small fishing boat for duck hunting?

[Bassboy1645]

I have a 14' alumacraft with an 18 horse outboard. its a bit big for a hunting boat and hes yet to be camoed, but would this work at all? what im saying is that would it be worht the time to camo it out. it is a shallow by the way and ive been ablke to use a pushpole to navigate channels less than a foot deep.

[set the drag]

trust me on this one it will work i hunt out of a 14 foot boat. if you use it this year you will want a bigger boat next year cuz you will run out of room in a hurry. their are people ou their that use 18ft boats.

[stayman79]

Set the drag is right, a 14 foot duck boat is definitely not too big. What matters most is where you are going to use it. If you can back it in with a truck and get it covered with the natural vegetation it's not too big. Plus if it's windy you like the extra size to keep you from taking a swim in the frigid water. Of course you can't take it to those small swamps that require 'drag-in' access, but that might not matter for you. I'm currently painting a moderately-deep fourteen foot v-hull to use as a duckboat because the very shallow and narrow jon boat I used before isn't big enough for two guys and a dog. And I'll feel a lot more safe later in the year.

Hope this helps, have fun!

[FOOT]

The other 2 posts are correct, 14' is big enough. In fact I would NOT hunt ducks using any smaller boat. The water I hunt is usually big enough to demand at least a 14'.

[Guest]

14' boats work great for duck hunting.. just stay away from large bodies of water when you are overloaded with hunting gear and partners.

I used a shallow 14' alumacraft for years.. only ran into troble once with large waves.. needless to say I had to donate some of my hunting gear to the slough or we were going down (had pregnant fiance in boat)... someone got a good blind and a huge bag of decoys for free. held onto the other 4 bags.

Wind picks up fast.. stay off big lakes with small boats while hunting... and keep the boat as light as possible.

[wyldewal]

I just sold my 14 foter this spring on the forum because it wasn't big enough! I picked up a 16 footer and I think it will be perfect. My buddies give me a hard time about how many decoys I'll have in it and how long it will take to set up in the morning. But I just tell them I won't be getting wet on those windy days and now I have room to move around a little.

[Bassboy1645]

thanks for the help guys i really appreciate it. as i would rather shoot deer over waterfowl anyday i will be deerhunting as of tommorow on out for archery.. would like to camo it before fishing season even. make a good winter project. how do building blinds to cover the top of the craft work out? any ideas for frame and or materials to use? what about outboards and cold weather? any problems things i should watch out for or be aware about? thanks for your help.

[FOOT]

I tried building a blind out of PVC piping but in the cold they easily break. The best material is metal tubing. Your local hardware store can help with what you'll need to attach the blind frame. You can either attach it directly to the boat or use a clamp system so its easily removed.

As far as cover for the frame I like the bamboo fencing you can get at Menards or Home Depot. The bamboo can be painted and it gives you some protection from the wind.

[Kodiak]

I hunt out of a 10'jon with fastgrass and a steel tubing frame to mount the grass. It REAL cramped with 2 guys and a dog and probally not the safest especially if windy...i stick to small lakes but go to some decent sized lakes also but if it is windy i wont. I use that minnkota waterfowl electric trolling tiller instead of oars when i can. It scoots pretty good with that on there but it gets loaded down real quick with decoys and stuff and i am looking to upgrade next year to a bigger modified v-jon maybe 17' or so.

[captkev]

I shoot from a 12 foot flat bottom and "JUST" finished the frame for the blind out of PVC, I hope it was'nt a waste of time! I mainly hunt the river so I don't worrie about the waves, I like that I can move it around by myself, most of my friends work days durring the week I work nights and like to hunt all week, so keeping it as light as possable was the goal!

[Kodiak]

i was wanting to try the river but i have never done it before, not sure i would want to bring my dog due to the current but i assume that you can hunt in the back waters near the river or in a calm "hole"

[captkev]

Yes, the back waters are great, I like to hunt small creeks as well, the small boat allows me to reach the beaver dams and hunt the flooded timber, the best part is getting back in where you prety much have the place to your self. the float back down is great as well, you never know what you'll see around the next bend,... deer, bear, otter, and best of all ducks.... keep your finger on the safety!