Thinking of getting a Barnegat Bay sneakbox

Hey Steve, hope you're enjoying your summer. I'm leaning towards fiberglass. Mainly for maintenance reasons. I'm not certain either about the hull types. What are the distinct advantages of either one ? Thanks in advance.
 
Simplest answer is planing hull give you speed and displacement hull gives you more stability and better performance in heavy water.....
A lot of your decision should come from where you are planning on running the boat and how you plan to hunt it.....if I was hunting small water that doesn't get ugly in a blow, or tidal creeks, I'd go with the planing hull....If I was hunting big open water that got ugly fast with big seas and heavy chop I'd pick the displacement hull.....
There are a couple of hulls that are displacement type that have a "kicker" at the stern to give them more speed....though they're not as fast as a planing hull..
Speed wise think of it as...
Planing Hull....raped ape on flat water
Displacement with kicker....moderate speed
Displacement hull....she sure ain't fast but she sure is slow
The above is assuming same hp motor on boats of similar size....
HP on them will be different as well....planing hulls are about how much the transom can stand and how big your junk is....this site is famous for the BIG motor/liitle boat/crazy speed is what you need vs. the "how stupid are you" discussion...if you are a speed freak you'll never hear the "that's not safe" side and vice versa.....buy insurance either way and enjoy the bugs in your teeth and the wind in your hair if you're of the speed camp....get a cane and a good book if you're of the straight displacement hull group......
Planing hulls you'll see 15 and up...and I mean UP to what seem like crazy numbers....since we haven't mourned the passing of any of the said "speed freaks" I'll assume they don't kill themselves as often as you might think from the dire warnings....
Displacement hulls with kickers....5 to 15 hp ...you'll see decent increase from 5 to 10 but only small increases above the 10...for what its worth I run a 15 on a wooden boat of this type in wood....neatest boat I've ever owned....
Displacement hull......5 to 10 hp and you'll see very little difference in speed between the two....
I'm not "current" on the fiberglass crop of Barnegats available though I believe that Custom Barnegats is still in business and I also believe that they have re-designed their hulls to be of the displacement with some sort of kicker.. Could be wrong on that and someone here will know for sure...
Wooden boats for sure require more maintenance but there's something about a wooden boat....and you're just north of the epicenter for those.....
That should get you started...I'd make a recommendation on a maker for a wooden boat in private to you.....


Steve
 
Thank you Steve. That's a wealth of knowledge for sure. Please make that recommendation privately as, I have not ruled out wood. Many thanks for your assistance.
 
Fiberglass - Find a Higbee

Wood - Find a Sammy Hunt

Both based on the true Barnegat Bay Sneakbox

As far as fiberglass sneak/marsh boat find a Schellenger
 
I have a 12' classic BBSB with a displacement hull. It is only rated for a 3hp and one person. I would go with the 15' if you choose a classic.
 
I have both a displacement glass over cedar hull and a higbee all glass planing hull. The higbee is awesome for hunting tidal ditches and creeks but i haven't had it in any rough water yet so i cant speak for that. One thing i like about it is that it is light so its a little easier to push off the mud. I ran a 15 on my uncles for the past couple years which was way too much in my opinion, so ill have a 9.9 on mine this year. Ive used the displacement hull box in pretty much the same setting and I also like it. Obviously it doesnt plane but it is good to hunker down in and plow through the waves when it is a little choppier. No matter what you put on the back of it the design wont allow it to go any faster so a smaller motor would be more ideal (like a 6 or something). My buddy Wes has a henriches glass over cedar hull planing hull which is also a very nice rig.
 
ALOT on the strokes.....
and more so on the full displacement hulls....
do your best to find a two stroke if you can...they're worth the effort to find...


Steve
 
Try to get down to the Tuckerton Show in Sept and look at all the different models and talk to the builders.Bring your waders and try laying in the boats and see how you fit.Not everyone can fit in a "traditional" sized boat and the builder can custom make it to fit your dimensions.If you go with wood be prepared to have a dry airy storage structure like a garage or barn or in my case a canopy, to put it up in the off season, you will find it add years to its life when kept out of direct sunlight and rain.Do not recommend shrink wrap or a tarp for a wood boat.I have a Jersey made boat by Capt. Bob Fricke..and I can recommend his work.You will see lots of other great builders at the show.There should be fiberglass BBSB style boats there as well.If you have a young family it makes a great day trip theres lots to see and do.
Good Luck!
 
Fiberglass - Find a Higbee

Wood - Find a Sammy Hunt

Both based on the true Barnegat Bay Sneakbox

As far as fiberglass sneak/marsh boat find a Schellenger
Click to expand...
This. Exactly this.
 
My only comment with respect to finding a Sam Hunt.... and I have one and refurbished it... is fine if you want to do a project you can look for a Sam Hunt. If you want to buy a boat and hunt it, there are others that are current, and still building that will build a more "finished" boat than any of the Sam Hunt built boats that I have seen. Sam was traditional, hand built. Not meant as a slight, just my opinion of the workmanship. Again, I have one, and will never part with it.
 
Best thing you can do is go to the Tuckerton show and look at all of them. Every builder does things a little bit differently and each boat has their own idiosyncrasies as a result. If you like the warmth and all that goes along with a cedar boat then go with that so long as you can keep it inside. If you have no way of keeping it indoors and out of the weather for extended periods of time I would try to find a glass boat.

Four strokes are getting lighter but most guys still run two strokes on their boats for weight savings.

Personally for my style of hunting if I was going to get a new boat I'd get an all glass highlands box. That being said I love my Fricke but it's sleeping soundly in my garage as I can keep it inside and not worry about the weather.
 
I personally think that of the NJ builders, and there are several good ones, Bill Simonsen makes the nicest classic displacement barnegat hull.
 
Bill - for many years I had a Barnegat Bay Sneakbox built from GlenL plans. I bought all the material, and my gunning partner built the boat. Payment for his work was a rig of oversize Willy cork Mallards that I made for him. I loved that boat dearly, and to row it was a pure pleasure, and yes it was another Duck Killin' Machine. I had a 1955 Johnson 5 1/2hp to power it on big water and did OK. I even made my own gunning box to hold my "Shoot Gun" in a proper position. All I have left of the sneakbox is a piece of the cockpit wood that held the metal registration plate. I do miss that boat.

I my opinion Nothing beats a wooden boat for duck hunting, or fishin', but my next Sneakbox will be fiberglass. My reasons are purely about upkeep and storage, meaning $$$$, but if $$$$ is not a issue Wood Is Good.
 
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