duck boat opinions wanted.

L

LI Mike

Active member
Im in desperate need of a new duck boat Im aware of TDB,Wrangler,Duck Water. My issue is this, I also fish and my not be able to keep two boats so can you fish comfortably out of any, what others are out there. I mainly fish in the bays and inlet and only duck in the bays and back waters. Can i find a boat to do both or am I asking for too much from one boat. thanks Mike
 
Mike i built the Devlin Cackler 5 years ago and do the same things that you do , i fish stripers from it in the off season when we are not duck hunting here in RI, the cackler seems to be a good fit for all that i do with it . it carries 2 guys for fishing and hunting with a 30 Honda four stroke it is the perfect package for me here . feel free to ask away i will try to get some pics up tonight for you .



Dave M
 
Mike, I don't know what price range you are looking at but a Duckwaters boat would do all of the things you are looking for. The 19ft is a great boat and very versatile. Not to mention totally custom and the heavy duty aluminum hull is great in the ice and rocks on the north shore of Long Island.

Chris D.

Sorry
 
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As all the boats mentioned are great boats, don’t forget to look at the Lund Alaskan.

Regards,

Todd
 
P.S. You should change your user name to your real name, as stated in the rules of the forum.
Click to expand...

Chris

I don't see any reason to doubt that Mike is his real name...If you are bothered by the LI (Long Island) prefix, you should reread the rules as that is acceptable.

Chuck
 
Mike,
I am in the same predicament as you are. I live right on Lake Erie and do alot of walleye, perch, & steelhead fishing. I have my electric downriggers & other items I took of my Starcraft Islander when I sold it in August. My buddy & I do alot of duck hunting, mainly from shore unless we hook up with my other buddy who has a 16' Smokercraft Alaskan. He uses that just for tending the sinkbox and hunting off the rocks and stuff. We also head up to the Niagara River & hunt seaducks there & mainly on Lake Ontario. So I am also looking for an all around boat. Saw ducking 1 time a guy here in Erie has a duckwater ocean 28' with twin 150 mercs on the tailend! That boat was a beast! But I am looking forward to go visit the shop there.
 
At the risk of sounding like a smarta##,but i am a blue collar smarta##,yes my real name is Michael as i entered it in the spot that says real name in my profile last name also, user name I figured i would jazz it up a little with the very misleading LI in front of Mike, from long island!! all in good fun but I was not trying to sneak in under the radar. the Banks is a sexy boat but their is a limited amount of used ones and a new one is a little out of my $ range.I have a 25' steiger i could sell for 6g to put towards a duck boat plus what ever else i could scrounge up. i figure around 10+ would be my range. Just trying to weigh my options without sacrificing either sport.
 
I too, use my duckboat to do some fishing in Spring/Summer; I take my dad out in the Huntington Bay area.
I think it's a good idea to try and find a vessel to "double" as duck and fishing boat.....there seems to be quite a few possibilities.
Good luck!
 
If your buying a boat, make sure the builder has met all Coast Guard requirements for flotation, capacity, etc. prior to buying it. Ask questions and do research. I've seen many newly built duck boats under 20 ft that are missing capactiy labels or have no flotation and end up being overloaded with people, gear, dogs, and other equipment, creating an unsafe situation. I'm in the Coast Guard office of Boating Safety and have seen duck boats fail flotation tests and not properly calculated for capactiy and weight and need to be recalled. Check out this website for info on under 20ft boats requiirements and how we test boats. www.safeafloat.com. Duck boats fall into this category. Safety first, Ducks second. www.uscgboating.org
 
Mike:

I don't know your local conditions, but a lot of guys up here swear by LUND Alaska's if they don't fish or hunt off shore. Two of my hunting buddies have an 18 footer with a 40 HP 4 stroke that is, if anything, a little more motor than it needs. It's safe and comfortable on any kind of protected water on all but the worst days, including out on open bays. The 16 footer is a little less comfortable and capable; the 20 footer a little more.

It's a nice open boat to fish out of, and you can rig it up with a blind for duck season.
 
Tuff it select a boat if we don't know the water conditions or were you hunt.
My favorite is a barneget, but it's not the best for bay fishing.
If you are looking for a good boat/blind that will hunt and fish the south shore then
the banks 14 dominator would be a good choice, it gets into shallow water but has a smooth dry ride a plus for a fishing boat.
I would not be a fan of any 14'' boat in the sound or the ocean on a snotty day.
 
What's the draft of the Lunds???
I would think draft is a very important spec, especially if he wants to hunt in shallow bay waters.
That's perhaps the major disadvantage of my duckboat; since it's a v-hull, it draws approx 16" fully loaded. But, it can sure take a 2-3 foot chop pretty well.
 
Here is a question that I don't understand.... The question of can I fish out of a TDB/Banks/Duckwater as well as hunt out of it, come up often... I just don't understand why anyone would think that they couldn't hunt out of them... The all basically have an open deck... and a 27-32" cockpit height... What would make these unfishable?
 
I think (my opinion) that it's mainly a question of how effective the vessel is, at being used in each sport. You can basically fish or hunt out of anything, but there are many features, factors, specs, etc. that go into the vessel's performance in each use.
As I mentioned, draft (from a v-bottom) can increase the vessel's ability to handle a variety of water conditions, yet it's a considerable disadvantage for much duck hunting. That's why if I had to get a new duckboat, I would look into something like the TDB, Bankes, Duck Water, etc.
 
The further you are away from the side of the boat, the harder it is to land/net/gaff a fish--especially a big fish . . . and if it's a big fish, you definitely don't want to lose it! The decking and/or rise on TDB's and other duck boats in that vein make them safer in cold, choppy water where you want to be as far away from the water as you can. But, they also make it harder to stick your arm down in the water to wrestle with an ornery fish.
 
I guess, since I have one of the type of boat... I don't view it to be difficult to get to the water... We pick up layout boats all the time... The best way to tell...is to get in the boat and see for yourself.
 
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