FLorida Duck Boat

C

Capt. Frank Miller

Active member
Any Florida members recommend a duck boat to me for the central florida area on up to the lagoon and st john's river area? Do I need a go devil or would I be okay in most places with a jon boat or outboard powered boat? How big would you go for two hunters? Is seaworthiness an issue?
 
my .02

Outboards, in my experience, are deep for many of the places in FL that I hunt and I've seen quite a few get choked up with hydrilla and you have to stop and clean em out, but again, I'm used to using the lower hp outboards. As quite a few management areas have hp restrictions, and they are on the low end, I would go with a mud motor type critter for same hp than an outboard, if you're hunting management areas.

The best outboard set up I've ever seen and been allowed to see in action is on a 16 ft gator trax boat. It's a 40 hp, the transom was 'jacked up' so that the prop is essentially a surface drive. By welding some 'blocks' (for lack of the correct term this late in the day) to the back of boat for added floatation, it works like a charm. We zipped across Mosquito Lagoon and into shallow water that only a mud motor would've been able to go thru or a surface drive that wasn't too heavy and weighed the stern down too much.

Seaworthiness can be an issue if you're on the lagoon or on some of the larger lakes and a storm is either kickin' or getting ready to kick up. And a 17 ft canoe is scary as hell to be out in on a 'small' lake (about 1/2-1 miles across) and a tropical storm is moving into the area. But that's another story.

I would not have anything less than 14 ft for two hunters but would prefer something larger than that, at least 16 ft. But that depends on where you're hunting. If the boat is just to get you where you're going, then you hop in a layout boat or little marsh boats, then the 14 ft would be doable if you can tow the boats behind you.

Probably the most effective boat, for getting to where your spot is, for central FL is an airboat. But those are pricey, gas guzzling, noise making pains in the butts as boats go. However, with rain being as scarce as it has been, the people with the airboats tend to be able to get back to the hunting spots.

Hope this helps, and I'm sure there are several other FL members that can chime in with their .02 worth.
 
If you haven't bought the rig yet, I'd consider a PD.

That rig will do everything you'll need to do down this way & I don't even own one!!! LOL

BTW, UWF will be having a Mud Motor Round-up in Sanford this Saturday.

Feel free to attend.

Everything from ob's to a/b's will be there.

@ last count, we're expecting between 50-60 waterfowl hunters.



Update - In bold type below.

Date - Saturday, May 17, 2008

Time - Start at 9am, lunch will be around noon

Place - Lake Jessup, just east of Sanford, FL.


We will be having a 50/50 Poker Run that will be outboard friendly. Depending on the exact water level, we will have some separate stops for outboards & mudmotors. Hope for low water!
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Some parts of the run will have lots of vegetation, with clear channels for outboards.

The boat launch will be at Cameron Wight Park at the junction of SR 46 & St. Johns River/Lake Jessup. http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/leis...kInfo.asp?id=3
Additional Launch facilities are located at Mullet Lake Park. http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/leis...Info.asp?id=13 Mullet Lake Park also has camping facilities available, for those interested.

Lunch will be at Stop #5 of the Poker Run, located under one of the oak hammocks along the River on Lake Monroe Conservation Area. http://www.sjrwmd.com/recreationguide/sc05/index.html UW-F will provide lunch (hot dogs/hamburgers & the fixings). You are asked to provide you own drinks. Please bring some sort of folding chair for the lunch area. There is a picnic table .... but, that isn't going to be enough room for all of us.
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For those without boats, transportation to the lunch area will be provided.

The only cost for the event is for the Poker Run ... $20. We will have two winners, the high hand (60% of the pot) & the lowest hand (40% of the pot).

After lunch will be "free time" to go play in the mud & weeds!
 
Dani,

By your description it seems like the water intake on that 40 hp might have been at or above the water level when it was running. Had the owner made any provisions for getting water to the intake or was it low enough that it wasn't a factor?

Pete
 
Jeff,

Can you be more specific on the "low water intake system"? I've tried a google search and come up empty. Jack plates I understand but have never seen the water intake your are refering to.

Pete
 
Because most o/b's have the water intake on the side & higher up on the lower units, when the j/p's are raised cooling becomes a problem.

O/B machine shops down here will remove your lower unit & machine out new intakes on the front/bottom cone of the l/u.

These new holes are huge compared to the old intakes & allow massive amounts of water to enter the engine due to the angle boring.

I don't run a j/p but still had my lower unit done on my 50 hp Evirude to improve the cooling while running in hydrilla.

Some systems also include an out-take hose that runs from the engine down the side so the pee hole is in view of the driver @ all times. Like I said, the systems are very popular down this way for both flats fishermen & duck hunters who only have the coin for one boat.
 
Depending on what you run in you can, so that's why the new pee hole in run along the gunnel so the operator can monitor.

I've never severely plugged mine up.

I've heard of guys in the Keys plugging them up with sand (since it settles quickly in the engine) but they are already stuck on a sandbar anyways.

The mud normally blows right thought the engine.
 
Hey Pete - see if this helps you to understand. I'm sure that if you have never seen it, it is hard to imagine.

http://www.bobsmachine.com/products/Nose_Cone_Bigfoot.cfm

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see the application.

I ran the Bob's set up on my flats boat up until last year when I smoked my lower unit and all the gears turned to paste (not as a result of this system, though). It is moving the water intakes to below the prop shaft in the front of the nose, so as long as you have half of the prop in the water, you are sucking water. Hoo baby, but watch those RPMs when you take the jack plate all the way up and you can look back and see the top half of your prop out of the water. It is amazing what you can do with an outboard with full trim, tilt, hyd. jack plate, low water pick-up and a stainless 4 blade prop on a little flats skiff.
 
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