TDB Blind cover

M

Mark Scott

Member
I am thinking of putting a top over my four sided blind. I never like the rain cover supplied with the boats. I was thinking of making an elevated top over the blind much like the old Wrangler/Duck water boats. If anyone has done this, I would appreciated any information on the process.
 
Mark,

I made a customn back (starboard) and flip-top for my 14ft classic. i used the top a few times, but found that i was missing out on some birds or it was taking too long to get in shooting position, so i no longer use it. MLBob made one for his without modifying the starboard side. he's got some nice pics and i bet would be willing to share. i think my blind is shorter than Bob's, that's why i modified the starboard, so i could lean back against the rail. i might have some pics of mine somewhere. might be a day or two.

Larry
 
Mark and John,

Here are the basic components of my modified blind.
- bought a cordura field trial blind (Better LCS Retriever Blind) from Lion Country Supply (in PA), just the material, not the poles. no sewing required if you use this.
- bought extra aluminum poles from onlinemetals.com i don't recall the exact size, i used a neighbors caliber to measure. these are much stronger than electrical conduit.
- also will need 1/2-inch (i believe) oak dowls

The aluminum poles for the back side of the blind were bent so the back (starboard) of the blind is vertical (so i could lean back against the rail). I test bent several pieces of electrical conduit to get the right angle before attempting to bend the new rods. You'll have to figure how high you want the blind.

There are three pieces to the blind. The top and back are one piece of cordura. An aluminum pole (maybe the original) goes through the back side sleeve and a wooden broom handle goes through the front. The oak dowls are on the sides. You can see how the frame is put together. I used a tenon cutter to cut the ends of the oak. a draw knife will work. the mess camo was added to the top afterwards.

I made the mistake of cutting off the sleeve on the bottom part of the blind, so i use snaps to hold down the back part, otherwise it flaps around in a breeze. i think there's a better way making use of the sleeve and maybe a long bungee.

There are longer replacement poles for the bow and stern parts of the original blind. I didn't remove the original poles, just slip the new ones through the slot. The hinge parts came off of the starboard pole which is no longer used. The outside ones are fastened down. The inside ones are not set. This allows the blind to swing up.

When I use it, I set up the modified part of the blind first, then work on the front and then bow and stern. The gun barrell holds up the front so i can "see" out. I also painted the backside of the cordura because it seemed so bright.

hope this helps.

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Thanks larry for all the information and pictures you posted. You have definitely given the blind a lot of thought and have designed a great cover. Waterfowlers are an inventive bunch!! Thanks again for the ideas.
 
Thank so much Larry, great pictures and good details , So with a sloping roof do you flip it back when getting ready to shoot? what kind and size pipe are you using 1" ? I like looks of the roof something needed in the PNW . You have given me something to do between now and duck season. Thanks for sharing John
 
John,

the aluminum tubing is 3/4"OD and 9/16"ID. It's the same size that came with the TDB. The ID isn't that critical as long as you get something strong. It's 4 ft long.

I just want to reiterate that, although it might look good on paper and in my garage, it's only somewhat pratical to use in the field. Things to consider in the field; make sure you have plenty of overhead clearance. It's 3x4ft and needs to be flipped past vertical otherwise it will come back on top of your head as you're trying to shoot. A strong wind at your back will require more effort to flip it back.

I didn't use it the last half of the season. I just use the original TDB blind minus the rods in the back/top. this allows me to lean back against the rail and drape the rain roof over my shoulders/head.

I hope it works out for you. Let me know if you make any better modifications to it.
What's a PNW?
 
John and Mark,

I figured out how to modify the original blind and rain hood to make a partial cover with fliptop. stay tuned for some pics. all you'll need to buy is a few 3/4-inch oak dowels.
 
Larry I am thinking of using your idea but not building a large roof but to use door concept as a roof and would be able to shoot both sides. with the doors dropping out with half as much weight to open them. Again thanks for all your help .....John
 
John,

Here's the proto-type of my new configuration making use of the original blind. The horizontal dowels will be replaced by aluminum tubing and a rod will be inserted into the pvc for strength. This version gives me much more visibility, some overhead protection and concealment and it only takes a split second to "flip" the short roof back out of the way for standing and shooting. The one drawback is that the entire contraption has to be broken down if you need to get out of the boat or if you need to operate a tiller handle motor. Helping a dog onto the bow could be tricky too.

I want to see your door system when you finish.

PNW..hahaha, I was thinking it was some kind of boat.

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This picture has helped me a lot as I did not even realize that canvas part was a motor cover! Myself and another guy with a tdb are really interested in the overhead blin in this pic!
 
Work out a flip-top arrangement attached to the back grassing loops of the side panel that you can throw back when its time to stand & shoot. Keeps you hidden and dry.
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Bob, how do you keep your removable roof from jamming on the support pipes when you stand to shoot? I have a rain roof and just shoot off a pair of canoe chairs that sit on the floor of the boat. Yes, I do miss some birds that work-in from behind me.
 
Always amazing to see how some of you guys hunt the TDB without grass. I guess if you are in the woods you don't need any grass. Here is how we hunt a TDB in Jersey. TDB on the left, sneak box on the right. Because the blind is on an angle I grass the whole opening on top closed when I am grassing at the beginning of the season. Then I use a trimmer to cut a small opening for 2 guys. I also try to leave the grass higher on one side and make this my "backside" all season so the backs of our heads are blocked.


 
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"Bob, how do you keep your removable roof from jamming on the support pipes when you stand to shoot? I have a rain roof and just shoot off a pair of canoe chairs that sit on the floor of the boat. Yes, I do miss some birds that work-in from behind me."

Rick, The supports just rest on the rail. Tension is supplied from a center strut that snap-fastens to the center line of the top Rear to front. Whole thing flips back. Very simple design. Whole roof panel - frame and all - breaks down and rolls right into the blind panel when the blind is taken down and in the normal stowed/ towing position. Takes about 30 second to put up or take down. TDB blind is such a simple concept, I didn't want to mess with a bulky roof and complicated frame that takes forever to set in place. That's the beauty of the 14 - it was made to get most anywhere and set up quickly.
Found a picture of what it looks like stowed in the down position. As you can see, there's no bulk at all:
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Bob, from what I discern from your post, you simply grab the transverse center support, lift, and push back to stand and shoot. Correct? I agree regarding not messing with the blind's set-up simplicity, that is why I have never gone forward to alter my blind's rainroof. I just roll it up partially when not in use to keep it from clanking against the boat. The only thing I have done to the blind on my boat is take all the blind hardware and get it powder coated in black. The blind support poles are black anodized and are foam filled and cork plugged to float if the happen to get dropped over the side during set-up.

BrianR, out in a marsh I grass my TDB completely as well. I use natural vegetation as well as a triangular cut piece of a Fast-Grass panel that overlays the bow to the waterline, tied-off to the grassing panels. One of the things I appreciate about the boat/blind is how tight the top opening is when fully grassed. I shoot off a Double Bull three leg archery stool when I am hunting from the boat, since it enables me to get my feet in a tighter stance to stabilize my swing.

By the position of the controls in the Virginia TDB, I would assume it is a stick steered boat, driven from the front of the cockpit.
 
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