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Got the boat now what?

Posted By: pervis

Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 12:49 AM

OK so I bought a 14 ft John boat off craigslist. Pretty much it's ready to go. The rain today delayed me testing it out. I've never hunted out of a boat b4 so my question is how or what do I need to use to make it into a blind? Boats a 14 ft alumacraft 20hp motor trolling motor etc. It's a craigslist special I plan on putting some work into. She's a beaut clark!
Posted By: RiverRunner

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 12:56 AM

First, you don't turn it into a blind. Boat just allows you to access areas you couldn't by foot. Use the boat to get you to your hunting spot and then move it away from where you are hunting. Use natural cover or layout blind.

Typically, I move the boat a couple hundred yards upwind of me or if there is enough cover to hide the boat closer I will.
Posted By: Windrider

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 01:04 AM

Season 1 or so - use it for transportation.
Season 3 or so - scissor blind 1.0
Season 6 or so - scissor blind 2.0
Season 7 - scissor blind 2.5
Happiness for a while.

Season 19 or so - layout blind/portable island 1.0 (in process)

That's kind of how it went for me.
Posted By: pervis

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 01:30 AM

Do u shoot from the boat? Or waders and decoys down? I got some cammo burlap to cover it up w. I got u on accessing more spots. I'm totally new to this so any info helps.
Posted By: pervis

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 01:32 AM

I'm testing it out tmrw. Got new plugs for it new navigation lights a spot light rope etc. I'm not new to boats I've had a mastercraft xstar wakeboard boat for 13 yrs. Just new to duck hunting and John boats.
Posted By: pervis

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 01:46 AM

Hey wind thanks for the scissor blind idea I Googled it. Looks good. Think il try something like that.
Posted By: brock2013

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 03:54 AM

I only use the boat to get where I'm going then stash it and hunt from the bank where legal or natural cover in the water. Boat blinds are too hard to hide in most lakes I hunt.
Posted By: Fishuhalik

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 05:04 AM

Originally Posted By: brock2013
I only use the boat to get where I'm going then stash it and hunt from the bank where legal or natural cover in the water. Boat blinds are too hard to hide in most lakes I hunt.

Yup. If you're hunting puddle ducks, mainly malls & pins, they'll spot you like a...woman of ill repute...in a church. Gads & teal are pretty dumb though. & divers can be flat-out stupid. Scissor blinds are great for divers.

If I know I'm on mallards & the spot requires me to hide in cattails that are too deep for my waders, ya gotta bring a canoe. I much prefer to stash the boat/canoe as least 200 yds away, then conceal it as best as possible.

Don't worry about all the questions bud. I'm pretty sure that's why forums exist smile Ya gotta learn a lot of things trial & error by yourself, but most of us are more than willing to help with the big stuff.
Posted By: DuckCoach1985

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 02:13 PM

Originally Posted By: pervis
Hey wind thanks for the scissor blind idea I Googled it. Looks good. Think il try something like that.


I'm building a similar one on my boat. It's not a scissor.. I based it off of the boat blind in the cabelas catalogue that sells for around $800. I spent about $100 on materials I'll take pics this afternoon.
Posted By: Hopedale

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 03:50 PM

Just remember that boat is not to big, so don't overload it, and be careful of the weather.
Posted By: pervis

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 04:00 PM

Yeah I'm used to a full on boat boat. This is like an over grown canoe compared to what I'm used to. Yeah its Def a bare minimum type of deal. It's got a live well I plan to use as storage. It's a three person boat but really more like two
Posted By: _Scooter_

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 04:14 PM

Yeah, if it has the narrow beam instead of the real wide beam- watch your weight and balance. Plus, most guys absolutely load up the front with the heavy decoys and stuff which will spear waves if you're not real careful. I have been toying with camo'ing my aluminum bass boat for several years now but with a camo kayak I just can't do it.
Posted By: Fooshman

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 09:18 PM

Where are the pics?

bolt
Posted By: pervis

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 10:06 PM

Foosh I'm on the way back from houston right now otherwise I'd snap some. Il take some tmrw and post em
Posted By: Hopedale

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/05/14 11:19 PM

Originally Posted By: _Scooter_
Yeah, if it has the narrow beam instead of the real wide beam- watch your weight and balance. Plus, most guys absolutely load up the front with the heavy decoys and stuff which will spear waves if you're not real careful. I have been toying with camo'ing my aluminum bass boat for several years now but with a camo kayak I just can't do it.


I can do it. nuts
Posted By: pervis

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/06/14 08:30 PM



Work in progress. I'm working on getting ready to sandblast the trailer right now
Posted By: Fooshman

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/06/14 09:59 PM

That'll work!
Posted By: pervis

Re: Got the boat now what? - 11/07/14 01:30 AM

Yeah the front seat is coming off. The guy did some crazy rig job on it. I'm going to my buddies tmrw to cut and weld on it. Going to slalom shop tmrw to test the motor out. Don't wanta get stuck.
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