Good marsh Boat for wma?

P

Paul W

Well-known member
Looking to buy/build a boat for wma hunting here this summer. I never have in the past but will be hunting them this fall.

EDIT: I should have stated first, being able to carry the boat considerable distances is important. There is probably not a landing at most/all of the WMA's in question.

Needs to be light and small, I was thinking a "hybrid" would fit the bill nicely. That or an oversized Sanford box type thing. Just something to drag out with decoys in it and use to pick up birds with a paddle. I don't have a dog. An aluminum canoe would work as well, but I'd rather not have something 14ft long.

Any ideas or suggestions welcome, the hybrid appeals because I can fit it
inside the suburban!


Paul
 
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I have a slew of small boats that I have hunted out of over the years and I found them all to small . From my 8ft lost pond boat, wilderness systems kayak ,canoe's. I just bought a Momarsh and will trade light weight for stability. But like many have said ,there is no one boat that will do everything. Try to demo as many as you can to see what will fit your needs.
 
I have a slew of small boats that I have hunted out of over the years and I found them all to small . From my 8ft lost pond boat, wilderness systems kayak ,canoe's. I just bought a Momarsh and will trade light weight for stability. But like many have said ,there is no one boat that will do everything. Try to demo as many as you can to see what will fit your needs.
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Right. I have the monster Lund for big water, the bluebill for solo trips where i can use a motor, and this one will be for ponds to pick up downed birds where its too deep to wade.
 
It's probably too big for your purposes, but I have a 13'9" Old Town Predator kayak that I use in similar situations. I'm 6'3 and 275 on a good day, and it's plenty big. I don't like to shoot out of it due to the sitting position in a kayak, and my preference to find a bit of solid ground to sit or stand on, but it's plenty stable enough if I wanted to.

Upsides--easier to make distance solo than a canoe, low profile, super easy to hide.

Downsides--limited decoy storage. I can fit about 5 decoys under the deck behind my seat, and another 5-7 (more if they're teal) under the bungees on the deck. If you were dragging the boat rather than paddling, you could fill the cockpit--but in that case something like a pond box probably fits your needs better.

It's also heavier than I like to portage, and a kayak is a lot harder to carry than a canoe of equal weight, since it doesn't have a thwart to rest on your shoulders. But it drags easily, and other than cosmetic damage, the plastic bottom seems pretty indestructible.

Unfortunately Old Town no longer makes it, but I suspect you could find one on Craig's List, or something similar from another maker.

I have a buddy who lucked into an Alumacraft Ducker. Great little boat, but it's a lot less portable than a canoe or kayak. Much better as a floating blind, though.
 
Have you considered a pirogue?

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres/10718979-8410-44B7-8AB6-B8759C364547/15186/2801Pirogue.pdf
 
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Paul~

I've been following this thread with some interest. It seems like the "absolute" features are:

1) easy to carry

2) safe to paddle in protected waters

3) not to hunt from

In addition, it would be nice if you could fit it inside your vehicle.

What jumps to mind for me is a short tin canoe. I have a 10-footer that I keep on a half-acre marsh to use just as you describe. I think it weighs about 35 pounds. Being so short, it will never paddle well - but it is certainly fine for tending decoys and picking up an errant bird.

(BTW: If you ever come across a 13-foot Grumman, snatch it up! Great hull, paddles well and is nice and light.)

Best of luck on this hunt!

SJS
 
Paul~


(BTW: If you ever come across a 13-foot Grumman, snatch it up! Great hull, paddles well and is nice and light.)


SJS
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+1. The little Sportspals are great, too, as is the Old Town Pack mentioned above.
 
Assuming you've already eliminated the MoMarsh Boats which are my favorites regardless of the fact that they are longer and heavier than you say you want to deal with I'd recommend you look at the 10 foot Bender Boat...under 70 lbs...very stable....you can get it with stake out holes and it becomes a rock steady platform you can stand up to shoot from....low enough for dogs to get in and out of easily...deep enough to use as a marsh layout....or open water if the ducks aren't wary and you are BIG......decent carrying capacity, (me a dog and (4) dozen cork decoys).....paddles well....poles better....easy to car top load, (Dani can do it by herself), and will fit in the back of a pickup with ease.....


Google Hell Bender Boats.....makers name is Derek Bender and he's been known to post here....also has a 12' that I'd take over the 10' were I you........


Steve
 
Paul~

I've been following this thread with some interest. It seems like the "absolute" features are:

1) easy to carry

2) safe to paddle in protected waters

3) not to hunt from

In addition, it would be nice if you could fit it inside your vehicle.

What jumps to mind for me is a short tin canoe. I have a 10-footer that I keep on a half-acre marsh to use just as you describe. I think it weighs about 35 pounds. Being so short, it will never paddle well - but it is certainly fine for tending decoys and picking up an errant bird.

(BTW: If you ever come across a 13-foot Grumman, snatch it up! Great hull, paddles well and is nice and light.)

Best of luck on this hunt!

SJS
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Thanks, i think we're agreed there. the aluminum is nice because i can drag it along behind me and not worry much. Not that I'd worry much about a cheap canyak or pirogue or hybrid or whatever. itd be built cheap to be thrown out at some point. I want to build one for similar reasons to wanting to build a layout, because it's fun, and because I can.

Paul
 
For very small water I want something drag"able". Sportspals are very light but the sponsons "hang up". I find my 10' (w/seat removed) to be a reasonable compromise & because of the open canoe profile - plenty of room or a couple dozen plastic decoys.
 
I use a Grumman Sport Canoe for WMA's. Your right about no boat launches. The Sport Canoe hides easily, paddles well, and I added outriggers from Cabela's for rough water. This would be longer than you may want, but I roof top it on my truck, (15' plus). Miller
 
I used a poke boat for a season in the sticky mucky okahoma wma's.

That thing only weight about 35 pounds. and so I could really go anywhere with a dozen decoys and a gun. Couldnt' take much more than that though.

Now I use a 16 foot mad river canoe when I go with a friend and it carries LOTS. I use a 12 footer solo canoe with just me and the dog, and its pretty good,but for getting through the swamps nothing beats the poke boat.
 
Keep your eye out for an alumicraft ducker.
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I'd have to find one from somebody who doesn't know what they've got, 1200 bucks aint happenin!
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I r member when one sold in my area for $50 several years ago. I missed it by 5 minutes.

I have one, but would take another at that price!
 
Keep your eye out for an alumicraft ducker.
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I'd have to find one from somebody who doesn't know what they've got, 1200 bucks aint happenin!
Click to expand...

I r member when one sold in my area for $50 several years ago. I missed it by 5 minutes.

I have one, but would take another at that price!
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$50. And here I thought I got a pretty good deal at $400. I'd take a couple more at $50.

Mark w
 
Have you looked at the Devlin Broadbill?
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I built a bluebill.

Ain't no way I'd be carrying a broadbill around. even built light, that's a much wider and bigger boat than I'm looking for. I don't even want the ability to put a motor on it, I have the bluebill for that!
 
I like my version of a Hybrid boat. The way that the former and current Hybrids are put together add weight. Since I like messing with wood and stuff I built my version much like a kayak. It made for a much lighter boat as there are no plywood bulkheads.
This boat is very stable for shallow pond work, and carried on one shoulder, but the lower gunnel rubs your calves and makes walking more than a few yards a PITA. Right now I think making a pair of shoulder straps and hauling it like a huge backpack would be better for any distance over 20 yards.

If I was to make this boat again, I would go with birch floor plywood, fir or cedar laminated frames again, and PVC trim boards for runners as they work better for dragging over stuff. The original Hybrid is supposed to be a quick weekend or two build. Due to my methods it was several weekends to build the laminated frames, and then get the guy that it was being built for to get into the epoxy work. If you know the various boat building methods you can make a pretty decent boat out of the Hybrid concept. I think my final weight was 63 pounds. Due to a few mess ups on epoxy materials it should have been lighter, but I had to add a layer to fill the biaxle weave and stiffen the floor.


Here is a link to an old post that contains another link to a slide show on my photobucket account.

http://duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=42487;search_string=hybrid;#42487
 
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