OK with the Cabelas waterfowl issue coming in the mail and training Marshall for his junior hunters it's put some kindle on the fire so today I went into the garage and shook the dust off the door blind and deck cover and put it together. Here are a couple of pictures I took in the garage and I'll get some better ones once I've got it all grassed up and the dog sitting in it.
In the first picture you can notice a blue bread tray upside down. This is where the dog will lay and the tray is there so that the water will drip off of him and into the bottom of the boat so he's not constantly laying in water.. It's a bit hard to tell by the picture but the bottom has like small pontoons so the water channels into there and out of the center of the boat.
I bought a kayak paddle today and I'm going to take it out for a spin tonight in Quamichan lake to see how it rides with the kayak paddle.
In the second picture the blind doors are shut and you can see all the bungee cords on the deck cover so you can add marsh grass or bushes from the same area you're hunting in to blend in with the surroundings.
What I really like about this set up is that the dog is sitting behind you. There is no chance of him sitting up or jumping out in front of you while you're shooting at ducks. Or shocking him with muzzle blast.
This boat is a layout boat it's not supposed to have any more room then what's required. It has enough room for me, my dog, and room enough for more decoys then I ever care to use in it. To me that's more then enough room required to go duck hunting. It looks small but it is actually 4 feet wide and 13 feet long and about 16 inches high in the center. It has a low profile design so that it can blend in with the marsh but still be amazingly stable and rated for 550 lbs. It only drafts 4 inches of water with 550 lbs in the boat. This boat allows for birds in your face action and allows you to hide and go where most other boats can't access or stick out. If it starts raining or blowing you're out of the elements with the blind doors shut and you have a good foot of space on either side of yourself while laid out to store your shells. food, or what ever you want to take with you. I can see myself catching some z's on those calm warm bluebird days
I have a 14 1/2 foot deep V aluminum boat that has a lot more room but a hell of a lot harder to hide, weights 250 lbs+with the motor and needs to be trailered. I also need at least 2 feet of water to use the motor.
What's nice about the FatboyDP is it's light enough that one person can load/unload it from the back of the truck (90lbs), it drags well on grass, so most places I don't need a boat launch to get it to the water. when the boat is empty it only drafts 2 inches of water so it's easy to pull around in the shallows. The transom is designed in such a away that the prop is just below the water line allowing for shallow motoring. I've had the fatboy under power in a foot of water and to my amazement I wasn't hitting bottom.
The boat does look a bit small at first but now that you mentioned the dimensions it seems quite roomy. You got me thinking Marc (Never a good idea). Are these boats sold here in Canada too?
"Wouldn’t it be wise for us to be more tolerant of each other and pick our battles with the ones that really threaten our way of life?"
Unfortunately they don't sell them here in Canada and you have to order them from the states at www.Momarsh.com. It was a little costly getting it here but there is nothing like it out there on the market in Canada. It was just one of those I have to have one sort of things.
Can't wait to you tell us about shooting birds literally in your face and never knowing you where there till you flip the doors! Get some live bird and cripple training on marshall to get his steady down and you are going to have some fun this fall!
I had Marshall out in the Fatboy this afternoon to try and get him used to the new boat cover and blind setup. Again he spent the majority of the time with his head over the side trying to retrieve ever leaf or feather we passed on the lake while on the way. I have to say since he started swimming that dog loves the water. Soon we start laying out in the back yard and get him to learn his position and job in the boat. When the ducks are in your face is not the time to try and teach your dog to stay still.
I hooked up with HuntnHooksports out on the lake and took him for a spin in the FatboyDP to see how it would handle two people and a dog. That little two hp was more then enough to push us along and the boat was amazingly stable. this little boat is going to keep us into the ducks and keep young Marshall busy this fall I think.
I have the motor painted up and getting ready to go grass it up for tomorrow morning. Hoping to have some pictures of it set up in place on the marsh tomorrow with some dead ducks on the top if they cooperate
Check out the draft on the motor.This sucker can go in a foot of water! I picked up a Kayak carrier as well for those areas that don't have a boat launch. With the motor on the back I'd be surprised if there is 10 lbs of weight when I pick up the handle on the bow. The Kayak carrier folds up and the tires come off so it's about 2 inches hight by 2 feet by maybe 10 inches stored away.