Poleboat build-finally on the water!

Cody Williams

Cody Williams

Well-known member
I finally managed to get my new poleboat out on the water for a hunt yesterday-she's been finished for almost a month but I've had lots of stuff going on that's kept me busy. As soon as she was done I had a muzzleloader deer hunt, then a rifle elk hunt, and then 2 weeks of abnormally warm and dry weather that was wonderful for everything but duck hunting! I did get out a few times to work on getting the poleboat set up for rowing and paddling-I found it to be really nimble and responsive but it seemed to want to "spin out" when I got it moving along. It was especially pronounced when I was rowing. To remedy the situation I added a small skeg that continues the keel line in the rear-with the skeg she tracks much better and rowing is a much easier task! The boat is still pretty sensitive to how she's loaded for rowing-I found that by putting my decoy bag on the rear deck and having my dog sit against the rear bulkhead, with the rest of my gear forward of me, she would track along pretty well.
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I also made some removable oarlocks out of some cypress blocks-the bolts go down through the block and are held on the underside of the deck with a wingnut and a big washer. They seem to work great and only take a few minutes to add or remove.
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I also added some small eyelets around the edges of the hull for holding some paracord grass "rails"-one of my favorite things about this boat so far is how well she can hide when she's grassed up.
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I really enjoyed hunting out of her-after hunting all morning on the big water without any success (there were plenty of birds around, I just seemed to always be looking in the other direction or not paying attention when they would buzz through the decoys!) I switched to paddling down a small creek and had some luck sneaking on some ducks and jumping them. This boat seems like it will be a really versatile hunting rig-able to carry enough weight to set a decent decoy spread, while being small enough to sneak down the small creeks and backwaters. Also she has enough cockpit space to hunt 1 guy and a dog comfortably, and I imagine 2 guys could hunt out of her if you aren't going too far. I can't wait to get her out again!
 
Cody~

Looks great! Nice idea for the oarlock stanchions - and you got them way outboard.

Do you row kneeling or do you use a seat of some kind?

All the best,

SJS
 
How well does it handle while paddling after adding the skeg? I had a boat somewhat like it and it tracked well while paddling and i sat on the aft deck with supplies loaded up front. I have been thinking of a small boat to build and that one may just be what i am looking for.
 
Glad you found out how she is in the water fully loaded and ready for a duck hunt. I sure envy you when I see all that water surrounding you in a couple of the shots. Good luck this season, Cody.
Al
 
Thanks guys for the nice words! Steve-I have been using a low seat to row from, it would be nice to elevate the oars even more but I think that where the stanchions are is the right balance of height vs ease of rowing. Dennis-bilge keels are a good idea, but I would like to keep the bottom as clean as possible. With the small skeg at the rear she tracks well enough. Jeff-I might end up shifting the rowing station even a bit further aft, I still have about a foot that I could move backwards. Mark-I took my wife and kids out for a paddle and I sat on the back deck while they were up front, it paddled really well from that position. Al-thanks, we have had an abnormally wet summer and fall so we are in a good position water-wise right now. We had good hatches this spring too so maybe you will get a crack at some more Utah gadwalls and mallards when they start moving south!
Also, does anyone have some tips for push poling? I built a retractable push pole to use with her, I can get a good push going but I'm having a hard time going in a straight line. This is my first attempt at pushpoling so I'm sure my technique could use some work.
 
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Poling canoes or my MMB sculler, I've found the key to going straight is to plant the pole as close to the center axis of the boat as possible, and use some body english to make the push ONLY in the direction you want to go. Very easy, especially in a wider boat, to end up zig zagging badly because the pole is planted out to the side and the shove is at an angle. Far easier to pole the canoe straight than the sculler.

After you push, you can also let the pole trail behind you and use it as a pretty effective rudder by levering off your hip. Same principle as a J stroke or rudder stroke with a canoe paddle. Something like Steve Sanford's "shoving oar" would function even better for this than a standard pole. (Mine is about 12 feet of round 1 1/4" ash.)

By the way, the boat looks great.
 
Thanks guys for the nice words! Steve-I have been using a low seat to row from, it would be nice to elevate the oars even more but I think that where the stanchions are is the right balance of height vs ease of rowing. Dennis-bilge keels are a good idea, but I would like to keep the bottom as clean as possible. With the small skeg at the rear she tracks well enough. Jeff-I might end up shifting the rowing station even a bit further aft, I still have about a foot that I could move backwards. Mark-I took my wife and kids out for a paddle and I sat on the back deck while they were up front, it paddled really well from that position. Al-thanks, we have had an abnormally wet summer and fall so we are in a good position water-wise right now. We had good hatches this spring too so maybe you will get a crack at some more Utah gadwalls and mallards when they start moving south!
Also, does anyone have some tips for push poling? I built a retractable push pole to use with her, I can get a good push going but I'm having a hard time going in a straight line. This is my first attempt at pushpoling so I'm sure my technique could use some work.
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For serious poling you want a looong pole with some flex in it. I don't think a retractable pole you let you really maximize the poling experience. Plant the pole and load it up and the pole will spring you along. What Jeff says with using it as a rudder at the end of the stroke is important to keep you going straight.
 
Thanks again you guys! Tod-I will have to give the rudder thing a try, when my pushpole is extended all of the way it's about 12' long but I think even more length would be handy. Also with some experimenting I've found that she actually poles better if you switch ends and go backwards-the longer, narrower bow seems to help her track straighter when poling. I wish my grandad was still around to give me some pointers, according to my dad he could pole a skiff across the marsh all day long.
 
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Cody, Like I have told you before- mine is my favorite and I'm sure you will work out any bugs and love it too. Pete McMiller and I just got back from N.D. trip and we had our two Poleboats on the trailer. Interesting thing is how different they are for being the same boat. Mine is very much heavier with a motor mount and high molded coaming. Pete's is a feather weight but he has the same crabbing problem it sounds like you have, he paddles backwards and it tracks. I have a Trex keel on mine and am very happy with it. Keep us posted on your rowing changes.
 
Hey Cody how has your season been. To warm so far. With the draw down on cuttler is there any good places to still hunt up there. Great boat by the way. The spur has been holding some good birds so far. Have a safe season.
 
Thanks again guys! Riley-I haven't hunted Cutler for ducks since the drawdown, but if it's like it was last year there will still be a few good places to hunt-you just have to try out some new spots and strategies. I was out that way yesterday and there were a few birds moving-I think this last front brought a few birds with it. I'm hoping that they will fill Cutler back in before the ice hits but you never know! How is the water level down in the Spur? I've been meaning to get out that way, I might get down there later this week. Good luck!
 
Water levels are good you can get a mud motor almost all the way out to the grass islands. The bay gas about thigh deep water.
 
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