The perfect duck boat

For most occasions anyway.

I'm going to order me a new duck boat when the season ends. I'd like some feed back on what you like about your boat and what you dislike. What you would do or order different if you could do all over. Hull thickness, length, engine make and horse, Fancy do dads that aren't necessary but you like a lot. Storage options and so on. Maybe you don't have a boat but been with someone who does and like what you saw? Money not an issue but will be frugal anyway as thats just me but I will spend what I have to, to get what I want/need.

My style will be 1-3 persons plus gear for most hunts. And most of that time will be alone or 2 people. I do not hunt out of my current boat and do not plan to hunt out of the new one. But I have decided to make it so I can fish out of it. Not bass fishing but meat and taters fishing. My current boat I like for what it is capable of but it is limited compared to the nicer rigs. Its an 15/40 with a 23hp long tail.

Will you be selling your old boat?

Not sure yet. Probably though.

Pro drive.
Look no further

I have a 20 ft flat bottom that's 48 inches wide at the bottom. Mostly open except a gun box and a couple other compartments for life jackets and minimal gear. I'm a big fan of open concept and keep it simple. No need for gadgets. Motor is a 27. A little small for this boat but it still pushed me and my dog 21 and 3 guys and gear 17. It gets the job done. A longer narrower boat like this is gonna go faster than the shorter wider ones. I ish it had a little thicker hull so I wouldn't have to be so careful but I also love that it's thinner cause it floats so shallow and is so much easier to move around as opposed to all welded tank. Having hunted out of everything from.bass boats to pond Hoppers to decked Jon boats I can say that keeping it open, no wood or carpet, as light as possible and something that moves along nicely are the biggest things to make sure you get. A lot depends on where you hunt also. If you're in the woods a mod v is nice.

I’m very interested in this topic. I am of no help, but will be following along. You’re describing exactly what I am thinking about getting.

I just picked up a 2060cc. It needs a lot of work but I'm pretty pumped about getting it out (50/50) on if that'll be this year or not. Got a 90hp optimax for it. I figure that'll do me for most hunting, and if I need to go shallow I can just pole or use a troll motor however far needed once I'm in the area

creeksidelc, I to had a 20ft john the same size. Mine was a tracker sportsman last one made in 1992 only had a 20hp evinrude. Had it for 18 years put it though hell and was still running when I sold her. It would float in 6in. of water pushed pulled that sucker in some crazy places. But give me a air boat or a surface drive now to old to do any pushing these days

Pick what works best for you. Do you run mud flats and heavy vegetation or stumps etc.? I saw you have a longtail so I'm guessing you do. If you don't there is no need for a mudmotor really. Everyone will tell you the brand they have is the best, but it's ultimately up to you. I have had Pro-Drive and it was very easy to drive, almost as easy as an out board. With that being said, it didn't perform nearly as good in the setx mud as the other surface drives do. I contribute that to shaft angle and length, but the reverse is PHENOMINAL. Also, I had it for 1.5 years and had 2 trim switches and a clutch PTO switch go out me. Neither of those are a pro-drive product, but its just the chances you take with electrical components. PRO-Drive and GTR both make great products, very good customer service, and have cult like followings, but after a couple issues with the electrical components I moved to a GDSD. Yes it doesn't have near the bells and whistles, but it is very functional and has way less components to go out. I am now on my 3rd GDSD rig and it is an 18/44 with a 37 gdsd. This rig is my favorite bc I love the way the round chine turns. I also got it with the extended deck and poling platform, bc I fish out of it as well. Anyway, they are all great products, I personally know that Go-Devil and Pro-Drive have great customer service, and have heard that GTR and Boss do was well. O

If I was to order a boat today, I probably go with a GoDevil 18x48. Split floor plan, 35hp Surface Drive. I'd rig out the inside myself.

I just have a riveted boat and an outboard, but I spend a lot of time thinking about what I really want.

I really like the shape of my skiff, and if I were shopping today my two biggest considerations would be:
1) durability/reliability and
2) decent open water handling.

I don't hunt a ton of mud flats, and any surface drive duck boat will go shallow, but not all handle open water in big Texas lakes well. Think: modified v bow, flat stern, and rounded chines.

For me at least, I believe I "almost" have the perfect duckboat. The things I LOVE about my boat and are "must haves" on future boats are:

-Large/flat front deck. Mine has valuable storage underneath and gives a nice elevated position to toss and retrieve decoys from. It is especially nice during fishing excursions.

-Gun box that is built into the forward deck.(runs port/starb) The gunbox is built into the forward deck increasing the length of the deck and reducing the clutter in the "open" area of the boat. Most gun boxes run fore/aft along one of the sides and takes up a lot of valuable space in the "open" area of the boat. Also, my gunbox has storage room under it for the fuel tank and troller battery, again, reducing clutter.

-Rear step deck. The transom of my boat has a step built in. This is AWESOME for climbing in and out of the boat with waders on. In deeper water, you hop up onto a knee and step up from there. In shallow water you simply walk up the "stairs" into the boat. It is also a great place for the dog to enter without having an additional dog ramp in the boat.

-Spud holes. This is one of those, "you don't know you need it until you have it" things. This is the first boat I've had with spud holes and I use them a lot. My boat has a spud hole on the bow and one on each corner of the transom. In addition to using them for spud poles, my winch is set up to be moved from hole to hole increasing versatility and my transducer mount slides into a spud hole.

-LED flood lights in the transom. I added them last season to help back down ramps in the dark. They work great for that but also works great for illuminating landscapes for tossing out decoys and attracting bait fish while night fishing.

-Mudmotor. I may buy an additional Outboard one day for spring fishing but for duck hunting where i hunt, a tough lower unit is necessary. (Prodrive has spectacular customer service)

-Grab handle if you are running a tiller. I can't imagine running a tiller without a grab handle now that I've been using one for a few years now.

-Interior LED light strips. These are really nice and a cheap addition.

-Large Switch panel. My boat came with a small switch panel, navigation lights, bilge pump, etc.. When I added left side interior lights, right side interior lights, hatch lights, LED bar on bow, transom floods, Garmin, etc.. I ran out of panel room really fast.

-12V outlet for handheld spot light and phone charger. I have one of these upfront and one built into the driver's panel. The one upfront is nice so your hunting partner can run the handheld if necessary.


Options that I love that aren't "must haves."

-Catwalks. I actually walk on mine during spring fishing and they give you nice place to sit during hunting season when the blind is up. (They are also really nice if you have to take a #2.)

-Stake pockets. My boat has square stake pockets recessed around the front deck. These are nice because my LED light bar mount drops into them along with my bowfishing light boxes. Everything is quickly added or removed. With these stake pockets I can covert the boat from bowfishing to duck hunting in about 10 minutes. They also make great rod holders when fishing. If I were to do it again, I'd make them round instead of square and I'd add a couple along the side and rear of the boat for more "add on" options.

- 3/16" bottom. I thought this was overkill until I center punched a fire hydrant a couple of months ago in Houston. I'm certain we would have punched a hole if was a .100ga bottom and possibly with an 1/8" bottom. The point is, you don't know you need it until you do.

-24" tall sides. The tall sides are nice when the wind is blowing and waves are white capping.

-Hydroturf. Really nice stuff to have in your boat.

-Cup holders. I'd LOVE to have a couple of built-in cup holders in my boat. One day I'm going to cut some into my catwalks.

What boat do you have?

Love how the cup holder made the cutt.

My perfect duck boat is a welded 2001 SeaArk 1648 center console with a 2001 Merc 50 HP and some big arse cornering lights on the front.

A couple times a season somebody with a mud rig will beat me to the X because I don't run the stumps, but not worth what it would cost me at this point. There aren't many places around here I can't get by following creek channels then wading a bit.

When the kids get out of college I'll get a big raise and I plan on looking into it then. I'm also holding off because IMO with any relatively new product line the manufacturing and reliability will only get better.

He's got a behemoth WC Custom....

I have a 17x56 havoc mst .125 gauge with a 37 gator tail on the back. It does exactly what I need... I fish, hunt, and cruise out of it...
I have an open floor plan with a gun tray on each side. I went away with the gun box to take away the weight and also it takes 13" away from my floor space. I hunt with 3 people majority of the time and run consistently run 26mph.
It handles open water really well, it stays on top of the waves so the ride is smooth... Everyone that rides in it compliments how smooth of a ride it is and the turn capability. The only complaint I have with it is when I am by myself the weight distribution is off so I have tiller torque, but that's very rare I am by myself (usually fishing)..
If you do plan on fishing out of it like mentioned, get a wider boat for a bigger guy like myself.
Where I hunt is a major stump field off the river, but that doesn't hold me back. The boat rides so high out of the water it skips over them.

I've kicked my coffee over on the last two hunts; cup holders are on the forefront right now..lol!

I have an 1854 WC Custom built by Pete Willett

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Outfitter1. That boat I'd actually a 92 trwcker sportsman. It is the best boat I've ever had. Been through hell and back and still doesn't leak. And it's riveted.its a shame they only made those for a couple years.

Appreciate all the feedback. I mostly hunt waters that have stumps and logs...not so much mud or vegetation. I figured a mud motor for the wear and tear its going to take. Misfire I'm looking at WC for making my boat also. One thing you are big on that I am not or at least I'm thinking this way is I want a smaller front deck to open the boat up more. I'm looking at a gun box or at least a rack on the sides to hold guns, spud poles, mojo poles etc. I want to leave all my mojo poles intact all season! But I do want a deck big enough to fish off and basic storage. But I will take a closer look at the front gun box. Open open and more open design is what I like. Its what I have now and I like it. I'm thinking 18-19 footer maybe 54-56 wide. I use my boat as a transporter of men and gear meaning I don't hunt out of it. I guess I could one day but my style is to ditch the boat and hunt from cover in the water or bank. Also this year has been bad to get to spots. Next year I may have to sleep in my dam boat to secure a spot lol.

Keep em coming !

Are you going to hunt out of it or just ride in it to your spot?

I have a Lowe 17/60. This is the older model. Has rear corner seats and front deck.
I hunt out of the boat so I don't need fixed seats.
I bring movable seats.
Has plenty of space to move around. I do have a box to fix in the boat in the off seat, for when the little woman wants to take a ride.

As far as the motor, I run a 35 Mudbuddy longtail. After all how fast to you need to go in the dark with stumps.

I would also recommend pods on the back if you're going with a mud motor.

For running North Texas Lakes knowing how rough these lakes get. Something to do with the long layout our lakes mostly being in the same direction as our prevailing winds. I know of two forum members that have capsized boats duck hunting on Ray Bob and Vine for example. And knowing how far the ramps are from some of the best hunting areas too. I want to be able to run as fast as possible on the open water without getting wet or capsized when crossing a lake with high winds running from across the length of the lake. All while near over loaded with gear and people in the dark. but I also want a decent speed on the stump fields and shallow stuff without damaging my boat. So I would want a semi V with outboard matched to boat size and mounted on a chained breakaway jack plate or kick plate. My "perfect" option for this would be to use a hydraulic kick up plate, so I can vertically raise the motor for running shallow as needed, but still have the break away function so I don't destroy my motor's low end. Of course If I was hunting Marsh, or East Texas Salvila, etc. that would not be even close to my perfect boat.

I have a 1848 Prodrive 37efi with the extended front deck. The things I have/would change about it are:

-WC added a spud pole hole in the front deck, and welded 2 on the back. He also welded my wench to a plate and to a 2' spud pole stub. I now have a moveable winch that spins 360*.
-Front seat base is in the front hatch lid. Not only is it a huge pain to get anything out of the front storage while fishing since I have to remove the seat, but it is unstable and super noisy. Plan to move it further back to allow more leg room also.
-Side console - my next boat will be a side console. The tiller is just too hard on the shoulder and wrist to make long runs comfortable.
-Hydro turf. Gotta have it. So nice.
-Decoy compartment. Got the idea from a buddy - he made a plywood slat that runs port-starboard to store decoys. Not having them in bags and sliding all around the boat really cleans up floor space. I use a cargo bar and it works almost as well.
-The full power reverse is super nice. It's definitely not the fastest motor on the market though. The 2-3mph difference means you're gonna lose a footrace.
-Wider - I would like to have 52-54" instead. But maybe I'd just fill that up and wish it was bigger too...
-Get the prodrive rod box instead of gun box. The gun box is a little taller, but it's not even long enough to fit a shotgun in. Also limits passenger seating.

Creeksidlc where did you get your tracker? I sold mine to a couple of Fort Worth fireman if I remember correctly. Had that boat 17 years and-never had a leek in a rivet.
wish I would have kept it just as my duck boat.

Outfitter1 I bought that tracker from a man in South Carolina in about 2010. Sinve I had it It has been a duck/bowfishing boat that probably averages 60-80 trips a year. Most of that has been in shallow water and still doesn't leak a drop. I will never sell that boat. I'll have it until I rip it open one day then hope somehow to find another 92 tracker sportsman.

I have a perfect boat. The reason I say that is because I hunt and fish from my boat so I wanted one boat to do both. My solution was a G3 1860 SC with a 90hp. I have the casting deck, bow mount spot lock trolling motor, SI/GPS electronics and a bait tank that I mount on the back platform for hybrid fishing.

I mounted the motor on a setback plate and with tilt I can get to most places my buddy can with his mud motor. I can easily run in 12” or less but I keep an aluminum prop and a spare because I manage to damage one every year on something. It is foam filled and high sides so can deal with the waves that our lakes produce.

I also have an Avery pop up blind that I use when the water is higher now I just use it as a taxi to get to where I want to hunt.

All you need now is a Jack.

These old military bridge boats are huge, low draft, and stable.

Here are a couple people built for duck hunting. I think 4 guys can stand up on one side shooting without the boat tilting.

http://www.ugliboats.com/MattPieperBuild.htm

http://www.ugliboats.com/danbarkerStryker.htm