Trailer-less duck boat

The poke boat is what you are looking for in stoopid lite boats. http://www.pokeboat.com/
Click to expand...


I'm with Ray (if you're still considering something strictly for car top).

I looked at the Poke boat. It's lighter than the Attbar Aquapod, and easier to paddle, but not as much room to lie down/move around in, and it was more expensive by several hundred dollars - I met a guy in the marsh I hunt a few hunting seasons ago that had one several times and I was able to compare with my 'pod.

My requirements were that it coould not be heavier than the canoe I was hunting out of, which was 75 lbs, and 17 ft long! The 10ft/55lb 'pod is great for my needs.

Just my $0.02 :)

I'll find a pic off my laptop to post once it is fixed...

Anthony
 
Take a look at the Native Ultimate 12 kayak. It was designed as a fishing kayak. Weighs less than 50 lbs and paddles very nicely. The seat removes in about 2 seconds and make the boat a great layout blind. I bought one this year for less than $700 and had no problems shooting mallards, pintails and geese out of it. It isn't wood, it isn't cedar, it doesn't have great lines, patina or any of that cool stuff, but you won't bust a nut unloading it off the truck, it actually paddles in a straight line and it works as a hunting blind. Here is mine. Try google for better pics~!

4107280984_d1d41d97e6_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2686/4107280984_d1d41d97e6_b.jpg

Tom
 
Nick, It depends on the dog size, training and temperment. I used to get an 85# lab in and out of a 12' Canyak but he was so steady it was comical. Now I have a 65#er and he is learning. Ussually I hunt pulled into the grass so open water re-entery is not an issue. The Poleboat is surprizingly stable. Of course there is the difference in initial and final stability. One will warn you and the other will float your hat!!! I feel a lot more comfortable in my Poleboat than any jon boat. If you ever get down to the states Mpls in the summer I would be happy to give a demo/ test ride. I am a teacher so summer is pretty flexible. Like I said my oleboat has become one of my favorites. Good Luck.
 
I did the same thing years ago but I'm not good enough to build my own. I researched all the available boats and my criteris was exactly the same as your. Lightweight, stable and not require a trailer. I was planning to use this boat on smaller rivers and streams where no landing was available.

I narrowed my choices down to some of the Carsten models, the MoMarsh, Fiberdome products and the Hoefgen Duck boat. With the eception of the MoMarsh boats, all were double ended marsh boats that paddled well. MoMarsh did not have the DP model yet, only hte Fatboy.

Paddling was going to be my model of propulsion so so a duoble ender was going to be better. This eliminated the Fatboy. Lightweight was key as I was going to be putting it up on top of the vehicle and I was going to be dragging it over and around stuff. This eliminated the Carsten products as they were heavier on a lb/ft ratio. This lefft the Fiberdome and the Hoefgen. Both were made within 6 hours of me, both were around 65 lbs or so. I chose the Hoefgen due to the history of the boat and the builder's repuation. It was a good choice and has servved me well over the years. Hoefgen then made a kevlar version that weighed somewhere around 45 lbs and since they had been making kevler canoes for many years, I figured they knew how to make the duck boat with kelar. I never sprung for the kevlas as it was quite a bit more money.

Now that I have had the boat for a few years, I have learned much.

1. Putting the boat on top of the truck everytime sucks. It is not that the boat is heavy, the weight is awkward. At 15' long, it doesn't fit in the pick up bed all that great. On the advice of a couple on this site, I purchased a Darby Extend A Bed which should allow me to put the boat in the bed and feel OK about it.
2. Paddling sucks. I did it for years. My places to hunt were always small stream and it always seemed that were I put in was upstream of where I wanted to hunt. This made it so I had to paddle upstream after each and every hunt. I then tried to adapt an electric trollling motor for propulsion. While it worked, it was far from perfect. Tried a small outboard. Same end effect as the electric motor. Looked around for a small mud motor but each of those weighed 65 lbs or more and coat a boatload so I built my own. The lightweight mud motor I built pushed the boat over 6 mph and has done wonders for the enjoyment of the hunt.

So, what does this mean for you. I'd get/build the lightest boat you can and I would purchase it with an eye towards using a motor of some kind in the future. The Fatboy is a good choice in my opinion and I have considered trading the Hoefgen for one. As I do occassionally paddle the Hoefgen, I don't know if trading is a good option. If the extend a bed works, I've have a set up thtat will work very well for how I hunt.

Oh yeah, I've got one of those kayak carriers as well to get my boat and gear from the truck to the water. Sometimes this can be 1/2 mile or more. Without the kayak carrier, this job would suck.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Mark W
 
Nick, there are pictures on the duckboat specs site on this forum, sneakboats. Roy shows two boats, a high boat and a low boat. The low boat pictured is a 12 footer, the new model 11 footer is basically the same style. I can find a number for him if you need it.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Tom and Bob for answering my questions. Hope I didn't hijack the thread. Tom, I don't often get much time in the summer being a forester, but my wife and I haven't made a trip to Mpls in quite some time, I'll be sure to contact you if we do - thanks for the kind offer. Now I have even more to think about...
 
No worries about the hijack...I appreciate all the responses. I posted this question on a local forum as well to really think about what is available as far as hunting goes in New England. Most said they would stick to the Sea Coast and build a Devlin Garvey, but if you really wanted to hunt the rivers then use a sneakbox style like a BBIII or BlueBill. So I'm thinking that I'll keep my canoe for stealthy trips without the dog and minimal decoys, and build a boat that will take me most anywhere else I want to hunt.
So back to the question, is there anything a BlueBill will do that a BBIII can't? It looks to me like there are some redundancies in these designs, the only real difference is height above the water line for the BBIII and so it may be a little harder to hide.
Lastly for those who have both of these boats, which will work better for getting my 55 lbs Griffon in and out of? Do you use a ladder to get them into the boat or do you send them from the shore?
Thanks in advance.
Jim
 
Another vote for Native Watercraft Ultimate 12. It paddles/tracks well and I have no problem getting on the Jeep's roof rack. My Boykin rides behind me with decoys up front under the skirt.
 
I do a lot of hunting out of a 17 foot Mad River Canoe. For those of you who hunt out of Royalex canoes, I heartily reccomend the Krylon spray paint for plastics.

http://krylon.com/products/camouflage_paint_with_fusion_technology/

It comes in several flat colors, is wicked simple to apply, and more durable than I expected. It covered my formerly red canoe very well, and after a season of hard use I need to touch up some scratches, but most of the paint is intact. I used to try to cover the canoe with a tarp that hung over the gunwales--that was a huge pain, and it was virtually to paddle with the tarp in place.

It is essential that you sand the Royalex surface to scuff it and clean it well before the first application. I used denatured alcohol for the cleaning. A base coat of olive, with some tan and brown highlights, and it blends right into most places I've used it.
 
Hi: I just wanted to chime in for a second on the lightweight duck skiffs. I have seen some nice Wisconsin garage made 12 foot rowing duck skiffs in the 60lb weight range. Maybe some of our Wisconsin guys will chime in on this.
I also just came across a great 11 ft duck skiff originally built by Bart Hauthaway(From Massachussets), but now Cal Tek has the molds. 11ft long 33" wide and 35lbs. You want light. this is light. It even has a little gun stock boot in the inside of the cockpit to hold the gun stock while the barrelll sits in its notch on the front of the combing. It was made as a jump shooting boat. Get down on an elbow, use your hand paddle to skull up to the raft and grab your gun that is in the ready position besides you. Neat little boat. I called Cal Tec to find out pricing and it was too rich for me. Over $2k. Keep your eyes out for one.
I sent Eric some pictures of it this morning. I do not know how to post.

David
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top