Duck Hunting Out of a Boat - need advice/schooling

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  • fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    I am contemplating a boat purchase, but I want to try and do a bunch of things with it. Have been looking at 20' Lowe boats, but in speaking with a guy yesterday that has a 20' Lowe boat he said it isn't too good for duck hunting because it is too big. However, he trailers it down to the OBX yearly and has a blast fishing on it. Looking for a larger boat because I will usually have 4, maybe 5, people crabbing, fishing, and hunting on it.

    Things I will be doing with this boat:

    1) Duck hunting in rivers (mostly upper Potomac, Monocacy, and Patuxent)
    2) Fishing in the rivers listed above
    3) Crabbing in areas around the Bay
    4) Trailering it down to the OBX to fish and crab on the sound

    Pretty much looking at a Lowe 20' Roughneck. Considering an 18' boat too because the man I was speaking with kept telling me how wonderful tunnel jet is and that it is not available on the 20' Roughneck.

    Can I find a single boat to do what I want, or is this a case where I should just buy two boats, one for fishing/crabbing and another for duck hunting?
     

    Bertfish

    Throw bread on me
    Mar 13, 2013
    17,606
    White Marsh, MD
    I don't know a ton but heres what I'll offer

    Welded over riveted every time. Rivets leak over time

    I think under 16' you're limited to 2 people on board. I've crabbed off a 16' flat bottom jon boat before with 4 people and felt safe
     

    danimalw

    Ultimate Member
    Fabs,

    A man really needs multiple boats if he has the means.

    I have a beavertail 1750 with a long tail mud motor that I bought for duck hunting first and fishing second.

    You have to decide what is it's primary mission role, as it may excel at one thing and suck at another.

    As for duck hunting, the bigger the boat, the harder it is to hide. The smaller boat hides easier but is crowded or uncomfortable

    I can hunt 4 ppl in mine in reasonably decent weather for ducks, but when goosing and ducking, have to limit it to 3.

    I have pedestal mounts in center of boat for traveling and additional mounts offset to starboard side for hunting (we hunt over poet side). This way, we are comfortable and don't have the blind right on our faces.
     

    pre64hunter

    Active Member
    Mar 19, 2010
    642
    Harford County
    Get the 20'

    Get the 20' unless you're more concerned with the motor options. I do and have done it all with the boats, hunting, fishing, crabbing. Everything is a trade off with a boat. Too big you can't go in the marsh and shallows, too small you can't go in the big water on questionable windy days.
    Add on decoys, heavy clothing, life jackets, crab traps, a couple guys and the wind picks up you're sunk.
    Keep in mind every time you step up in size on a boat the price of equipment jumps dramatically. Bigger trailer and tires, winch, motor, anchor, lines, you'll want electronics, fuel, a little harder to launch and move around in the driveway, a cover, camo.
    I have a 16' V hull now but also had 14' Jon boats, V hulls, canoes and a 17' Boston Whaler, motors from 4hp, 7.5, 40, 25, 70hp. I fished and hunted the Susquehanna, Cononwingo, the bay from Thomas Pt. to Pooles island and the Potomac, both sea ducks, divers and puddle ducks. Whatever size or kind of boat you get you'll use it the best ways you can and make do and have fun. My buddy has a 20' Lowe semi-v flat bottom with a 75hp. He's had it many years, bought it new and his main obsession is crabbing and duck hunting.
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Fabs,

    A man really needs multiple boats if he has the means.

    I have a beavertail 1750 with a long tail mud motor that I bought for duck hunting first and fishing second.

    You have to decide what is it's primary mission role, as it may excel at one thing and suck at another.

    As for duck hunting, the bigger the boat, the harder it is to hide. The smaller boat hides easier but is crowded or uncomfortable

    I can hunt 4 ppl in mine in reasonably decent weather for ducks, but when goosing and ducking, have to limit it to 3.

    I have pedestal mounts in center of boat for traveling and additional mounts offset to starboard side for hunting (we hunt over poet side). This way, we are comfortable and don't have the blind right on our faces.

    My biggest issue is where to store everything. I already have a cargo trailer and dump trailer in the driveway. Could probably put a 20' boat in the garage. Might be able to store a small jon boat off to the side of the detached garage on some gravel or even put it in the garage too. Thing is, if I end up really pissing off the neighbors, there are deed restrictions that prevent the storage of trailers/boats outside. Granted, there are several people that have trailers outside in the community. Just trying not to be the next guy with a "Neighbor's from Hell" thread here, or worse yet, be the subject of a "Neighbors from Hell" thread.

    If I had the space, I would have three boats, maybe four. lol Small electric powered jon boat for fishing in the reservoirs around here. Slightly bigger jon boat with a gas motor for duck hunting. 20' Lowes Roughneck for serious fishing and crabbing with a bunch of people. 25'+ V-hulled boat for fishing in the bay.

    A man can dream.
     

    pre64hunter

    Active Member
    Mar 19, 2010
    642
    Harford County
    I don't know a ton but heres what I'll offer

    Welded over riveted every time. Rivets leak over time

    I think under 16' you're limited to 2 people on board. I've crabbed off a 16' flat bottom jon boat before with 4 people and felt safe

    Welds crack, either is good if good quality and not abused. Leaky rivets are easy to fix. My Lund is 16 years old and zero leaky rivets. I had a 1957 Lone Star and it leaked some but was easily repairs. More water comes in from crab traps, decoys and riding than from leaking.
     

    Batt816

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 1, 2018
    4,087
    Eastern Shore
    My biggest issue is where to store everything. I already have a cargo trailer and dump trailer in the driveway. Could probably put a 20' boat in the garage. Might be able to store a small jon boat off to the side of the detached garage on some gravel or even put it in the garage too. Thing is, if I end up really pissing off the neighbors, there are deed restrictions that prevent the storage of trailers/boats outside. Granted, there are several people that have trailers outside in the community. Just trying not to be the next guy with a "Neighbor's from Hell" thread here, or worse yet, be the subject of a "Neighbors from Hell" thread.

    If I had the space, I would have three boats, maybe four. lol Small electric powered jon boat for fishing in the reservoirs around here. Slightly bigger jon boat with a gas motor for duck hunting. 20' Lowes Roughneck for serious fishing and crabbing with a bunch of people. 25'+ V-hulled boat for fishing in the bay.

    A man can dream.

    You can always rent slips to keep them in, then you can have as many as you want.:D
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Get the 20' unless you're more concerned with the motor options. I do and have done it all with the boats, hunting, fishing, crabbing. Everything is a trade off with a boat. Too big you can't go in the marsh and shallows, too small you can't go in the big water on questionable windy days.
    Add on decoys, heavy clothing, life jackets, crab traps, a couple guys and the wind picks up you're sunk.
    Keep in mind every time you step up in size on a boat the price of equipment jumps dramatically. Bigger trailer and tires, winch, motor, anchor, lines, you'll want electronics, fuel, a little harder to launch and move around in the driveway, a cover, camo.
    I have a 16' V hull now but also had 14' Jon boats, V hulls, canoes and a 17' Boston Whaler, motors from 4hp, 7.5, 40, 25, 70hp. I fished and hunted the Susquehanna, Cononwingo, the bay from Thomas Pt. to Pooles island and the Potomac, both sea ducks, divers and puddle ducks. Whatever size or kind of boat you get you'll use it the best ways you can and make do and have fun. My buddy has a 20' Lowe semi-v flat bottom with a 75hp. He's had it many years, bought it new and his main obsession is crabbing and duck hunting.

    Thank you.

    This wouldn't be my first boat. Used to have a 21' Galaxy that we used for fishing. That is one of the things I regret getting rid of. It was $2,500 and we used it for 2 years. Had a blast on it. Then, marriage, kids, etc. and no time to work on it, so away it went. Now, my kids are older and two, probably three of them, are into fishing, crabbing, and hunting. Not entirely sure about the soon to be 4 year old, but she enjoyed crabbing of so much in the OBX this summer and is bugging the heck out of me to go hunting.
     

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    danimalw

    Ultimate Member
    My biggest issue is where to store everything. I already have a cargo trailer and dump trailer in the driveway. Could probably put a 20' boat in the garage. Might be able to store a small jon boat off to the side of the detached garage on some gravel or even put it in the garage too. Thing is, if I end up really pissing off the neighbors, there are deed restrictions that prevent the storage of trailers/boats outside. Granted, there are several people that have trailers outside in the community. Just trying not to be the next guy with a "Neighbor's from Hell" thread here, or worse yet, be the subject of a "Neighbors from Hell" thread.

    If I had the space, I would have three boats, maybe four. lol Small electric powered jon boat for fishing in the reservoirs around here. Slightly bigger jon boat with a gas motor for duck hunting. 20' Lowes Roughneck for serious fishing and crabbing with a bunch of people. 25'+ V-hulled boat for fishing in the bay.

    A man can dream.

    I know all about h.o.a. and their b.s. I used to get love letters from them with the boat in driveway. Of course there's a guy in that neighborhood who kept a small John boat in his back yard on trailer for years so the enforcement was not equal.

    Let me know if you want pics
     

    Ammo Jon

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 3, 2008
    20,773
    Does Ford make boats? You’re so familiar with working on them you’ll save a ton of money :)
     

    Batt816

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 1, 2018
    4,087
    Eastern Shore
    Wouldn't be able to afford to do that after the divorce. lol

    A smart man weighs the battles worth fighting and the battles that can be won.

    Understood. When I bought my last one, a 30 footer, I had a 22’ Grady, and I had just recovered from a 20 year hydroplane racing addiction.

    She didn’t seem pleased, so I sold the Grady and named the 30 footer after her. It’s all good now:cool:
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    I know all about h.o.a. and their b.s. I used to get love letters from them with the boat in driveway. Of course there's a guy in that neighborhood who kept a small John boat in his back yard on trailer for years so the enforcement was not equal.

    Let me know if you want pics

    It is a deed restriction here, so nowhere near as bad as an HOA. One of my neighbors would actually have to have an issue with it, versus just some ridiculous HOA board/officers. I lived in an HOA when we were in the townhouse and that was bad enough. I represent a coupe HOAs and I don't ever want to live under one again. So, within reason, I have some latitude here as long as I am respectful with what I do.

    Yeah, I would love pics. If it is easier, send them to fabsroman@aol.com. Otherwise, posting them in this thread would be great.

    Saw a 20' Roughneck yesterday and took a short ride in it. Really liked the boat. Was just envisioning myself fishing, crabbing, and ducking on it with my dad and kids, but in speaking with the owner he said it was not good for duck hunting because it was too big. So, that threw me for a loop.

    Could possibly store a really small jon boat in my cargo trailer, but then the issue would be the trailer for the boat. Will most likely get a small battery powered jon boat anyway just so I can fish on the reservoirs around here.
     

    Batt816

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 1, 2018
    4,087
    Eastern Shore
    I don’t duck hunt much anymore, when I do it is in a blind, but I don’t think a 20’ Jon boat would be too big. I see lots of 20 footers with the blind covers/ attachments during the winters here on the shore.
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Does Ford make boats? You’re so familiar with working on them you’ll save a ton of money :)

    With the boat itself, it isn't about the actual boat, but mostly the engine.

    Plus, not every Ford is the same. Huge difference between the 3.0 gas engine in my Taurus, the 2.0 gas engine in my Focus, the 6.0 diesel in my F350, the 5.0 gas engine in my Mustang, and the 3.5 gas engine in my Expedition. Have to learn every one of them as I work on them. The frames and suspension are all different too, to an extent.

    I've learned about the vehicles I have from owning them for a while and working on them whenever needed. Kind of like living in a house for a while. Here, at nearly the 2 year mark, I am still figuring out what light switches do.

    So, I will most likely have to learn how to wrench on a Mercury outboard since that is what Lowes Boats and Tracker offer as engines.

    Then, there will be the EB. Completely different ball game there with batteries and electricity.

    Life is all about learning.

    Hopefully, Lowes Boats are as wonderful as Ford vehicles. No qualms about selling a boat though.
     

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    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    The cycling gods may smite thee.

    Since I was 5 years old, I was all about cycling, hunting, and shooting. I used to dream about all of them a lot as a child. Did some fishing here and there as a child, but never caught anything. So, I never got too excited about fishing. That changed when I met a friend in law school. Hilarious story behind that one, but I will not put you to sleep with it. He showed me how to fish and get fish on the hook, including some big fish, and that was all it took. He also introduced me to waterfowling. Now, I have added fishing to my list of hobbies. Can't go riding with my dad, so I take him hunting, fishing, and shooting with my kids.

    If the cycling gods cannot understand, then smite away lol
     

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