Newbie/New build

W

wil tubbs

New member
First and foremost, I have been a long time lurker of this forum and have now decided that I need a project for this year. I am looking to build one of the following boats and would like any info from anyone that has completed either of the following boats: 1) Black Brant II 2)Devlin Scaup 3)Broadbill 4)Gator Duckhunter.

I am interested in the actual cost of construction and the ease of construction of the boats.

Again, I am a newbie and the boat will be used for duck hunting as transportation and lay-out hunting.

Any advice or input will be greatly be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Wil... the most critical information is where you hunt, in what conditions, how many people do you wish to take?, dog?, gear?, species (divers? / puddlers? / Sea ducks?), need to know all this stuff before anyone can give you meaningful advice.

Your list is akin to saying, I am thinking of buying a car... should I get the Mazda Miata or the Hummer?

Good luck in your search, it'll be fun,.

A
 
Thanks Andrew.

The boat will need to carry 2 people with hunting gear and 1 dog. It will be used on small backwater creeks and in creek bottoms and not on big open deep areas. I need something that has stability as well as durability.

Again, thanks for any input.
 
wil, I am currently building a bb3,the cost so far for the boat only is about 2500.00,as for the ease of construction, I believe it is a 6 on a 1-10 scale,I have taken my time and listened and learned from everybody on this web-site,a whole lot of knowledge on this site,very helpful people,cant say enough good about it,the build has been a fun and learning experiance. This is my first build,and I know not my last. As for the size,that is your decision,I am in a similar situation,hunting the same amount of people,dogs etc. I spoke to Sam Devlin and told him what I wanted and he assisted me. Great guy,always helpful. If you need any other question answered let me know.good luck and have fun. Brian Rippelmeyer
 
Black Brant II: Very safe, doesn't plane, but does what you want it to do.

Devlin Scaup: Bigger boat, harder to manhandle as it is big and heavy. 3 men + dog, no worries.

Broadbill: 1 man boat + dog... not what you are looking for.

Gator Duckhunter. Don't know much about it. Go to the Refuge Forum, those guys are experts.

BB III: As Brian said, it's probably the boat for you.

Another idea... Devlin Bluebill: Lots of guys have built and love this boat... could be a "contendah". Believe it carries 2 guys + dog.

Good luck...

A>
 
Wil,

BB2 planes fine- expect 24-25 mph with a medium. It hunts 2 just fine.

However, if you are not planning on hunting big water, BB3 is probably a little better suited. Broadbill is definitely a 1 man boat, unless you enlarge it.

-Bill
 
This is the BBII.
She is just over the bow wave here with two boys and Jamus.



Here is with a little more throttle.



The extra rocker in the hull of this model uses more HP to get the hull out of the water but slow down in the nasty stuff and you will be greatfull for the seakeeping quality of a deeper v and the fore and aft ability to take a following sea.
 
Just to add to the BBII info, mine does 28-29 mph with just me running a 30 hp. It loses speed with a load faster than other hulls but it does definitely plane. For this reason if you choose to build a BBII keep weight in mind when you choose materials and during construction.
 
Thanks Andrew.

The boat will need to carry 2 people with hunting gear and 1 dog. It will be used on small backwater creeks and in creek bottoms and not on big open deep areas. I need something that has stability as well as durability.

Again, thanks for any input.
Click to expand...


How wide are the creeks, and how deep are they? The BB style boats don't work well with mud motors but work great with standard outboards. The outboards require some water depth to run the boat, so if your creeks have skinny water you may want to think of the Duckhunter and take the rocker out of it.

My BB3 takes up a lot of room in a small creek and draws a lot of water when loaded. If you are looking at creeks that are 20 to 30 feet wide with bars that you may have to pull the boat over or beaver dams then look at the Bluebill.
 
The creeks are fairly wide but shallow. Most of the water is between 2-6 ft. deep in many places and there are numerous beaver dams I will have to contend with. I have been narrowing down my choices with the input I have received here and would like something that could be powered by a high thrust trolling motor or small outboard.
 
You don't want a BB2 or 3 or Scaup for beaver damn hauling. Unless you are a young Charles Atlas...whom you probably never heard of unless you are 50 or so.
 
The creeks are fairly wide but shallow. Most of the water is between 2-6 ft. deep in many places and there are numerous beaver dams I will have to contend with. I have been narrowing down my choices with the input I have received here and would like something that could be powered by a high thrust trolling motor or small outboard.
Click to expand...


I can not drag my BB3 over much of anything without a winch. I know a guy that drags his Bluebill into a marsh each fall about 50 yards from a river and then drags it out at the end of the season. He uses two people since they each have a boat to drag out. The boats are empty and it takes them an hour or so for each one. That is a lot of work.

Due to the beaver dams I would look to something really small and one man if you are not going to use a canoe or kayak. A boat that is more than 80 pounds will get really hard to deal with after one or two dams.

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

This thread over on the refuge is about the Hybrid single man "boat". This might be more in line with what you are looking at for a home made boat. The most current version of the plans are found on page 73 of the thread near the end and there are links to the plans. These plans are updated from the same old set of plans you can find on the DHBP rigs pages.

If you are looking at a kayak type build then one of the CLC Boats like the Mill Creek might work out.

http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/kayaks/rec_kayaks/CLC-MILLCREEK-13.html
 
Decked kayaks have very little room for decoys, or anything. I picked up a used Old Town pack canoe cheap. Short canoes are tippy & I expect there are a bunch of them "stored" behind garages. I dropped the seat down to keep my weight low & use it like a kayak. It paddles "OK" with a double paddle. I wouldn't use it in fast water but for a one man rig it is a pretty flexible piece of equipment.
 
wil,another avenue is piroque,I bought a Ron Chapman "King" piroque when I was in Slidell La. working Katrina storm damage,this boat is stable and you would be able to drag it over beaver dams etc. It is a little different from a canoe,just an idea to ponder. Brian Rippelmeyer
 
After more consideration, I believe I will be building a Devlin Broadbill. A friend and I have determined that we would each build one and then later (if this boat building strikes a fire in the blood) we will build a larger boat.

Anyone have any suggestions in the build on the Broadbill?
 
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