Duck Boat

[tealitup]

Has anyone here tried a Stealth boat? Wondering if they are any good - would they take two people in the boat? Mainly for ponds and small rivers/streams.

[FISHER ED]

I used a Stealth 1200 for a couple years in ND. It was a nice boat but just didn't serve it's purpose for me. You sit really low in the thing and it makes it hard to paddle. If there is only 1 person in it the wind likes to take the bow a lot. 2 people starts getting tight and doesn't really leave much room for decoys.

I did like the stability of it though. You really can stand on the edge and not take in any water. It was light weight and I could carry it around by myself.

I found a new style boat at this years SHOT Show in Vegas that I'm going to look into for this season. It's made of the same material Otter makes their boats from but this one is a Jon style. Weighs about 160lbs and has a cost comparable to the Otters. What I liked about it was it could take up to a 10hp motor. Good luck in your decision.

[tealitup]

What kind of boat was it that you found?

[Ray Esboldt]

I've been using a boat called a Gheenoe for three years for small water. I actually bought it from a fellow FMer. This model of boat has now been relabeled by its new manufacturer, Spider Boats out of Arkansas.

I really like it. It's incredibly stable, so stable that if you could balance on a gunnel it would not flip. It paddles as easy as a canoe, and only draws about 3 inches of water with two people. I can load 3 dozen standard duck decoys, a dozen canadian decoys, and two people with guns and shells without issue. Plus, it can accomodate a 10hp motor. To top it off, it's also nice to fish out of.

The draw back is the weight. It's made of rather thick fiberglass and tops out at about 130 pounds. So, it gets a little hard to handle by myself, but I've done it many times.

I wouldn't mind something lighter, but then you start sacraficing stability and capacity. This boat has been a good fit for my needs.

[J. Browne]

I like it, and i dont. I would rather hunt out of my Carstens mallard because of more room. The stealth just seems like there could be more open space. I like the dry storage and the handles. If i hunted out of it, i would sit on the side, instead of the seat and when the ducks came, i would kneel and the sissor blind would pop up(bungeed)

If i am doing small potholes and jumshooting strictly, then I would use a Carstens Pintail. The stealth is nice because it can take some waves(that the pintail cant) and you are able to move it through the shallows

[FISHER ED]

Hey there Tealitup. That jon boat I found is made by a company out of Canada. I'm in the process with them right now of being a distributor/dealer for them. I'm hoping to get a boat to use and demo sometime in late May or early June. It is a 12' "V" nose jon with a beam approx 50" wide. If you want some more info shoot me an e-mail at edjwendt at juno dot com.

If the Otter is what you are set on, I have a buddy that has 2 of them and he is talking about selling one of them. E-mail me your phone number and I can get him in touch with you.

[tealitup]

Fisher.. You have mail.

[minniwinni91]

Wondering how I should get my new john boat boat painted and what pattern any info would be great thanks

[jblabsnduck]

If you are going to have it done you should check out THE CAMOUFLAGE WORKS. those guys do some dang good paint jobs.

They are located in Princeton.