Rail Bird Skiff

D

David Stern

Active member
Hi. I was thinking of trying out rail birding this year. I love to shoot snipe and I thought rails would be fun as well. I have a 12 foot Aquapod. Do you think that will be stable enough for a pusher and a gunner? If not, what are my other skiff options? Would a Gheenoe work? What size? Other boats? Either production or hand built? Anyone know of any available? Thanks
Sterny
 
David try a Gator from gator boats.com they are just right for push poling and not to wide, Good luck.
Eddie.
 
David , if the cockpit is big enough the AP will work. If I remember right though they are a bit cramped for 2 people. I think they are stable enough, but tight on space.

I had made a flat bottom pirouge that was ok, but a dedicated rail skiff will be your best bet if you can find one.

The Gator mention above looks very close to a rail skiff in overhead, but lack the pointed stern and a few less feet in length.........

Try giving Jamie Hand a call, I know he has a pair of rail skiffs and might be able to give you a lead on a maker or used boat etc........until then give the pod a try.

One good thing is that the water is usually very warm and mostly shallow during rail season ................lol, Jode
 
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Doesn't seem like the requirements are very extreme. Can't you borrow a 14-16' aluminum boat from someone?
 
There are plans for a wooden skiff called "The Railbird Skiff" in WoodenBoat, Issue 120, October 1994. It looks to me like it could easily be made somewhat less traditional with plywood and fiberglass. It is double ended, for poling through reeds, has a slightly raised platform in the stern for the poler, is 15' 4" long and about 3' 6' abeam.

The article shows how it can be used gunning rails single handed, but it is large enough for a poler and a gunner. Plans were available (in 1994) for $25 from the Philadelphia Maritime Museum, 321 Chestnut St., Philadelphia PA, 19106, 215-925-5439.

The article has a good description of rail gunning even if you are not interested in building the boat.

Bob
 
David, on page 159 of Worth Mathewson's book Best Birds, Upland & Shore, there is a drawing by Dave Hagerbaumer of a rail skiff as seen in 1968 at Tuckahoe river delta, New Jersey it is a square backed, flat bottom skiff, 13' long by 39" beam, it has a raised poling platform in the rear and a gunners seat in the front, I believe that a man could build for himself, with a little thought. Worth gets on the board once in a while, but is presently down under, Victoria, I believe. I've had the pleasure of gunning with Worth, and he's a true gentleman.
 
Hi David,

I used to guide for rail hunting and used a 16' Merrymeeting Bay scull boat. It is all open except for a 3 1/2' foredeck, has a flat transom for a little kicker, one thwart midships that steadies the gunners stool and is very easy to pole. And of course it can be used a sculler as well and some of the guys actually hunt out of them with camo and brush up along the sides. A very versitile duck boat for protected waters.

Bill
 
I'm probably breaking all sorts of copy write law but Dave H's work should be seen and appreciated. For those who like his work there is a sticky at the top of the forum page to get his book [font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Waterfowling These Past Fifty Years[/font][/font] that's full of his sketches along with good stories.

View attachment railboat.jpg

To me a square stern makes a lot of sense. Your sport is sitting roughly 1/4 to a 1/3 of the way back from the pointy end (required to push grass out of the way) and you're working your tail off on the poling platform. Unless your thin as a rail, you need displacement under you or a longer boat. A longer boat in the weeds is going to make you work even harder to maneuver around. Where a long pointed stern helps you track in the open water, it's a potential drawback maneuvering in the thick grasses.

Just theory but wouldn't mind hearing how it really works (My personal goal is to have Tod pole me around :^)

Scott
 
depending on the emergent growth that you're trying to pole in....

The big Clappers of the coastal spartina marshes can be easily poled for out of a a traditional jon boat...the higer the flood tide the easier it becomes but the spartina where the rails hide isn't all that difficult to pole through with a flat bottomed, blunt nosed boat....

The little Rails on, either tidal marshes like the traditional poling grounds in NJ and on the freshwater marshes are another thing entirely and boat design makes a big diffeence in success....

I'v enot had the priveledge of hunting the emergent rice beds in NJ and Maine for Sora's but the boat design, (see Hagerbaumers drawing posted by Scott), dates back to the late 1800's when Rail Gunning was THE KING of shooting sporst, and it has changed little since so I sure wouldn't argue that design in those conditions....I've seen those rice flats and as Scott said the narrow pointed is essential to being able to drive the boat through the heavy vegetation. Which, of course, is why Wasson's Merrymeeting float worked so well for him....

In the freshwater marshes of Missouri where the emergent vegetation is promary a think tangle of smartweed we, (Mark Schupp, Ira McCauley, Worth Matthewson, myself and others), used the Mo Marsh FatBoy to good effect the boat having enough of a pointed bow to be able to shove it through all but the heaviest of smartweed clumps.....The MoMarsh DP did an even better job due to the rocker in the boat and the platform on the rear....once you'r comfortable with poling, and WHO CARES if you fall off the water warm in Sept. and its never really all that deep, the rocker allowed the poler to move so that the bow could be lifted so that it would ride over instead of through the vegetation making it much easier to pole.....

The real performer though was the Devlin Pole Boat that Mark Schupp built....sharply pointed at both ends this boat outperformed the other boats we used slipping easily through the all but the thickest of smart weed clumps......neat boat for sure but pretty specialized and I'm not sure that most people would have the opportunities to make building on an smart choice, (like THAT is ever a factor in the search for "a boat for all reasons").

To your specific question on the Pod I'm sure you could make it work but its lack of rocker, the blunt bow and the cockpit size is going to make it a poor performer, IMO, in all but the thinnest of vegetation which isn't where the Rails will be......


Can't find any pictures of the FatBoys and DP's in action, (maybe Mark will have a couple). This is the Devlin Pole Boat, Mark Schupp poling Worth back to the ramp after a successful morning.....
12-RAILHUNTERS.jpg


Mark pushing me through the Smartweed...

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Mark again at the pole with the SPORT taking a shot at a "strong flying" Sora...notice that the boat is now WHITE which is a traditional Rail boat color.....

14-DARHE.jpg


Goo dluck on your Rail Adventure...they may be small and they may not fly like Doves or Teal but they are great fun to hunt....

Steve
 
Up until today, I didn't know a thing about rail hunting. Thanks for sharing this fascinating information.
 
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