This will put the brakes on a duck season

At least until Friday. Jason at Lonestar Boatworks in Baytown, Texas is the man to go to. So far they have been top notch.

why is your boat upside down?

New Poly bottom being installed.

Running over to many arrowheads?

Looks good WAL! I've always wanted an airboat but they seem $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to maintain.

That would be a good problem to have.

They can be. I do a lot myself. A bottom job is not something I am ever going to take on myself. After busting the belt, I decided to do it myself. That was a job. To have it done was about $1400, myself was the cost of the belt at $375. It was a job, but not too bad. With a bottom job it is a different story. Everything in the boat must come out, flip the boat and remove the 500 or more screws holding the poly on. I am not sure if they weld up the 500 holes or if they go back in with an oversize screw. If I was retired, no problem I would do it. I just don't have that much go left in me after a work week.

Oil and Ag=Oilag Oil=big bucks Ag=big bucks Come on man you got the funds. You're like the ranchers I know. They say they are broke as they pull up in a $60,000 King Ranch and they take off the entire deer season to go to "The other ranch" in South Texas. The only reason I rag on them is I am jealous!

$$$$$$$$$ and they can scare a duck clear out of the country. To me it seems that may be a big reason that not as many puddle ducks are shot on the middle and lower coast compared to the upper coast. With the popularity of airboats on the rise the last 10 years the only ducks dumb enough to hang around the Middle and Lower Coast are redheads and other divers with a sprinkling of puddle ducks. Compared to Upper Coast (Anahuac to Sabine Pass) where none of the refuges or wma's allow airboats and all people kill are puddle ducks.

Would like to hear your thoughts on this Wayne as well as any others who have hunted the coast a lot. Think there is any correlation there or am I way off? You can't deny the hunting is not near what it was 10 years ago down there.

The only place that would hold puddle ducks (for the most part) are areas with brackish or fresh water like the marshes. They don't allow airboats in there. I think what makes a bigger matter of the deal is boats overall. I know I am going to get flamed but I don't care. I cut my teeth hunting the quadalupe delta. Back in the day you would only see one boat in the whole delta. They didn't jack with you and you didn't jack with them. The last time I was down there I was sickened as to what this sport has turned into, people leaving trash. People lined up the shoreline stepping on each other. One group of DB would shoot if we had birds working into our decoys. I just said to heck with it and left. There was so much traffic in there the birds would not stay.

My other thought of a reason is the widgeon grass. The delta used to get flooded (Flushed) quite regular. AS the 10 year drought trudged on, the grass in the marshes I was hunting would not grow. Even the cane all died out. It was no longer even brackish water, it was pure salt water. That could have been a factor besides my "too many" boat theory. It could be both. I agree things have dropped severely down there. Thank God for a redhead duck

The main experience I have with airboats is on our friends big family place between Winnie and Port Arthur. On the weekend, all of the airboats run and scare all the ducks out of the marsh and then we go hunt in the afternoon during the week when they all come back and spank them. I just imagine with people hunting those bay systems 5,6, or 7 days a week consistently in air boats it can't be good for the duck numbers.

I sat up from 0300 on the split opener and heard a lot of airboats going to where I knew the birds were holding. My strategy changed and we hunted close to the house, knowing all the boats were going to kick the birds off. Our plan worked well, We were done pretty fast. Soon after that I saw the whole pile of birds going right back to where they left. When I say pile I mean a pile 3 miles long. I could see the raft of birds from 3 to 4 miles away.

hahah! I'm a "pup" - so no king ranch or "other ranch" for me. Hopefully some day!

Wait wait, wouldn't it be cheaper to use Flex Seal???? The commercial shows an airboat?

That commercial kills me every time it comes on.