Layout Boat Question

J

JMiller

Member
Last season one of my hunting partners and I finished building a layout boat... our first build and it was an experience to be sure (it didnt help that the plans were copied out of whack...live and learn.

Due to its... how should I say it... rough hewn nature, we dubbed it the "orc boat"... Ill post pics of it soon. But hey it floated, killed ducks, and Dani didnt even laugh at our first attempt at boat construction - good girl!

In the midst of our many modifications we extended the box length and depth and stuffed her full of foam for extra flotation (perhaps questioning our sanity at taking on the project)...

So here's the rub:

While it floats my friend (who is a little bit heavier than I or DB) fine, when I get in it we still have about 2"-3" between the chine and the waterline - plus here in sunny Florida it actually casts a shadow up under the boat. Not good.

I have considered a couple of options to make it a little more stealthy:

1) Attaching a canvas skirt around the chine to make up for the difference - it wont give me a smooth entry into the water but will dampen the shadow effect and the hard line look...

2) Using 2-3 five gallon water bladders to add weight. Ive got room in the well for it (im hobbit sized), and by using the bladders I will be able to add weight without actually having to tote the weight around in the tender boat. It DOES seem like a pain in the rump, but if I remember chemistry class correctly a gallon of water weighs in at about 8#, so the bladders would allow me to add about 80# or so, which should drop the chine to water level and give me a smooth entry into the water...

Any other recommendations? Are these hairbrained ideas?

Oh, option 3 - build another :) (this time using power tools)
 
won't require that you get wet filling and draining, and should be easier to handle... make it (4) pieces at 20#'s each and they'll be managelable and easily distributed to wherever they need to be but they'd sure be smaller than 5 gallons of water.....

The only downside to the Iron is that you have the wt. with you all the time while the water wouldn't be in the boat during the transit.....

I know water in Fla. is warm but chucking a 20# hunk of iron over the side of the boat when things start to get sloppy, (tie a line to it with a net float so you can retrieve it---market gunner trick from the sinkbox, iron wing decoys days), would be way easier than draggin "bladders out from under the deck and draingin them.....

Or HECK....get really creative and cast an 80# Iron Pelican....Paint it white and when its munchkin time in the boat put in on the deck....you'll freaking disappear.....and trust me....NO ONE will laugh at you...

HEY!!!thinking about it you could even use barbell flat wts.....easy peasy japanesy.....

My .02....

Steve
 
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...I'd carry weight with me.
One thing about filling a water bladder is that it sounds a little like the concept of a sink box and those are illegal. Fine line but that was my first thought upon reading about your bladder.

A little shadow under the boat is really not a bad thing as there are shadows below waves all the time but you don't notice unless you are studying a picture...try it.

Lou
 
hmmmm option 3- build another...with power tools?? why don't you start first with plans that aren't screwy????
 
why not just add a 2-3" piece of molding around the boat so that it contacts the water and eliminates the shadow? recontour the edge if needed

(if its a silly answer - i remind you i am not a boatbuilder or much of a woodworker -- just seemed a simpler solution than bladders and weights)
 
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George, I think that might cause issue with the other fellas. The "skirting" you propose I think would trap air and create flotation. I built a Busick design layout many years ago with a friend and we modified the footbox to give more room. Being the neophytes we were we did not understand the change in displacement would affect the floating characteristics. The foot end of the boat floated just out of the water enough it slapped like crazy and drove you NUTS in a light chop. My recollection was we hung some weights with rope off the foot end anchor eye right down in the water and it helped tremendously, but we didn't need a lot of weight.
 
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Steve -

Id considered the weight plates, but again, I dont know if I want to add an additional 70-80 lbs while crossing lakes or rivers, etc if it is rough. The bladders I have are gray anyway and I had considered using the float system to keep them around until they were needed.

either way, its gonna be a pain.

(Laughs) dont know about the pelican idea either -- when we asked the FWC why we couldnt hunt snow geese they told us that they didnt want hunters "mistaking" white pelicans for geese...WTH???? well now that snows are legal , hmmm (laughs)

Not silly at all George - thought about it but Im worried a wooden skirt of sorts would hold up against the banging etc involved with loading and unloading it (it rides inside the jonboat on the road)

Yah DB I sould go extract some Busick plans outta the monkey who sold us fubar plans...wait, whos the monkey? the guy who sold em to us or the two builders who spent a couple of years "making it work" (laughs)

If I were to do a canvas skirt, Id perforate it to release trapped air...

I aint going to say she cant sink but weve got enough foam in her to float the navy, so the best thing I can hope for is to add enough weight to get her with a good water entry....
 
If your well is too deep it will add boyency! if you can shave a few inches off and give it a new floor it should sit flat.

Mike
 
Another problem of making some alterations without doing some simple calculations. The displacement of the box under the boat is roughly equal to the weight of the volume of the water you are displacing with the box. If you calculate the volume of the box in cubic feet x 7.48 gal./cu.ft. x 8.34 lbs./gal. will equal the pounds of water (fresh) displaced. Next, weigh boat and add in your fat behind for the total weight and compare to the displacement amount. The shape of the box and your position in will vary how the boat will ride. From the sitting position to you head is where you need the most displacement and your legs need the least. AND, a sink box is only when your entire body is below the surface of the water.
 
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