Duck Wrangler/ TDB Photos

[Frank]

Well my first year with my 14' Duck Wrangler is almost over. Looking back I'm really not happy with the look the Fastgrass type stuff provided after seeing other boats done in natural grass. I've never actually grassed a boat and while I don't think its rocket science there must be some tricks. Right off the bat the grass/rub rails look awfully deep, they must hold alot of grass. Doesn't it get heavy when wet? Is there any way to grass the blind and still fold it down? If you leave the blind up do you just tarp it to keep the weather out when not in use? Any help, photos, or suggestions would be great.

Thanks,
Frank

 

[Carl]

My experience with Fastgrass was that it didnt look its best until after one full hunting season of getting wet/drying out cycles. Once you use it a while, it gets a good color and gets limper, looking more natural.

 

[Phil Nowack]

My experience with the fast grass type of blind material....is that it is usually too green or yellow....

I always spray paint it brown. Then it is more 2 toned and natural looking.

Do you have any pictures of your blind from this year?

 

[Craig F]

I use fastgrass as a good base for natural grass that I cut. The secret is to leave the fast grass outside hanging on a fence or the like for the offseason, that will really darken it up.

Seeing as you are from long island I believe salt hay is the major grass of choice for camo-ing boats, hence the popularity of the southbay style boats. For grass rails salt hay works great, but it will add weight when wet and certainly when frozen.
When I had a southbay, which was covered in salt hay, the big thing was to trim the grass neatly around the edges of the boat so it wouldn't drag in the water. A. it cuts down on drag & B. it won't freeze up and weigh the boat down creating a potentially dangerous situation.

 

[Phil Nowack]

My TDB ish that I got in January is going to be as follows.... I am going to epoxy on blocks that are milled out to accept a bolt. The bolts are going to hold 1'x1 1/2" strips that sandwhich the fastgrass... and I will also use them to attach additional local vegetation. Since I will use this 14' vessel for just me and the pooch... I am putting a hinged panel on the front of the cockpit... about 48" back.. this will be grassed as well.. I am going to us 5/8" or 3/4" material.. the dog can sit up there... or not... but this will look like a clump of land... I hope... 14'x25" of mixed vegitation.


I hope you can dissect the attached picture to understand what I am planning to do to mine.

 

[Cas Alkanowski]

1. Frank; I camod my 14' HAWK( like your TDB) with Northern Flight ''Prarie Grass'' from cabelas ,an 18# bundle will do a 14 'boat. this is how I did my boat I bought roll of green plastic type (chicken wire netting) from lowes garden supply and cut my pieces to suit the boat from the grass rail to where the bottom of my canvas skirting attaches to the black insert sleve by passing a thin braided decoy line (NYLON) thru it to hold the top section to the boat,starting from stern to bow .This then gave me a base to tie my bundles of raffia to by using black wire ties to it. When attaching the green netting to the bottom of the grass rails cut knotch-outs so the plastic netting will fit in down behind the grass rail a couple of inches and secure it with wire ties to the grass rail do the same for the stern deck.If your boat has the codura blind skirting that goes up ,every grass loop that is on, it continue the grassing onto those loops. Next get some Blue ben Tall grass or cat tail palms etc.that grows in the area you hunt.Tie bundles about 2" in diameter1/3 up from the bottom very tightly with black wire ties enough for every other grass rail slotts ( since the bundles are tied with one wire tie they can be fanned out to form an "X" shape after putting them into the grass rail.Doing it all this way will give you a 3-dimensional effect like a muskrat hut in the grass marsh.Mine works well for me.When you are finished hunting merely remove the bundles of grass and pungy cord all together with 1- for top and 1 for the bottom of the bundle and store in boat while driving . To aliminate the hassle of the grass stalks from hanging up in the green net behind the rails I used a piece of alligator signe board the width of the grass well slot sliding it in so I can push the grass through the rail. My grass guide board is about 30''x5''wth a cut out handle for my fingers.Hope this helps you out.I also painted my hull No's onto a piece alligator board so I can hang onto the bow ,otherwise the grassing would cover the no's. up.After i set up I can take them off.