Ben M
Active member
Just got my user name verified today. Been wanting to ask y'all about the plans I'm thinking of for a little while here. What a great site this is! I've been enjoying pics of your boats . . . there are some excellent builders and hunters here!
On to my project . . . Though I've grown up on the water and had an uncle who built wood boats, this will be my first boat build. My plan is to cut my teeth on this one, then move up to a bigger, more involved build.
Most of the time I hunt solo (though waterfowling is unquestionably a sport that gets better with a friend or three) on fast moving rivers here in Virginia with my best buddy, Max the Dog, an 80lb Lab. I'm thinking of a BBSB-ish design, but it would need to track well and handle more like a canoe or a kayak in the rock-strewn rivers around here. The traditional BBSBs seem to be superb marsh boats, but appear to lack the quick handling necessary to keep off the rocks when they sometimes jump out at you in the dark.
Devlin's designs are certainly popular, and a couple of his small sneak boats are attractive to me. But I've found what I think may be "the one" for me and want to know what the experienced folks here think about it before I take the plunge. Here's a link to it: http://www.spirainternational.com/hp_mars.html
I've never hunted out of a sneak box and I've never built a boat . . . which is why I'm asking for YOUR opinion! The "Marsh Rat" there is a plywood/fiberglass design with a projected finished weight of 90lbs. The pointed bow and narrow design look to provide the maneuverability I'm looking for. With the addition of some grass rails, there's plenty of room in the 6.5' long cockpit to hide myself and Max the Dog.
But does this design look stable enough? Am I overlooking anything here? What do you think about this design?
Thanks for a great site and I look forward to your advice!
On to my project . . . Though I've grown up on the water and had an uncle who built wood boats, this will be my first boat build. My plan is to cut my teeth on this one, then move up to a bigger, more involved build.
Most of the time I hunt solo (though waterfowling is unquestionably a sport that gets better with a friend or three) on fast moving rivers here in Virginia with my best buddy, Max the Dog, an 80lb Lab. I'm thinking of a BBSB-ish design, but it would need to track well and handle more like a canoe or a kayak in the rock-strewn rivers around here. The traditional BBSBs seem to be superb marsh boats, but appear to lack the quick handling necessary to keep off the rocks when they sometimes jump out at you in the dark.
Devlin's designs are certainly popular, and a couple of his small sneak boats are attractive to me. But I've found what I think may be "the one" for me and want to know what the experienced folks here think about it before I take the plunge. Here's a link to it: http://www.spirainternational.com/hp_mars.html
I've never hunted out of a sneak box and I've never built a boat . . . which is why I'm asking for YOUR opinion! The "Marsh Rat" there is a plywood/fiberglass design with a projected finished weight of 90lbs. The pointed bow and narrow design look to provide the maneuverability I'm looking for. With the addition of some grass rails, there's plenty of room in the 6.5' long cockpit to hide myself and Max the Dog.
But does this design look stable enough? Am I overlooking anything here? What do you think about this design?
Thanks for a great site and I look forward to your advice!
