Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Power Equipment & RV => Topic started by: seth30 on February 03, 2011, 08:08:24 PM

Title: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: seth30 on February 03, 2011, 08:08:24 PM: I am going to be buying a boat a few paychecks from now :chuckle: and would like your input. I have hunted from a friends jon boat and was impressed but before I spend hundreds of dollars I would like to hear from the guys that acutally use them. :twocents: Thanks for looking at this post.

Seth
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: gasman on February 03, 2011, 08:29:57 PM: Bought some plans and i am going to build my own Sneak Boat. I plan on making 2, 1 for just me and 1 for me and my dog.

I thought od a flat bottom boat but if i hunt alone I would not be able to get out much on my own with out some difficulty.

The sneak boat I plan on making only weighs about 70lbs.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: seth30 on February 04, 2011, 07:07:25 PM: wow only 2 votes. I am going to burlington this weekend and check out wholesales sports prices vs the online companys.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: gasman on February 04, 2011, 07:55:28 PM: Wholesale Sports is $569 for a Marsh Rat.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: uncoolperson on February 04, 2011, 08:06:26 PM: played in a marsh rat with a member here... those things are awesome!!!

way stable (able to stand up and goof off [and pee from]), crazy maneuverable (probably not good on openwater), light enough dragging it around wasn't a horrible thing (about 10% of our time was dragging it over ground). only single man boat I never thought I would tip in (flyfishing tubes are sketchy by me).

one downside, anticipate a small puddle inside with you. big open area and kayak paddles are going to bring some water in with you.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: seth30 on February 05, 2011, 12:34:42 PM: boy, that marsh rat sounds awesome. I rode in a Jon boat once, and thought I was going to fall out the whole ride, and when my dogs jumped out to retreive the goose I shot, I really thought I was going for a ride. Just a few more paychecks and I can purchase the boat. THanks for the advice and help guys!
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: jeepster on February 09, 2011, 04:15:44 PM: id go jonboat all the way. while there is nothing wrong with a special purpose boat... if you are gonna spend the money might as well get something that can be used anywhere.....
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: OSCAR1987 on February 09, 2011, 04:25:32 PM: The marsh rat looks cool but you could get a lot more boat for the money they want for them.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: Wa hunter on February 09, 2011, 04:46:02 PM: Love my marsh rat. My partner has a Aqua pod it is lighter and paddles better.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: Hannibal on February 09, 2011, 06:25:06 PM: like they said it depend what you are doing with it,,,,,can't drag a jon boat behind a 4 wheel

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwawildlife.com%2Fmarshratbehindfourwhellerbeavertrappin&hash=3abbeaaf52f1b84dee78a6df26bd37438c40b95a)

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwyM01dBUdAg&hash=92de7d048df076d2423bcbe099174f777e92b10e)
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: Special T on February 09, 2011, 06:59:28 PM: http://www.hybridduckboat.com/files/ (http://www.hybridduckboat.com/files/)
I got the plans for the NL cost 250-300 to make... I got the video and plans, lets just say this redneck from FL makes it look pretty easy... and the 10ft like what i'm gona build can take up to a 15hp! :yike: I don't think i'd put that on it, but definaly a 9.9 short shaft. :twocents:
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: gasman on February 09, 2011, 08:32:53 PM: Quote from: Special T on February 09, 2011, 06:59:28 PM
http://www.hybridduckboat.com/files/ (http://www.hybridduckboat.com/files/)
I got the plans for the NL cost 250-300 to make... I got the video and plans, lets just say this redneck from FL makes it look pretty easy... and the 10ft like what i'm gona build can take up to a 15hp! :yike: I don't think i'd put that on it, but definaly a 9.9 short shaft. :twocents:

I got the plans and am going to build the same boat :hello:
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: jbeaumont21 on February 09, 2011, 08:57:11 PM: I think it all depends on where you are hunting and if you are hunting alone. I hunt over big water on the Columbia from my buddy's 16' john boat which works perfect. We are able to take it in shallow water but with the changing tide we can't stay in shallows for long. Did that once and barely got in time. Thankfully we both had on waders and were able to unload everything and push it out. I think if you are hunting marshland then a good sized marsh rat or a pumpkin seed would be perfect. Just curious, has anyone hunted from an Otter boat that is pictured below? They are for sale on Amazon for $430 and was thinking it would make a perfect layout boat.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: huntingfool7 on February 09, 2011, 10:08:19 PM: My pick is a home built kara style boat. I built mine in 7 days. Wood construction with epoxy/fiberglass. Otherwise I would buy the marsh rat, I've always thought they looked like good little boats.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: h2ofowlr on February 09, 2011, 10:16:27 PM: You might get more responses if you place it under waterfowl. I own both as one may not work perfect for all locations. I usually throw my marsh rat in my 18' jon boat. Then anchor that in the deeper water and paddle back into the tullies to hunt with the marsh rat. It can be a quick limit using that approach. The birds are also less likely to flare from the smaller boat.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: seth30 on February 11, 2011, 06:32:06 AM: Quote from: Sundance on February 09, 2011, 04:52:53 PM
Couple of questions would be how much are you going to spend, how shallow do you want to be able to go, how far do you want to travel, how what kind of environment are you hunting? I have seen the marsh rats but would personally spend the xtra cash for a Nucanoe, they are bigger, more stable, can handle worse conditions, and can have a layaway style blind cover attached with opening doors and loops to add brush. How shallow is the next question because if you are going to be in under 4" and having to pull over berms and islands then the canoe/kayak route will better serve you as it is light and can be carried/draged further. While my boat only draws about 3-4" on step as soon as I add xtra people I loose my ability to go through the shallows. The distance you are looking to travel will also determine which one you want, a short paddle in a kayak is no problem but if you are hoping to go over a mile then the boat with a gas powered engine will get you there a lot faster. Also the boat will allow you more space for decoys or extra people/dog. Depending on the environment, big water, Columbia River, coastal marshes, the more boat the better, dont want to get caught in a storm in a vessel that is underated. Keep looking on craigslist, I got my boat and trailer there last year of $350, threw on a motor that I had and was in business. I can have 3 people and a dog or 2 people, dog and dekes no issue. Total including the motor would be around a grand. There are some really sweet deals out there. Hope this helps Good info! The area that I will hunt mostly this upcoming season will be NAS Whidbey Island, Pretty much got sick of hunting FIR Island and all the fun that happened last season. The water is not too deep expect for the channel that runs through the marsh. During low tide the channel is the only way your getting in or out on a boat, then you have to drag your boat over the mud to the duck blind. The blinds that produce the most geese and ducks are inacessabile in high tide, and are VERY iffy at low tide. Not sure what animal makes pot holes, but there is a ton of them, and you can go from a couple of inches of water to having your leg sink all the way up to your groin causing you to do some very painful splits :yike: The other duck blinds that are easy accessible often can not be reached in High tide, but with a boat no problem. Those are the main reasons I want to get a boat. I dont think a big gas powered boat would work too well there, and I want something that can ride in a few inheds of water.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: seth30 on February 11, 2011, 06:36:51 AM: Quote from: jbeaumont21 on February 09, 2011, 08:57:11 PM
I think it all depends on where you are hunting and if you are hunting alone. I hunt over big water on the Columbia from my buddy's 16' john boat which works perfect. We are able to take it in shallow water but with the changing tide we can't stay in shallows for long. Did that once and barely got in time. Thankfully we both had on waders and were able to unload everything and push it out. I think if you are hunting marshland then a good sized marsh rat or a pumpkin seed would be perfect. Just curious, has anyone hunted from an Otter boat that is pictured below? They are for sale on Amazon for $430 and was thinking it would make a perfect layout boat.
Thanks for showing me other styles of boats! Going to add that website to my favoirtes.
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: seth30 on February 11, 2011, 06:38:34 AM: Quote from: h2ofowlr on February 09, 2011, 10:16:27 PM
You might get more responses if you place it under waterfowl. I own both as one may not work perfect for all locations. I usually throw my marsh rat in my 18' jon boat. Then anchor that in the deeper water and paddle back into the tullies to hunt with the marsh rat. It can be a quick limit using that approach. The birds are also less likely to flare from the smaller boat.
With that 18' jon boat, what is the weight that it can hold?
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: seth30 on February 11, 2011, 07:11:28 AM: Quote from: Wa hunter on February 09, 2011, 04:46:02 PM
Love my marsh rat. My partner has a Aqua pod it is lighter and paddles better.
Do you put the dog in that crate when you travel fron point a to b?
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: Special T on February 11, 2011, 07:14:30 AM: No but you train them to sit still ;)
Title: Re: duck hunting boat for marshland's
Post by: seth30 on February 11, 2011, 07:21:16 AM: that is a hard one :o this last season was my dogs first waterfowl season, and going from upland to waterfowl, we had a lot to learn.