How to convert to a duck boat?

J

Jon Zuccolo

Active member
Howdy all, I just picked up this solo canoe to join my fleet, for a couple hundred and a case of beer, and I am stoked to try it out...

So its an 11 foot 9inch solo canoe. Any suggestions on what to do to make it a real duck boat? I have a bigger canoe, but its too much effort to keep in moving forward in a wind. This should hopefully be a bit easier




Look, they already get along!



 
Jon,

That Disco is ready to hunt! Just fix the seat and throw a camo net over it when you get to your hunting spot. Or, just pick it up and drag it into the woods to hide it on the lake. Canoes are amazing vehicles of both efficiency and load capacity. Enjoy it!
 
Jon~

Here's a boat I based on a 13' Grumman. I framed the 1/4 " plywood decks with cypress. Thatch rails are cypress, too. The coamings are 1/2" thick - I used yellow poplar (tulip tree) but I'd use cypress next time - because yellow poplar is not very rot-resistant. It's been a great 1-man boat.

SweetGherkin-2010_zps4d9ddce6.jpg


All the best,

SJS
 
Steve, Very nice job! I love the lines of your conversion. That bow grab handle looks like what I am thinking about for my Poleboat.
 
Jon

I'd think about doing something like what Steve shows but cutting the height down first. Would give you a lower profile for better hiding ability and less issues with the wind you complained about from your bigger canoe. I have a pipe dream of doing that with an aluminum canoe, tigging diamond plate aluminum deck on it. Is the hull fiberglass, royalex or something else? You'll have to rework the supports and gunwales if you cut it down, more work, but hopefully more reward.

Best
Chuck
 
John, good luck with the rebuild of the Discovery. I wouldn't mind something in the 12' range. I have the same Mad River Adventure 16'er. It is just plain heavy! It tracks well and carries a decent load, but the molded seats are awkward and take up too much space. It turns slow and is a bear to get on and off the roof of my van.

If you are looking at just getting into a hunting spot and hunting from the shore in a makeshift blind, I would do what was suggested by just carrying something to throw over it. that should work really well for you. Otherwise it doesn't look like it would be too difficult to come up with something like Steve has done to his.

Had a good bit of fun hunting from the canoe last year.
 
Jon,

First thing I would do is get the longest kayak paddle you can find. I paddle my canoes and marsh boats with the same 9' long paddle with large flat blades. After paddling canoes most of my life I am surprised it took me so long to start using a double bladed paddle.I use other shorter paddles for my kayaks. I usually do not hunt out of my canoes but use them to haul gear to a spot.

Best canoe hunting set up I saw a guy hunt out of had a 3 piece light wood frame with grass matts attached to the frame. He hauled the frames in the canoe and after setting decoys sat in the bottom of the boat and set the frames over the gunnels of the canoe. It was a deadly rig.

I just picked up an 11 foot older canoe today.

View attachment 3L83I53H65L75Ed5H7d49a1583695aa381849-1.jpg
 
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Ah i see someones got the itch all ready ,,good stuff ,the best thing you can do for where you are at hunting the ponds is carry a machete` as bull rushes a plenty and netting bobs yer uncle... on the coast its seaweed pile it on....

Sherm...
 
I've hunted out of a canoe 4 times. Didnt like it, too tippy. I would use it was transport and pull it up on the bank. Cover it with some camo burlap and you have instant blind.
 
re too tippy...

It's true. You would want to be sure the canoe is not free floating when/if you shoot from it. I vividly recall one broadside volley that gave me a few extra grey hairs....it's not the steady platform you'd have in a grassboat or sneakbox.

Generally, my canoe is jammed up into heavy cover or at least partially run up onto the mud or bog if I'll be shooting from it. It certainly does give a good hide and is dry and comfortable.

SJS
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm pretty comfortable in a canoe, and am sure I would be able to shoot from it... sitting of course. Did it in my pokeboat, and this thing is possibly a bit wider.

For now I'm just gonna fix that seat, and paddle it around. Maybe I'll just get some nice camo netting and be done with it :)
 
I've hunted out of a canoe 4 times. Didnt like it, too tippy. I would use it was transport and pull it up on the bank. Cover it with some camo burlap and you have instant blind.
Click to expand...

I prefer ANY canoe to a "standard" 12 foot jon boat. But I will admit, not all canoes are equal.
 
I hunt from a mad river canoe like the one you have in the picture.Mine is the 14.Icut the middle seat out so I could lay down in it and haul more stuff.I used a long peice of bungee around the spray skirt groove to put grass in.I am in the process of sewing up a canvas deck for it and loops for grass and reeds.They work great in cattails good luck with you're disco.
 
Clinton, I was thinking about doing the same thing with my 16' Mad River. That is, cutting out the middle seat. Did you lose any structural support in the center of the boat?

I had similar thoughts of using that lip to run some bungee for a quick removable layout type blind.
 
I was going to put a support of some kind back in there. I used it without the support and see no issue.A guy could bend apeice of aluminum and use some rivets and still have a flat bottom if need be.I shoot from mine when lying down and have no problem.
 
I think the middle seat in mine is welded to the floor of the boat, but I can't recall for certain. If it is, you might need to be careful to not make a big hole in the bottom of the boat (although I am sure it can be fixed.)

I also thought about cutting out the middle seat of my 16 footer. It doesn't paddle well with a 3rd person in it... High center of gravity I thinks.
 
Steve, very cool mod to your canoe. I've often thought of doing a mod to 10-12' jon much like Zack Taylor did to his Zackbox or Gunning Johnboat in his book, "Successful Waterfowling", but never considered or seen anything like that with a canoe. Very nice.
 
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