Need to start over - recommendations sought

Mark W

Mark W

Well-known member
After a very frustrating season, it is time to rethink a few things. Mainly my biggest duckboat - 14ft Alumacraft V hull with a 15 HP long shaft motor. Have had this boat for years and has worked well. My favorite place to hunt is getting to tough to get to using an outboard motor and that big of a boat. While this spot is somewhat muddy it is mostly sandy and all of it is very shallow. i need a boat with very low draft.

Where to start.

I don't hunt big water anymore and I don't travel miles to get to hunting spots. I'm not going to be doing any log jumping nor do I think I will be going miles though muck and weeds. Mostly open water that is shallow. I don't need to go 30 mph. Most of my hunts (90%) are solo hunts. Once or twice a year I have a companion and recently we have just used this boat to ferry us somewhere and then we sit on chairs on shore.

I no longer carry massive amounts of decoys. Most I have used in the past couple of years is maybe 20. I don't carry much else except hunting bag, gun, chair and a shovel in case I get stuck.

Weight is becoming an issue. While not quite as old as Dave McCann, I'm getting there. Sometimes I get up in the morning to go hunt and then the thought of lugging the current boat around sends me back to bed.

Here is what I am am thinking but I am open to all kinds of suggestions. as the search is just beginning.

12-14" 6 deg pointed end Jon Boat. I have read differing accounts of this boat verses a totally flat bottom Jonboat and believe I would be more comfortable in one with a 6 deg bow (hope this makes sense). Or something like an older Lund Ducker.

Mud motor. Buy a kit and build one. I see there are 3 major kit makers out in the market. Today I bought a $99 Harbor Freight 6.5hp horizontal shaft motor ($50 off and it is returnable). They make bigger, and they make smaller.

As much as I really appreciate wooden duckboats, I just think I want to stick to aluminum or possibly even fiberglass. Less weight is key.

Stable. Very stable plan to shoot standing up.
Will be towed by a trailer, not thrown on top of a car or into a pick up bed

Other requirement. Either an open floor where I can mount chairs on stands, or a bench seat at the back and a platform in the front to mount a seat. Enclosed storage would be very nice.

More requirements. Build a blind (currently built one closely mimicking the Flyway Specialties pop up blind) that pops up and down quickly. Has to act as a wind block. Want to be able to put in a Mr. Buddy heater to keep me warm. Blind has to be easily removed from the boat quickly to go fishing. And has something somehow that can cover the top so ducks can't see into the bottom of the boat when overhead.

This sounds like a good start.

Appreciate all help. While money is always an issue, it isn't so much on this project. I want to make hunting more comfortable and easy while I have the time to do so.

Are there mud motor sites, flat bottom duck boat sites etc.....?

Mark W
 
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Mark,
From 1997-2011, I hunted from a 1440 mod-v Jon boat (Sea-Nymph brand but lots of companies make them). It was stable, shallow draft and handled 2 guys and 8dzn decoys easily. Hunted every thing from tidal ponds to open waters of Mississippi Sound and every thing in between. I ran an 18hp Nissan 2 stroke.
That said, I'd recommend a 1448 MV, that extra 8" in width makes it even more stable and just as shallow draft. And should handle a mud motor well.
Hope this helps.
 
If your going to hunt from a boat blind you'll need at least a 48" bottom to allow you to stand and shoot without undue rocking of boat. Especially with 2 gunners standing at same time. Now that's if boat is floating and not pulled up into something bottom can make contact on. With a 1448 your going to need more H.P. on a mud motor to push it any kind of speed other than a crawl. Plenty of open floor plan jons that size available. I,ll guess about 18hp would be minimum
 
roy brewington said:
If your going to hunt from a boat blind you'll need at least a 48" bottom to allow you to stand and shoot without undue rocking of boat. Especially with 2 gunners standing at same time. Now that's if boat is floating and not pulled up into something bottom can make contact on. With a 1448 your going to need more H.P. on a mud motor to push it any kind of speed other than a crawl. Plenty of open floor plan jons that size available. I,ll guess about 18hp would be minimum
Click to expand...

Considering I hunt 30-45 times/year and only 1-2 time with someone else, I am mostly considering a boat for solo hunting. It has to be light and has to have a shallow draft. I don't hunt muds and weeds but just shallow areas.

Lots to learn here, thanks for the input

Mark W
 
[quote Carl]Mark,
From 1997-2011, I hunted from a 1440 mod-v Jon boat (Sea-Nymph brand but lots of companies make them). It was stable, shallow draft and handled 2 guys and 8dzn decoys easily. Hunted every thing from tidal ponds to open waters of Mississippi Sound and every thing in between. I ran an 18hp Nissan 2 stroke.
That said, I'd recommend a 1448 MV, that extra 8" in width makes it even more stable and just as shallow draft. And should handle a mud motor well.
Hope this helps.[/quote]

Thanks Carl. As I mentioned below, I probably hunt 30 days a year and maybe 1-2 of those with a companion. I have to start thinking about when I hunt solo more than when I might hunt with someone else.

Mark W
 
Mark,
14 foot will push easier than a 12 foot and draft less. 6.5 hp longtail is going to give you 4.5 to 6 mph. I had a 6.5longtaill on a 14ft Carstens Canvasback hull. Always sat to drive and sat to shoot. It was only 36 inches wide.
 
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Take a look at Ghenooe,s. The15 classic is not terribly heavy and only drafts maybe 4" water fully loaded. I can load mine on roof rack by myself if needed but much easier to trailer. Can be pushed by a mud motor size your describing though not fast. The wider models may be better for shooting from but the classic is plenty stable. There's also a knock off brand of Ghenooe that's actually built in a duck boat model(wide & open) although I can't remember the name. They are fiberglass. I use mine going solo a lot just because of the skinny water it allows me to access and drag around if need be. I,ve actually made a stand up to shoot boat blind for mine that works pretty good with stobs driven in mud on 4 corners and tied off tight.
 
New stuff keeps ya young. Only thing I'll suggest is to go with electric start on everything.

Please do share any info on the longtail motors you learn, I need to get one to try for my local river in WY.
 
My 1440 was pretty ideal for hunting solo, which is what I did a lot. I believe hull only weighed 150.

But To clarify, when you say light weight, are you planning on trailering or need something you can slide in and out of the back of a pickup?

Are you looking to stand to shoot, sit and shoot or hunt it BBB Style, laying against a back rest?

How far of a run?
 
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[quote Carl]My 1440 was pretty ideal for hunting solo, which is what I did a lot. I believe hull only weighed 150.

But To clarify, when you say light weight, are you planning on trailering or need something you can slide in and out of the back of a pickup?

Are you looking to stand to shoot, sit and shoot or hunt it BBB Style, laying against a back rest?

How far of a run?[/quote]

All good questions I should have put in the original post.

1. Plan to trailer it. Already having issues lifting my 100lb flipover ice house into the pick up bed.
2. Absolutely want to be able to stand and shoot out of it.
3. Want to have a nice hair with a high back in the boat
4. Stability is key. I want to feel safe when driving it and sitting in it.
5. Was looking at something like a Lund Ducker. 12' long, 100 lbs, people run them with the 6.5 Predator motor from Harbor Freight. Just don't know how stable they are to stand up in.

Mark W
 
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Thanks, that helps!
I stand by my original recommendation: 1448 mv jon would work very well. Just might need a little bigger mud motor.
 
[quote Carl]Thanks, that helps!
I stand by my original recommendation: 1448 mv jon would work very well. Just might need a little bigger mud motor.[/quote]

I agree with Carl. A 6.5 to 8 hp will move the boat in clear water, as long as you're not dragging bottom, breaking ice or pushing snow slush floating in the water. I got stuck once in snow slush, from snow falling all morning. The slush floated down river where it backed up for about 100 yards in front of the boat ramp. I had to take my paddle, clear away as much as I could reach, start the mud motor, move forward 3 feet, and repeat, repeat, repeat. That last 100 yards almost did me in. (this was a 14ft Carstens with 6.5HP MudBuddy longtail.

A 13 to 18 hp will give you better results and should use the same frame kit. Only weight difference will be in the motor. The extra HP will be appreciated and needed whenever you drag bottom or have a heavier load.

On the other side of the coin, one time I was tasked with tying a 2nd disabled boat alongside my Cartens (w/ 6.5 longtail), to get both boats out to a hunting spot and back to the dock, so both parties could hunt that day. We made it work but that was all that 6.5hp could handle.
 
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[font "acumin-pro, sans-serif"]Take a look at Riverhawk B60,s. Very stable, draw 4" water. You'll have to get a used one as company has closed up but they're great boats for conditions you reference. Don,t think your going to want to stand and shoot from a ducker unless its sitting on bottom or jammed into thick reeds. They made some with completely open floor plan , plus other interior layouts.[/font]
 
County Line Boats makes the most versatile looking marsh boat.


Take a look at the Four Rivers EBADS boats. I have a refuge runner. Great marsh boat. Wide, stable and low profile only rated for 2 hp. I've hunted 2 men and a dog from it.

Carstens Canvasback or Bluebill might work for you too. I have a Carstens Pintail, no motor, duck killing machine though.

It's hard to find one perfect duck boat.
 
[quote Paul Taylor]County Line Boats makes the most versatile looking marsh boat.


Take a look at the Four Rivers EBADS boats. I have a refuge runner. Great marsh boat. Wide, stable and low profile only rated for 2 hp. I've hunted 2 men and a dog from it.

Carstens Canvasback or Bluebill might work for you too. I have a Carstens Pintail, no motor, duck killing machine though.

It's hard to find one perfect duck boat.[/quote]
I have two other duck boats. A poke for paddling into small places and a Hoefgen that I have a mini longtail for already.

I really want to be able to sit in a chair and not on the bottom of the boat. Done that with the old Alumacraft ducker I had and do it with the other two boats I have. Don't enjoy it. While I have recently been motoring out to the spot and then sitting on land, I still want the option to sit in the boat and hunt from it.
 
[quote Carl]Thanks, that helps!
I stand by my original recommendation: 1448 mv jon would work very well. Just might need a little bigger mud motor.[/quote]

I currently have a 14' boat that works well but I want to downsize. The last few years my hunting has changed and dragging this boat around is already a chore for me. I am trying to find a 12' semi V jon boat (is this what they are called - has a pointed end and not a square end)

Thanks for the suggestions, still figuring things out.
 
All I can say is power is your friend. Don't go too small, when things get crappy, you need the HP and it will keep you out of trouble. Some times we think going smaller makes it easier, but that is not necessarily the case with power.
 
In a 12' jon your probably only going to find a 36" bottom. 32" & 36" bottom is the norm. Although a bit lighter your not really gaining anything over a 14' ,a few lbs. but hardly noticeable other than a bit less stable. The 2' of added length does help with stability. The 36" bottom width actually drafts more water than 48" in those little jons.
 
What would happen if you put the smaller flavor harbor freight powerplant on your current set up. You said you've got the 15hp cranking your longtail. Why not downsixe the powerplant and get that extra weight off the transom. You'll draw less water and it might allow you to get into the shallow stuff easier.

Looks like the 15hp 500cc HF Special weighs 50 lbs more than the 6.5h 212cc little guy. That 50 lbs on the ass end of your boat and a careful redistribution of your hunting gear might allow you to just keep on truckin with what you already have and save the money for shotgun shells.
 
[quote Todd Duncan Tennyson]What would happen if you put the smaller flavor harbor freight powerplant on your current set up. You said you've got the 15hp cranking your longtail. Why not downsixe the powerplant and get that extra weight off the transom. You'll draw less water and it might allow you to get into the shallow stuff easier.

Looks like the 15hp 500cc HF Special weighs 50 lbs more than the 6.5h 212cc little guy. That 50 lbs on the ass end of your boat and a careful redistribution of your hunting gear might allow you to just keep on truckin with what you already have and save the money for shotgun shells.[/quote]

I wasn't very clear. The current 15hp is a short shaft outboard motor. A 1996 Evinrude that only has one tilt option. That tilt just isn't enough to get me through shallow water.

My current boat weighs in at 250lbs. That is at least 100lbs more than some of the boats I have been looking at and almost 150lbs more than the one I am learning towards. That is quite a bit of weight.

My current outboard weight in at 85lbs. A 6.5hp harbor freight predator motor with a long tail weighs in about the same give or take a couple of pounds.

Every pound matters to me about now.

Mark W
 
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