Layout... bout time!

Good morning, Phil~


Great project !


Is the Otter Box up at the head (bow) of your vessel ?


Will most of the "flange" on the base be left as is? I could see cutting some oblong slots around the edge as handholds - for getting the boat in and out of the water - and maybe for clambering back aboard if a gunner goes overboard.....



All the best,


SJS





 
The Otterbox (dog cockpit) is on the stern. Centered behind the shooters cockpits. I still have to put 3/4" x 5" Meranti (full width)on the front and rear to mount the eye bolts to. There will be handles there as well. I have gone back and forth about trimming the platform. I intend to use this only in wadeable water. The Wisconsin side of the Mississippi where I hunt requires you to be within 100' of the shoreline. This will allow me to assist a dog if they were to get in trouble on the long lines and also eliminates the need for a tender. There will be a ladder of some kind on bow center...for dog and hunters.

There is about 3" more toe room than a MLB Classic.

This will either work very well... Or it is going to be an expensive experiment !!!
 
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It cost about $1200 to make. 2 man boats are usually around $2500. Also, good luck finding one that has a dedicated spot for a dog.

Oh.. And this site was founded around the premise of MAKING our own boats... lol
 
Neat idea. Curious as to whether your dog bx. will be able to drain water accumulated from dog entry? I, like yourself get my main enjoyment from good dog work while wingshooting. Hate to see otter get a case of cold tail from retrieving those divers!
 
Nice work, can't wait to see how it works out. We do have to be careful of where our 4legged partners ride. Your season must be just about ready to open?
 
I was originally going to have a scouper type drain... but I don't trust it to keep water out. I will put a rubber mat to keep him out of the water... Ideally he climbs in the front and shakes off... before getting in his Otterbox. Now.. in reality, I think I will need to have a hand bilge to occasionally pump out the water he brings in.

But... we are really only talking about 12 birds.. so... he won't be out there very long... LOL
 
Tom Scholberg said:
Nice work, can't wait to see how it works out. We do have to be careful of where our 4legged partners ride. Your season must be just about ready to open?
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September 29th is our opener. I hope to get this wet by then. I don't intend to hunt it until Late October or November.
 
The rubber mat should help, especially if you use double thickness. I use the restaurant style rubber mating that's about 1/2" thick with holes thru it in all my duck boat floors and even in permanent blinds for dog to set on. Doubled up should help a lot and you could cut out a small section to get your hand bilge all the way against floor. Last chessie I hunted would have put about a 1/2" water in bottom of bx. with each retrieve even after a shake. In my case that 1/2" of water just got the second shake deposited on me thanks to Ol Worcesters Muddy Ducker Jake, god rest his soul!
 
roy brewington said:
The rubber mat should help, especially if you use double thickness. I use the restaurant style rubber mating that's about 1/2" thick with holes thru it in all my duck boat floors and even in permanent blinds for dog to set on. Doubled up should help a lot and you could cut out a small section to get your hand bilge all the way against floor. Last chessie I hunted would have put about a 1/2" water in bottom of bx. with each retrieve even after a shake. In my case that 1/2" of water just got the second shake deposited on me thanks to Ol Worcesters Muddy Ducker Jake, god rest his soul!
Click to expand...

HAHA Yep... they dry off quickly ... but until they shake off.. they carry ALOT of water in their coat. I actually have to use the bilge pump in my scaup, at the end of a day.... even just my limit... The amount of water that Kodi brings in is crazy!!!!

I think the matting that I use is about 3/4" and has maybe 1" holes .... I typically use that in the layout as well, as it keeps you up off the floor. They are heavy though!
 
Cant wait to see this in action!
How's Otter's training progressing?
Kodi being a good big brother?
 
Kodi is okay as a big brother but I think he is in more pain because of his cancer and has been snappier lately. I hope I get one more hunt out of out of him. the worst is that he still has the energy and drive to hunt but the mass on his chest and under his arm affects his Mobility.

Otters doing quite well considering how much attitude he has... And the limited amount of training I have given him. I think the biggest challenge at least in year one, will be keeping Otter in the OtterBox and not letting him crawl up into my cockpit or on my lap. Lol
View attachment image000001_02.jpg
 
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Sorry to hear Kodi is not doing well, can't blame him for being a little grumpy.
 
Looks good Phil, will be following for the debut pictorial. Are you going to add a mat or something for Kodi to have traction to pull himself up over the front and also to walk on to get back to the dog area? I know Dave's dog slipped around quite a bit on mine simply because there wasn't any traction.
 
That stuff is GREAT, I have it all over boat deck and trailer rails. good traction and easy cheep. Should be fun to hunt out of good idea to get some test time in before the first hunt.
 
That may work, thinking it might get too hard. It seemed a rubber/foam mat may be best so that the dog's toe nails have something to grip into to. I'm going to simply (cut to shape) adhere these to the front of mine and also in the cockpit for your butt and back. I used these on the tops of my stern pods on my Bailey boat and they held up very well, they stayed adhered to the aluminum with simple all weather silicon caulking. Also allowed a spot for Pearl to sit and stay off the aluminum. The foam is quite good at retaining heat. It may work in your dog area too, perhaps just leave the foam (perhaps a double layer) a couple inches short on the front so that the water could accumulate there, might be easier to pump out. Just a thought, but I like your idea!!!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMASTER-Black-Gray-24-in-x-24-in-x-0-47-in-Dual-Sided-Gym-Floor-4-Pack-24120HDUS/301152506
 
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I will look into that Troy! Thanks.

I think the walk way from the front to back would be better with the bed liner. I will be walking there too. LME paint stick to it?
 
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