Seeking Recommendations on new duck boat for use in NJ

Christoph

Christoph

Member
So I am in the market for a new Duck hunting boat (actually my wife made me PROMISE her that come next opening day I would have a new ?safer? boat?.how we got to this point is a separate story). Anyway, I?ve been hunting NJ long enough to know how/where I will be hunting going forward. But I don?t really know enough about duck boats to figure out the best match.
By way of Background; about 5 years ago I made the switch from exclusively canoe and walk-in hunting in Morris and Sussex counties to also start Boat hunting the north and upper coastal zones. At the time I wasn?t sure how much I?d go, so my priorities then were flexibility (also able to fish from, etc..) and price. I got a sweetheart deal on a then 15 year old flat bottom 14 ft john boat with a 25 Mercury pull start, and this is what I am still currently hunting out of. The boat still runs and suits its purpose just fine and I do kill ducks out of it, but five years later I?m hooked and I find that I get enough days out that it justifies getting a new ?better? and more comfortable boat. So here is what I learned about what I?m looking for in a boat:


  • Capacity ? 80% of the time I hunt alone, however, as I get older I really would rather hunt with another guy. I don?t have a dog, won?t be getting one and don?t? have a hunting buddy who has one, so no need to account for a dog. So I?m looking for a boat that is easy for 1 guy to handle, but could comfortably fit 2. Although, if it could squeeze 3 in if the situation ever arose (it hasn?t so far) that wouldn?t be bad either
  • Flexibility beyond duck hunting ?In the 5 years I?ve owned the boat I?ve taken it fishing exactly twice. So ability to fish out of it super comfortably isn?t really a consideration
  • Where it will be used - Mostly in the North Zone and upper coastal zone.. from the NY state line down to like Monmouth Beach on a regular basis. Although, in the future, I could see a trip or two a season hitting Barnegat bay or Long Island Sound.
  • Seakeeping - Right now, with the john boat, the weather definitely figures into which ramps I can use or spots I can reach. So something that can transit some open water under ?less than ideal? conditions to get to a marsh would be great. Ie. I got caught out once when the wind kicked up on Raritan bay and although I made it back to the ramp it was a bit stressful? I?d like to buy myself a little more margin of error over the John Boat
  • What I will hunt ? 90% of the time I hunt puddle ducks, but I will occasionally hit the coastal zone for a diver hunt
  • Concealment ? Right now I have a scissor blind on my boat and it hides pretty good?. But I feel it could be better. More importantly, when I down a duck and have to motor out to retrieve; As a solo hunter it isn?t all that convenient or easy to drop the blind, pull the motor cover, pull the loose grass matts I use on select spots, pull the anchors, motor out, motor back, throw the anchors, raise the blind etc? I?m thinking something with grass rails and flapper boards may be easier and quicker for retrieves
  • Ice ? I?m not overly bothered by the bitter cold at the end of the season and I will go out in the ice. Something that could withstand driving/breaking through reasonable ice would be good, but more importantly something that can navigate through it would be great. Ie. On some of the tidal creeks I hunt, the swing in tide will shift around the ice and sometimes jam up the channel with big ice chunks, something that can safely get through that would be ideal.

I think that pretty much covers the things I need to consider. I?ve done a little looking and have some ideas of what I might want, but I?d like to see if what you all recommend confirms or disproves my thinking.

Thank You in advance for any input/advice.

Christoph
 
Thanks, I knew there was something I forgot to include.

As to Draft, some of the areas, or ways into them, can get a little thin. So something with a shallow draft would be preferable.

Also, something that is not too heavy, so that I could push/slide it back into a channel if the tide goes out leaving me on the side of the main water flow.
 
Sounds like you need something in the 16 to 17 ' range if your planning on hunting 3 head occasionaly but 15' would hunt 2 comfortably, depending on cockpit dimensions. I,m thinking something similar to a tdb style hull either aluminum or fiberglass. That particular style boat makes blind setup rather easy and retrieving shot birds easy enough ,especially if you put a long handled net aboard. In the hull size you require you,ll definitely not be dragging it around much but it would be easy enough to push pole and not to bad loading on trailer. Part of the challenge of hunting a boat blind is picking the set up where you won,t end up high and dry on the tide swing. Becomes a lot more important the bigger the boat.
 
Thanks Roy, John and Craig,

Those were the boats on my radar.

The more I think about it, the third man probably isn't really a realistic scenario (with apologies to Harry Lime). I generally struggle to even get a second guy to go (I'm mostly a weekday hunter).

I'm starting to lean toward the idea of a Duck Invader, but need to figure out a 13 or 16. I'm thinking the 13 might fit my needs. Of course, that is unless Craig knows someone selling a Roy High Boat that he could put me onto [;)]

Thanks Again for the input.

Christoph
 
With the prices some high boxes have gone for lately you may be better off with something new!
 
Duck boss 13s pop up with some regularity. I really like mine. Easy to fit a second guy but very manageable by myself. I?d highly recommend it
 
Will M said:
Duck boss 13s pop up with some regularity. I really like mine. Easy to fit a second guy but very manageable by myself. I?d highly recommend it
Click to expand...

Thanks Will. that sounds like the experience I am looking for
 
I am in a similar situation to you. I hunt NJ, started off in a Jon boat. Now I have a 12' Higbee and am looking for a 2 person rig. First off, I was very happy to get rid of the Jon boat. It depends on what you plan to hunt but I had many many issues with mine. I found it to be dangerous in open water, didn't break ice well, and it did not hide at all when hunting puddlers in short spartina with a scissor blind.

As Craig and a lot of the others said, there are not too many production options. The first one, and best, that comes to mine is a Roy High Box. I am looking for one myself and they are very difficult to find. They are no longer made but in what I have seen, really one of the best for hunting here.

Duck Boss 13 and now the Duck Invader would be good options. They are on the lower free board side which would make it easier to hunt puddlers. The Duck Invader has flappers, which seem nice, but I wonder what the black hole effect might be like with such an open cockpit.

Another consideration would be a Devlin series boat like Black Brant II. They are similar in concept to the Duck Invader.
 
A duck boss 13 would be a very good option if you can find one. The potential third hunter limited my original recommendations. I usually tend to steer people toward DB13s or the new duck invaders because unless you know somebody who knows somebody finding a reasonably priced high box is a needle in a haystack.
 
Thanks Jay and Craig,

Jay's experience sounds a lot like what I'm going through, definitely confirms some of what I was thinking.

The High Box comment was bit of a joke, I know it is something of a unicorn and I know everyone always asks Craig where they can get one!

Since this will probably be my boat for a long time to come, I'm thinking I might go new and probably the duck invader 13. That way I can get it the way I want it and also not have to worry about any potential issues in buying a used boat from someone you don't know.

Any recommendations on options that I should consider (flapper board v. blind, decoy curtains, etc...)

Thanks Again,

Christoph

PS. Craig, I've been enjoying your youtube NJ video series. Good Job, look forward to the next installment
[strike][/strike]
 
Christoph,

Craig has way more experience than me but he's confirmed with me everything I've been researching for a while. Just today we were discussing some of the things I like and dislike about my sneakbox. First and foremost, I am infinitely happier in my BBSB than I was in my Jon boat.

The two things I have been concerned with hunting a boat like the DB13, DI13, or even a Roy High is the black hole effect. With the Roy's, guys have seemed to fix the black hole effect for the most part with some flapper modifications.

I personally want flappers. However, I've noticed with the DI13, they are rather small. That's the only thing I can see. I personally would rather have flappers so that when I get to the ramp, not much additional setup is required.
 
Does anyone have any pictures of fully rigged DI13's? Their facebook page seems to be lacking a little.
 
Call rich young at duck invader. I just spoke to him last week and he said he plans on hunting jersey the last weekend of the season with a duck invader 13. I?m sure he?d be more than happy to show it to you while he is here so you can see it all rigged up and ready
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top