Hybrid...

Dan S

Dan S

New member
I'm looking to build two small boats to use in low water situations. Each boat would be a one man + dog boat. I will put both boats on my 18' jon boat to transport to the general area and then we will load the gear onto the smaller boats and walk to the hunting spot. I don't plan on putting a motor on any of these boats.

I was thinking the ideal length would be 6' and weigh 50 lbs. The Hybrid boat I saw seems like it might fit the bill...

http://duckboats.net.nmsrv.com/specs/images/hybridcomp.jpg

Has anyone built/used one of these boats? Would there be any potential issues if I cut, say about 12", off the back of the boat. Also, the weight says it comes in around 70 lbs. Can I assume that this would include the weight of fiberglass? I'm not planning on keeping it in the water for more than the day, so I was hoping I could use just standard joint compounds and a stain to give it the amount of waterproofing I would need. Does anybody have any tips as to how I could cut some weight off this boat style?

Many thanks,

Dan
 
I didn't take a look at the specs or anything, but I built a wooden pirogue and used 1 layer of fiberglass (6oz) on the outside hull, and fiberglass taped the seams inside and out before doing the hull, as well as several layers of resin inside and out and after it's all said and done, my 12' pirogue weighs all of 35 lbs. I used 1/4" marine grade plywood for the hull, and solid mahogany scraps that i had for the ribs and yoke(which wasn't included in the plans either). And also added wood for rails and a keel (european beech). I don't see why a smaller boat couldn't weigh that much, if built carefully. just my .02 for what it's worth
 
All the information you will ever need on a Hybrid can be found here

http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=602498

This post is several pages long and is filled with many plan requests to the "designer" but it is worth a look through if you are planning on building one.

These boats end up being so small that unless you are less than 5 feet tall you don't want to make them any shorter. Might as well just use inner tube rather than spend the money on the materials.

With the right material selection and good FG technique you can get these boats to 50 pounds as designed.
 
Thanks guys.

I found that thread on the refuge forum. There is indeed a ton of info on the boat. One thing I heard was concern regarding the size of the cockpit being suitable for a hunter and his dog. I don't think the overall length of the boat should present an issue, but what would you recommend for cabin size that would suit an average size guy and his 60 lbs dog.

Thanks,
 
Any guy larger than 5 foot and a dog will be pushing the space issue in these boats. You would have to put the dog in the back and have your feet stuffed all the way to the bow to keep the dog safe. Very similar to how guys use the MoMarsh boats with the cross bar to lean against.

If you can find a box from a freezer or refridgerator you can make a full size cardboard model and then determine how much room you and your dog need.

The cool thing is that you can stretch this design a couple of feet to give you room for the dog, but then you have a 10 foot boat at about 70 pounds.
 
Look at the Kara Robber. It may be a little bigger than you want. Ed Askew built a full size Kara (13.5') that weighed 80#. I bet you could built a Kara Robber under 70#.
 
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