Lightest Duck Boat ?

[Zerstoerer]

What is the lightest duck boat available?
1-2 persons plus Dog, stable enough to shoot from without practicing the Eskimo roll, sturdy enough to float down the river with beer filled coolers, light enough for car top carriage, preferable unter $2K, rowable, optional small motor mount

Are canoes really boats or accidents waiting to happen?

 

[juk]

http://www.directboats.com/otteroutdoors.html

I have firsthand experience with Otter boats. Specifically, the Final Attack. I am 6'3" and weigh in excess of 300# with all of my gear on and shotgun. The boat is plastic, has a flat transom, and can hold up to a 2.5hp outboard. It is INCREDIBLY STABLE! I am still shocked by it. I can stand up, sit on the side, anything. The only way I am going to flip that boat is if I get into the water and pick it up. That said, It is only a 1 seater. They have a few bigger boats that are also highly praised. Can't go wrong for the money! Another option is to build one. Plans are free-100$ and can be found on the web. Most are simple to build using stuff you can find locally. Check your local ads for a jon boat at least 12x36 for two people. 14x48 is ideal. They can be found with trailer, boat and motor for well under 2k. If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

 

[juk]

^ got carried away. To supplement my previous post and answer your questions: The Final Attack is light. But, the bottom of the transom has wheels, so you can drag it by the bow to the water. Easily car top material as are the other Otter boats. I would stay away from the canoes. They might be stable with one very careful person, but can't handle much chop. Also very hard to get into and out of for retrieving decoys or taking a shore-side restroom break. I bet if you took a canoe and add two guys, a cooler full o brews, and a long river drift, both of you would be wet and someone would be rafting on top of the cooler.

 

[rcmodel]

SO, you duck hunt with beer filled coolers?

How novel!

I have enough trouble staying warm and hitting ducks when I'm completely sober.

rc

 

[shaggy430]

Have you considered an inflatable? I have a Sevylor Fish Hunter that you can mount a trolling motor to. My only concern would be a dog puncturing the floor, but they make floor inserts. Also, you can get camo covers.

Also, beer filled coolers? Tell me when and where you are hunting so I can make sure not to be anywhere close.

 

[ambidextrous1]

The Avon is a super-tough inflatable, and very stable if you pump it up sufficiently. A lightweight 12 Volt pump will do the job with a lot less effort.

I used an Avon extensively in salt water for 20 years; when I sold the boat, the Avon was still in good shape, and went with it.

Mine had built-in oar locks and a detachable mount for an outboard motor.

 

[3pairs12]

Sounds to me the coolers were for the long river drifts. He makes no mention of hunting with a cooler of beer.

 

[MCgunner]

The final attack is a neat idea, wheels in the transom so you can drag it, good lay out blind as well as hunting boat.

I rigged up this, not so much to duck hunt from as to fish small water. I also take the outriggers off it to use in the marsh in boggy pot holes. It's only 40 lbs and drags easily.

Outriggers up for travel, down for fishing. I take my little dove hunting stool to get some elevation for casting.

 

[JohnBT]

"Are canoes really boats"

These aren't the lightest, but they are great. And sturdy.

"In the mid 1960's, I was working as senior designer at the Kennedy Space Center. One day I came across the drawings of a boat I had sketched, many years before, when I worked as a draftsman..."

www.gheenoe.net/index.html

The 15' 4" model...







"With a 10 HP outboard, you can expect to get approximately 17-18 mph depending on the load and weight distribution."

 

[JohnBT]

One more, the 15' 4" starts at just under a grand the last time I looked.

 

[chas08]

I always wanted to own one of these "Pokeboats" the weights for the respective sizes are impressive.

www.pokeboat.com -

 

[ruckerduck]

Portabote. Very light, unsinkable, indestructable.

 

[JWF III]

For a 2+1 (dog) check out the Carsten Canvasback...
www.carstensindustries.com

(The Canvasback sounds like it'd be ideal for your specs. But I don't know what the going rate is on them.)

For an ultra lightweight one man, checkout the Marsh Rat...
www.mallardmarine.net

It may also be worth your time to check out www.duckboats.net . There is an untold amount of info on the site, and knowledge on the forum.

Wyman

 

[earplug]

Sprit II

I do a bunch of fishing with the family, to include the 90 pound Dobergirl. Its never flipped with two adults one dog and a bunch of stuff.

I have duck hunted from various boats but not my current canoe.

Check out good quality 17 foot or larger class II water canoes.
Buy paddles fitted to your size. Plan on spending at least $50.00 for each paddle. You only move with the paddle and a good one is like a fine tool.
Buy PFD's that are designed for paddling. I like the inflatable type.

Just as buying a quality firearm, you get what you pay for. Many of the cheaper canoes are designed to stack for easy shipping. This does not make a stable hull.
I have flipped Colemans, Cheap Aluminum canoes.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I'd like to get a portabote:

http://www.porta-bote.com/

Wow, MC Gunner, what a great idea with the outriggers on the kayak - how did you do that? I'd like to do the same with my pelican.

When there is a chance of falling into ice cold water at 5am in January, I want something much more steady and stable than an ordinary canoe or kayak when getting in and out.

 

[inclinebench]

I built a stitch and glue boat for hunting, fishing, and family. You can customize as you build, and there are tons of plans out there. All said I spent about $200.00 bucks, and I have beat the daylights out of the thing, and it has yet to fail me. Two of us hunt from it with a big dog. I am 220, my buddy is about 240, the dog is 100 and we carry about two dozen decoys, two guns, a lot of shells (I am a lousy shot) and usually some food and thermoses. I also had a blast building it. I custom painted it for my needs, and I really like it. If you have the time to build one, I would highly suggest it. I own several boats, but this one is always my favorite to take out. Google stitch and glue boats to learn more about them.

 

[308win]

I used to hunt out of a 141/2' Ouachita john boat. It was light (one person could load it on a cartop carrier with no problem), fairly stable (but you wouldn't want to stand on the gunnels), and would handle a 20hp outboard (I had a 15hp Johnson that would plane it with two people and our gear.) It was fairly heavy guage aluminum.

 

[MCgunner]

Wow, MC Gunner, what a great idea with the outriggers on the kayak - how did you do that? I'd like to do the same with my pelican.

I ebayed 'em for about 130 bucks with shipping. They're on ebay all the time. I'm also lookin' at a sail kit I see there from time to time I think would be fun to play with if less than useful for anything else. The outriggers would be mandatory for that, of course. They work great for fisning. I can actually STAND UP on the yak, but it's sorta risky. LOL

The riggers kinda need to be a little further back if you're going to paddle with 'em down, but the way the yak is shaped, they'd be splayed out at an angle. As I have 'em mounted, they're easy to raise up for travel. And, the mounts double as rod holders if you are going wade fishing and don't need the riggers. It's a pretty neat set up for fishing. Wade fishing with the thing is cool cause I tether the yak to me, don't have to anchor it and walk away like I do with my boat. I can drag my drinks, bait, tackle box with me as I fish and even have a platform to work on if I need to retie something or cut bait or something.

Another neat deal, if I've got to go very far to get to where I wanna fish some flat water, I can put the yak in my boat and take it with me. It's a neat tool for fishing and when I'm out hunting one of those mud bog pot holes that are around here, just drag the thing through the marsh to the pothole, use it to put out the deeks. I can use it for a chair and the dog can sit on it to get out of the water. I have a camo cloth to cover it with so it don't stick out to the ducks. I was looking at that Final Attack mentioned earlier, but I thought it was a might heavy and not as versatile as the yak and I hate buying anything sight unseen. I got the yak at Academy. I originally got it because I got tired of getting stuck in the mud in those boggy spots, but it turned out to be even more useful for fishing. With the outriggers, I don't have to wade unless I just want to. Makes the thing a lot more stable as a casting platform.

<edit>

Here's the ones I have. I didn't give this much for 'em, though.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/KAYAK-OR-CANOE-...0?hash=item3c9e72c50b&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

Here's some for a little better price that look similar. Actually, I like the way they lift vertical, up out of the way. Not sure how that affects the stability in travel mode, though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/kayak-stabilize...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

 

[juk]

Those gheenoes are awesome as well. Another one of those boats that you can stand on the rail and it not tip. They are lightweight, and therefore very easy to power. They are also built very well and are incredibly sturdy. As I have firsthand experience in gheenoes as well, I will recommend them.

 

[jaybr]

I too was in the market for a small light boat for duck hunting and some fishing. After reading this thread and doing a little research I went and picked up a Gheenoe today.

 

[scotjute]

http://www.banditmarine.com/products.html

Aluminum pirouge - 2-man.

Growing up, we made plywood pirouges single man to duck hunt in Louisiana. Used flat bottom boats, minimum of 28-30" wide on the bottom, minimum of 10' length. For 2 man, recommend widening and lengthening the boat to a 33-36",
12', altho lengthening it to 14' is better.

 

[Harve Curry]

I have a handcrafted wood and canvas covered canoe/Kayak cross. It's a 2 man 15 footer.
I'll make you a deal on it. Hows $200 sound? Or we can trade for something that don't eat.
It has canvas on it but needs to be recovered. Canvas wood canoes are quite and light. One man can carry it.