New Boat Questions

Scott Bell

Scott Bell

Active member
OK,
I'm looking at a new boat for next year and am looking for input from everyone here. Here are the areas where I would plan to use this boat:

1) The Missouri River in NW and Central Missouri. This is a fairly swift river, with a good navigation channel and numerous sand bars for hunting once things ice up. The river can be pretty dangerous, so this is the place that I'm most concerned about. Runs can be several miles to find where the ducks are, so a boat that can move at a reasonable clip would be a plus. Also, when the winds get parallel to the channel, it can get really nasty out there.

2) Several different lakes ranging from 100 acres to several thousand. These can get pretty snotty, and most have numerous stumps in them. Handling large open water yet being able to hide easily are important.



I have a great setup for marshy areas and am now looking at a later season setup. I'm figuring 2 guys and a dog with room for maybe 6 dozen decoys, but would like a boat that I can hunt by myself fairly easily. I would also like a boat that would double as a good fishing boat for the off-season, so if you have thoughts or ideas about how the various boats perform double duty, then I'd be grateful for that input as well.

I had a Jon boat several years ago that met these requirements, but it was a pain to hide. I'm a bit concerned about a wood boat and how it would handle the stumps. Any feedback on getting high centered and how well the wood/glass boats handle those situations?

I actually have a set of BB III plans that I would lean towards currently, but I was looking for additional input from the brain trust here.

Thanks for all of the information you guys have provided over the last 10 years. This site totally changed my view of and approach to duck hunting.

Scott
 
Scott

I think the conditions I hunt here are similar to yours, except we have far fewer ducks. I bet you would find the BBIII to meet and exceed your needs. The hulls are tougher than you might imagine. Obviulsy a blow from a rigid object while under power can cause damage but in most circumstances that can be avoided or risk minimized. I've hit some stuff over the years and never had any damage as a result. Call me if you have any specific questions or what to toy with the idea. I think you'd be pleased with a Devlin.

Eric
 
The biggest issue I have had with my BBIII and underwater objects has been with the motor and not the boat hull. Only one time have I forgotten to release the automatic tilt lock on the Nissan. A lump of muck pushed the stern up out of the water about 6 inches and stopped me. I have never had that issue since doing my double checking to make sure the tilt lock is un locked on the Nissan.

The BBIII will handle all the conditions you mention. The one thing I found out about my BBIII was that I did not enjoy wake jumping in it. The wide low hull makes for too much pucker factor when trying to be stupid. Wakes from larger ships may not be an issue, but high speed lake/ski boats make for a high frequency steep pitched wakes that I have had to turn into to not be tossed side to side. I don't have any large ships/barges to play with up here.

All types of wind driven waves have not been a problem.

As for hiding the BBIII there are lots of options from makeing a scissor blind to blind rails or grassing rails and laying down or doger and grass, etc. Almost too many options.
 
First thing that popped in my head was BB3 or BB2. My BB2 is in dire need of some tlc but it has been about 10 years since I painted it and it has mostly just sat outside almost year around. I have bounced off a lot of stumps and downed trees..from trolling to wide open and haven't even scratched the FME. I have gone from 25-30 to 0 in less than a second on sandbars, beached too fast in the dark on gravel and cement ramps....etc..etc... My johnboats showed more damage in 1 year than this BB2 has in 10. I have 6oz cloth on the hull and if I was really worried, I would put heavier glass on it. It just seems to give enough to bounce, rather than break. I know if I had hit all the same stuff in an aluminum boat, it would have torn or punctured. I've hunted out of a BB2 and a BB3 and think they are pretty much perfect boats for the chore.
 
if you are looking for an aluminum boat that can handle the stumps and a pretty much anything you can throw at it i know some guys that hunt on the mississippi and the last time i was with them we hit a stump wide open and it didnt even put a dent in it i am not sure on the brand but i do know they are guide boats and cast a good chunk of money i can find out the name if you want me to jjust pm me.
 
The Peregrine handles similar conditions, has run up on stumps and oyster reefs wide open all it did was scratch the paint up. It's the mudmotor lower unit and prop that really takes the beating from that kind of stuff. I have 12 oz of biaxial covered with 3.5oz tightweave on the bottom, plus those vinyl rubrails on the runners.

Ed.
 
I use one of those Mack's River Runner I attached to bottom skeg of my outboard. I have gone through a lot of shallow water with sand and muck with sunken logs. I keep my motor tilt release set so the motor will kick up with no problem. The River Runner has saved my aluminum prop from destruction in most cases. My speed is about 10 mph most of the time and hitting an unexpected gravel bars has shown no damage to my prop.

.
 
I like many of our group consider myself frequently stupid.
As I've always said, "You have to be tough to be stupid". as Ron White says,"You can't fix stupid" Stay off the stumps and rocks and most any construction material will be fine. I worry more about my outboard than the hull when it comes to obstruction strikes.

Be careful and keep accurate charts,

Harry
 
Thanks for the input guys! A few additional notes.


I'm not planning to fly through the flooded timber with this boat, just motoring through at a slow speed. The depth of these lakes can change drastically, making a big difference in what you run into (literally) hitting obstructions at speed isn't my primary concern at this point. That's bad for any boat. My concern is more with getting high-centered in such a way that the stump would be putting force perpendicular to the glass and possibly cracking it? I have an all glass boat similar to a the fatboy for several years now and I'm impressed with the durability of glass in general. I haven't really dealt with a wood/glass boat under those conditions. It seems like it would perform fairly well, but might be prone to cracking where an aluminum boat might dent? From what you all are saying though, enough of the flexibility of the two materials remains to keep that from happening?
 
Hi Scott:

The Devlin designs are tough for sure. I think the BBIII would suit your purpose as would the Scaup design. I have not been in a BBIII and only wonder if the size would be cramped with 3 guys and gear. My Scaup has been beached, high centered, broken ice, hit rocks, stumps and about anything else you can think of being used in the Rhode Island area. The boat has never taken any significant damage. A significant part of the protection on these designs are the primary and bilge keels. When I built the boat, I sheathed the hull from the gunwales down in kevlar to add to the toughness. I'm glad I used the kevlar but it is a bugger to work with compared to glass. My son is now building a 21 ft version of the Scaup in welded aluminum for use in the open ocean.

Maybe the next time I'm back in MO we can talk if its helpful to you. My son and I go to MO to hunt turkeys and deer in the Nodaway area.

Eric
 
You are right Ed. I've cracked a few aluminum cans when I used to drink beer from cans. I now buy only Draft or bottled bear but have found when you drop the glass it breaks. Never have seen beer in individual wood or fiberglass containers, but I bet you could break them too. Point being you can abuse any material to it's breaking point. don't make material of manufacture be your only guide.

Everyone must have an opinion. I think I'll have another beer.

Best,
Harry
 
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