crab pot buoy/flattie hybrid?

Gene Jr.

Gene Jr.

Well-known member
I'm working with some hard foam and plastic decoy heads I have laying around. I've toyed with the idea of both crab pot buoy and 2 by whatever flatties. I stuck some heads on a few floats cut in half and they seem to be missing something. Then I set one down on a 2x8 and I like the profile a lot better. Any thoughts on cutting a piece of 2x8 to the profile of the bottom of the float and screwing it together? I'm thinking no keel and just some sort of pad weight as needed, probably toward the rear to make it float nice.

I am not a carver at all. I mess with a lot of molded foamers (herters, E. Allens, Toledo molds) and love to paint but just can't get into carving. This may be as close as I get to "creating" a decoy!

Here is my idea:)
[inline floatdecoys.jpg]

Two recent paint jobs on foamers purchased through the classifieds on this site.
[inline osbuffiepaint.jpg]

Thanks!

Gene

View attachment floatdecoys.JPG
View attachment osbuffiepaint.JPG
 
Well, the idea for using old pot buoys is for adding numbers to your existing rig for cheap, which means you find the corks for free. They don't even need heads. If you had to buy the buoys it wouldn't pay as they cost about the same as a plastic decoy.
Adding 2x8 bottoms would make them heavy, and they'd probably end up floating no higher then the buoy itself.

If you need something to do, I'd just make them like you showed, give them a new paint job, and use them.
 
Thanks for the thoughts George. I have a bunch of floats from doing some beach combing when the hunting is slow:) My intent is to use some items laying around. I've got enough floats, heads and two by drops to make up about a dozen. Just some novelty and filler blocks for divers and sea ducks.

I think I'll just screw one together and see how it floats. I'll be sure to let you all know what happens.

Gene
 
Gene,
I like to glue on a 1\2 inch ply bottom board. Makes it easy to screw on a keel and head. I shape the board on the band saw and glue it to the foam. Then cut\shape the foam with a knife and rasp or 80 grit sand paper to a rounded decoy body. Head is glued and screwed along with a keel with lead so the bird self rights.

A pattern you like will help with the shape of the bottom board, but you may have to scale it to get the size to fit. If you want to get one step fancier add a tail board .


FoamGE1.jpg


Auctionbuffies2.jpg

 
Bob,
Those look great! Are you doing the mastic/burlap on those or just painting the foam? The hen is really nice! Shawn
 
Just paint the foam with Rustoleum. I use the flat white, flat black, rusty metal primer and I think one other.

Tough enough.

Easy to repaint\ touch up.
 
Gene, I've made many flatties out of 2x8's and 2x10's depending on species needed. You don't need a keel or keel weight. Attach the head with 2 galvanised deck screws from underneath. If you use an oversize head and are worried about balance, swiss cheese the underside of the head before attaching it to the body. Give it a thin coat of Rustoleum for the base coat and a full thickness of Rustoleum plus whatever color you need for the top coat.
I think you know my friend Dave Diefenderfer? He has a couple of my flatties if you ever want to see one.

John Bourbon
 
John,
it was a photo of one of your flatties way back when in the beginning of this site that got me fired up about making decoys.
Do you still have a picture?


How is your dad. I had a great time with you and he at the cook out. I still owe you a photo or two. Is your email still good on the site profile?

Bob
 
Thanks John! I have seen a few of your birds at Dave's place. That is one of the things that got me thinking about this.

I'm finishing up 5 E. Allen old squaw heads for some hard brown foam bodies I have, then I'll get back to this project.

Gene
 
Hi Gene....One of the cool things about making flatties is how fast you can make one if you have the right gear. After I band saw one out, if I'm feeling sporty, I can attach a temporary keel, drawknife it, rasp it, and sand it in under 15 minutes. My all time personal best is 12 minutes flat. Of course thats just for shaping it. Painting it is another matter. Another cool thing about flatties is that kids seem to gravitate to them. The first rig of flatties I ever sold was to a kid who struck up a conversation with me at a launching ramp. I was so tickled by his interest in them, I practically gave them away. Good luck on the flatties and please post a pic when you get them done.

John
 
Hi Bob. Nice to hear from you again. Pop turned 80 in Nov and is doing pretty good. Like a lot of 80 year old guys, he has his share of aches and pains. The doctor wants him to get both knees replaced, but he refuses to go under the knife, so he is doing all kids of leg exersizes, which I think is pretty neat.

He still talks about the show in Conn, and the cookout, and asks about you often.

My email address is still good, drop me a line whenever you get the mood. As to a pic of my flatties? I think I still have some, and as soon as I find one I will post it/them.

Drop me a line and when I reply I'll include Pop's email address....

John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top