building a boat blind

[simcox282]

I got a new boat (16ft) that I need to build a blind for now. I am torn between two different ones. The first one being the fastgrass on a frame. The other is a knock down or whatever you want to call it. I can see the pros and cons of both (plus matching the vegetation). SO i was trying to get others thoughts about it.

[GullGuide]

jon-boat style or V-hull?

[simcox282]

yes, a little of both more jon boat style though.

[fishingmike0770]

We were interested in buying a blind for our duck boat but found it easier and less expensive to make one. We made ours out of metal piping and burlap. Not actual burlap, but a material that is like it but just a little heavier. We put 2 bars on the back corners and connected them to the front of the boat which had 1 bar at the front. We folded over the tops of the burlap so that the bar could slide right through it. The nice thing about doing this is that you can push it all up to the front of the boat and just wrap a bungee cord around it so that you can see in all directions. The burlap gives a good backround to spraypaint designs on.

WE would cut down a few cattails from the dicth in our yard and then just use brown, black and a little green spraypaint. We would lay them down on the burlap, then spray the cattails so just the edges of them whould show up on the material. We painted our boat the same way.

It is hard to explain it but i did the best i could.

We also tried making one out of actual cattail material that you can buy at fleet farm but didnt like it because it was heavy and when it got wet, it got soggy and fell apart.

[Redhead76]

Post your e-mail and i can send pics of what i buuilt for a blind on my boat.

[catmaster1557]

Just wondering. Is it legel to get reeds from a lake or slough for building a blind?

[MattKeller]

If you or anyone is interested in buying fastgrass type materail for a fraction of the price, I know where to buy it in bulk. Email me and I will help you out.

[email protected]

[J. Browne]

Catmaster-People use Broom grass for thier blinds. I think the reason why you dont see a lot of natural cattail and bullrush blinds is the durablility. It will only last one season. Wind and rain and snow and leaning on the blind and all that stuff will rat it. Broom grass is more durable.

On 4 or 5 of out boats we have sissor blinds. Fastgrass with netting as a backing. 1/2" conduit, but 15-16 ' is a long stretch, so if you were to do the sissor blind, then maybe 1/2". I have had a sissor blind for about 5 years with the same fassgrass and this season will need a replacement for fassgrass.

In my opinion, fassgrass is the best of all the other quackgrass, quickgrass etc etc. I have it on my perm. blind on my 15 foot and it blends in GREAT. Cant spot my boat when you are sitting till you get close. On a rainy day, i was walking down and seen that my blind blended almost perfect compared to another blind with quackgrass, which was a brighter color, like it is dry.

Conduits' $3 a 10'

Contact Jim shroder(sp) for your netting and couplings..he may be a little spendy, but he has the best stuff

I will post up when i find out his HSOforum...

[J. Browne]

sory no unauthourized links please