Off Season Agenda

So what are everyones plans with their duck boats this off season?

I'm going to be taking my Estuary up to David Clark for a new spray dodger. The canvas on mine is original, so its about 10 years old and needs replacing. Once the weather warms up this spring, I'll clean the boat from top to bottom and inside out. Scrub it down really good. Give the deck a fresh coat of paint and maybe the bottom too if it needs it. I also want to remove the floor boards and probably make a new floor using white cedar. Make it real tight so no grass gets down there and then have it drain in the aft bilge. I already installed a real nice brass threaded drain plug half way through the season. Other than that I think I'll be good to go.

I am always torn about actually grassing the boat though. I used to grass the entire boat in the past, bow to stern with salt hay. But the last two seasons I have only been grassing the dodger and using weathered fast grass mats on the bow and stern. It hides real well on the inland rivers, but I like the entire salt hay camo job for coastal, it just blends so well. The only thing I don't like about grassing the whole deck, is that it traps moisture on the deck the entire season. With the grass mats, the deck of the boat doesn't stay wet. I know from experience that sunlight and moisture are the biggest elements that deteriorate the paint and the fiberglass on the deck. This was the main reason I stopped grassing the deck and went to grass mats that I roll up after the hunt.

Davey

My plans are to get my boat finished and get some sailing in on the river and the estuary which are very tidal, the mainthing is doing my homework learning where all the channels and gullys are because they tend to shift about a bit, and of course training my little girl Amber to be working from the boat

Davey,

I use die-cut camo material and cut it to fit the front and back of the sneakbox. The grass rails are nice to have and give me a place to use zip ties to secure the material down to the deck. I can still use the grassing rails to add vegetation to hide the side of the boat but the die-cut material adds coverage over the whole deck and also holds veg which I weave into it. This also lets me have several different interchangeable "covers" depending on where I go and what the terrain looks like. That material also doesn't rot and dries very quick and the veg which is weaved into the cover has an air space letting it dry quicker too. Check out the link.
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=713419&destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct.jsp%3FproductId%3D707240&WTz_l=YMAL%3BIK-224558
I also use a ghillie blanket on the flip blind which doesn't rot either and can weave material into it as well. I got it from http://www.ghilliesuits.com/

Russell

Davey Welsh wrote:So what are everyones plans with their duck boats this off season?

I'm going to be taking my Estuary up to David Clark for a new spray dodger. The canvas on mine is original, so its about 10 years old and needs replacing. Once the weather warms up this spring, I'll clean the boat from top to bottom and inside out. Scrub it down really good. Give the deck a fresh coat of paint and maybe the bottom too if it needs it. I also want to remove the floor boards and probably make a new floor using white cedar. Make it real tight so no grass gets down there and then have it drain in the aft bilge. I already installed a real nice brass threaded drain plug half way through the season. Other than that I think I'll be good to go.

I am always torn about actually grassing the boat though. I used to grass the entire boat in the past, bow to stern with salt hay. But the last two seasons I have only been grassing the dodger and using weathered fast grass mats on the bow and stern. It hides real well on the inland rivers, but I like the entire salt hay camo job for coastal, it just blends so well. The only thing I don't like about grassing the whole deck, is that it traps moisture on the deck the entire season. With the grass mats, the deck of the boat doesn't stay wet. I know from experience that sunlight and moisture are the biggest elements that deteriorate the paint and the fiberglass on the deck. This was the main reason I stopped grassing the deck and went to grass mats that I roll up after the hunt.

Nice camo job Russell! That thing looks like it would blend right in on any fresh water river or lake.

Unfortunately we have a lot of phragmites around Hampton Roads so I use it for bushing where appropiate. A lot of what you see on the boat is stuff we find on the salt marsh. Later in the season I switch over to marsh grass brown and tan material.

Davey Welsh wrote:Nice camo job Russell! That thing looks like it would blend right in on any fresh water river or lake.

I'm looking into buying a TDB or Duck Boss 14'-15'...........Might keep the Broadbill might not

I'll probably get the motor bracket replaced and/or shored up and have a "something" added to the underside near the back of of 14' TDB to help it bite a bit more going into turns. I know a guy over in NJ that could probably do the job!

I have a few things I wanna do to the sneakbox. After huntung it for the first year I see little things I wanna add/change. Like I wanna add cleats I bought cleats but never put themm on. I also wanna be able to lash a decoy bag to the bow with the cleats. I am also planing on building a pond box.

I think that I am going to take out the hatch on the front of the box and close it in. With as much water that can potentially go in there it is a bit of a safety. I probably shouldn't monkey with the original sneak box design. Thinking about front stool racks mounted in a "V" shape. Also, after reading the comments on the different props, I may try to find a better prop for more out-of-the-hole speed. Anyone out ther tried a hydrofoil on their motors. Also might adjust the motor angle to "lift" the transom while running. Any thoughts anyone?

Chris S. wrote:I have a few things I wanna do to the sneakbox. After huntung it for the first year I see little things I wanna add/change. Like I wanna add cleats I bought cleats but never put themm on. I also wanna be able to lash a decoy bag to the bow with the cleats. I am also planing on building a pond box.

On my agenda is to buy a boat That is the first thing i will do

Russell V wrote:I think that I am going to take out the hatch on the front of the box and close it in. With as much water that can potentially go in there it is a bit of a safety. I probably shouldn't monkey with the original sneak box design. Thinking about front stool racks mounted in a "V" shape. Also, after reading the comments on the different props, I may try to find a better prop for more out-of-the-hole speed. Anyone out ther tried a hydrofoil on their motors. Also might adjust the motor angle to "lift" the transom while running. Any thoughts anyone?

Chris S. wrote:I have a few things I wanna do to the sneakbox. After huntung it for the first year I see little things I wanna add/change. Like I wanna add cleats I bought cleats but never put themm on. I also wanna be able to lash a decoy bag to the bow with the cleats. I am also planing on building a pond box.

Hey russell is your box a displacement hull or a planing hull also I would put an angled motor board on that will help with the motor ajustments and keep the motor verticle and help keep the bow down it made a huge difference on my sneakbox but mine is a displacement hull

Chris,
Yes mine too is a displacement hull. It boggs down a bit when fully loaded. It goes about 25mph with me and a decoy load (24-30). It gets real sluggish with another person in it over 150lbs. For the motor mount I think I can slide an angled spacer at the top of the motor bracket to alter the angle of the prop in the water. Look like it will be some trial and error. Still considering the new prop pitch to get a couple extra mph out of it.

Chris S. wrote:

Russell V wrote:I think that I am going to take out the hatch on the front of the box and close it in. With as much water that can potentially go in there it is a bit of a safety. I probably shouldn't monkey with the original sneak box design. Thinking about front stool racks mounted in a "V" shape. Also, after reading the comments on the different props, I may try to find a better prop for more out-of-the-hole speed. Anyone out ther tried a hydrofoil on their motors. Also might adjust the motor angle to "lift" the transom while running. Any thoughts anyone?

Chris S. wrote:I have a few things I wanna do to the sneakbox. After huntung it for the first year I see little things I wanna add/change. Like I wanna add cleats I bought cleats but never put themm on. I also wanna be able to lash a decoy bag to the bow with the cleats. I am also planing on building a pond box.

Hey russell is your box a displacement hull or a planing hull also I would put an angled motor board on that will help with the motor ajustments and keep the motor verticle and help keep the bow down it made a huge difference on my sneakbox but mine is a displacement hull

I have been thinking of selling my TDB. I love the boat but it seems that I keep needing to go bigger. I am thinking of something that will hunt 3 comfortably. The TDB is great for 2 but 2 and a dog or my son would be a bit crowded. So during the off season, I am going to try some props, get it running like a champ and then sell.....just like I did with my last boat.

Mike B wrote:I have been thinking of selling my TDB. I love the boat but it seems that I keep needing to go bigger. I am thinking of something that will hunt 3 comfortably. The TDB is great for 2 but 2 and a dog or my son would be a bit crowded. So during the off season, I am going to try some props, get it running like a champ and then sell.....just like I did with my last boat.

Check out the duck boss 17 that will fit your needs and they can outfit the boat with boat motor and trailer. Check the web site.

I wasn't going that big Chris. I am thinking about Roy boat. I am very familiar with the duck boss line but it's just not what I am looking for. If I could, I'd keep the TDB and get the Gator Hide for the Mud flats.

My agenda this year is to strip my Frick boat down to glass and reprime and paint her again. Have to build some new decoy boards they are starting to get a little soft in some areas. I also have to build a new second half to my hatch. Its going to be along off season. So i am going to need a good duck boat fix to get me through it.