Grassing sneakbox

W

Wesley Bouchelle

Active member
curious how everybody is attaching grass to there sneakbox was gonna make grass rails for the bow since i have decoy racks on the back which i had put strips of cedar on the boards with bolts to hold the grass what are you using for the front and what type of wood are you using thanks in advance !
 
Wes~

I use mostly Salt Hay (Spartina patens - the stuff that only gets flooded a few days each month) with some Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora - the stuff that gets flooded on every high tide). I have found that a 3/16" gap between the rail and the deck gives the optimal mix of good coverage and efficient use of grass (because wet grass gets heavy....). I had used White Oak on my earlier rails but I plan to use Cypress (more rot resistant, I think) on my next ones (later this Fall, I hope). I will make them 3/4 thick by 1 1/4" wide and screw them to the deck every 10 " on center - through 3/16" spacer pads about 1 1/2" long.

My little experience in Jersey suggests you may have more Cordgrass and may want to go a little thicker on the spacer pads.

Hope this helps,

SJS
 
I started making grassing rails with over a 1/4'' + space it took a lot of grass, then Steve suggested 3/16'' so I had no choice but to change... thanks Steve.
My rails are 3/4 x 3/4 with the tops rounded over with a 3/4 round over bit. While the spacer are a quick way to get the space you need. I like to make a jig and route out the 3/16 space that is needed. It is 10 times the work and may not be worth the effort but it's the way I do it. They get through bolted with SS bolts I leave 1'' gap.
I also use spartina
 
I use bungee cord around cockpit of my sculler (which I mostly use as a sneak boat), as well as bungee on all the decks.

I'm mostly hunting areas with thick stands of wild rice, so grass with that, mixed with a few cat tails and other local plants. If hunting near shore, a few strategically placed branches or small logs add a lot of cover, especially over the open cockpit.
 
i can never seem to find the right color raffia grass to use for hunting south jersey and nj salt marsh i wish that i could use raffia and then just add in natural cover since im about an hour from the the coast to go collect grass
 
Wes~

Living far from source of grass is a challenge. One year sveral of us scheduled a thatch-cutting day a couple of weeks before the season. If you pick the right weather - and a low tide - it can be its own adventure - think of it as a "thatch hunt".

I now use shock cord on my coffins for attaching hay/cornstalks/etc. I use 2 rows and lash small bundles of hay with jute twine (so it'll eventually biodegrade when I throw it away with the old hay) with square knots. I alternate the ends of the bundles to get a more ragged effect.

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When I m rigged, I usually toss some tide wrack (mostly Eeelgrass) on the decks to break up the outline and the symmetry.

SJSSneakbox-MorichesBayearly90s_zps5d8e5f7b.jpg


All the best,

SJS
 
A few of the guys around here use ornamental grasses for blinds and boats.



Depending on the ornamental, that can be a vector for spreading invasive species into marshes. Up here I've seen boats and blinds brushed up with Phragmites and Reed Canary Grass, both of which of are invasive in some of our wetland areas. It's unlikely duck boats are the major vector for these plants, but better safe than sorry.
Click to expand...
 
A few of the guys around here use ornamental grasses for blinds and boats.
Click to expand...
i have an ornamental plant nursery here in south jersey. I use panicum virgatum shenandoah on my pond boxes and carsten pintail. It holds a better color and matches spartina a lot better than even salt hay does. I may have to try it on my roy boat this fall. If your far from the coast its a grass you could plant 10 of and have at the ready every fall for grassing. Ill have to take pics. As far as the method goes i use 3/4 rails with wing nuts to tighten the grass in place. I also use lengths of shock cord on other boats and criss cross the grass in.
 
Matt~

Have you ever tried Little Bluestem (was Andropogon scoparius but I believe they changed the genus)? The Switchgrass I have up here is too golden but the Little Bluestem has a nice russet cast to it. Only problem is it grows so sparsely.

I've also thought of growing a patch of Spartina patens (since it does not require flooding or salt) but have not been able to find any seed on-line.

All the best,

SJS
 
Steve
I have never tried growing scoparium. I do get a lot of customers searching for it but you can only grow so much. Its amazing how many varieties there are. Your right, I would think that red color would match well. Spartina patens grows really well here. We grew it years ago and it has been tempting to grow it again with all the hurricane clean up. Its in high demand right now for dune rebuilding. I would start them in 50 cells and pot into 2 gallon containers. A friend of mine out of tuckahoe nj grows it for the state. I tried posting a picture of the shenandoah on one of my pond boxes i started this week. I cant get it down to size on my phone. 856304six8four7 and ill text pics if you or wes or anyone wants to see what it looks like. Your boat in the previous post conceals very nice btw
 
Read the post about evasive species. As I think about what was said, I totally agree. We have a problem with a species of grass in our streams. Good post
 
Its probably blood grass or red baron. All those chinese and japanese jungle plants they introduced years ago is beginning to be a major concern. Tree of heaven made its way into my woods and it actually sends out a toxin to kill native plants around it. I just want to clarify though that what i mentioned is native here
 
Spartina patens and alternaflora are invasives on the west coast. Finally got Spartina under control and almost eradicated on Willapa Bay WA, but still fighting it on Puget Sound and San Fran. Bay.

PS I have the so-called tree of heaven. Spent many hours in an old woodlot with an ax and spray bottle.
 
Over the years I've tried a lot of different grasses. The pics below are of Indian Grass which worked well. I've also used pennesetum and miscanthus. These are ornamental grasses that do not grow in wet soils and are not (or at least at the time I was using them) considered invasive vegetation. In recent years I have begun using a weed that grows nearby, especially along overpasses and fallow fields. I would describe it as a woody grass if there is such a thing. Incredibly tough yet very flexible. I will take some pictures this season. It is perfect for woody areas due to its darker color, more of a brown. It blends superbly against tree lines.












Whew, these pictures go back a few years, like 12!
 
That names fits as I'm sure it would make good broom bristles. I looked it up and agree it is Broom Sedge and not Indian Grass. I've been calling it the wrong thing for years.
 
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