it straight. Not something I would want to do regularly. I would recommend momarsh for many reasons, but paddling is not one of them.

Ira was great to deal with.

Hope this helps some.

Ryan
 
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