blueridge
Well-known member
No, there isn’t a new posthumous Jim Harrison novel (although I wish there were). This is a post on the evolution of my puppy’s waterfowl hunting throne.
We took her out on her first trip during the September teal and goose season, river jump-shooting. We took canoes and my buddy brought his old dog to show her the ropes.
She did great, except not wanting to sit still. Which wasn’t a problem until I was reaching out with the oar to grab a spent shell that was in the water and she decided to quickly change sides. Back we went. Luckily it was September and the river was both warm and shallow. I asked my buddy if he was going to paddle over so we could put our gear onto his while we dumped out the water. As any good friend would, he said, “Of course. Right after I get some pictures.”
It was my neighbors canoe, and the nearby rivers are often too shallow for the outboard on my jon boat, so I decided to convert my kayak into a shallow river waterfowl float rig.
Version 1: Gun holder up front, dog platform with outriggers in back. Outriggers were made from sch40 pvc and crab pot bouys attached via adjustable rod holders. Platform was made from fiberglass resin on plywood and outdoor carpet. Connected to the kayak with adjustable toggle clamps.
Tested it in the pool. The stability from the outriggers was perfect, but it was too heavy and low in the back once the dog got on. Added some 4” pvc tubes underneath to give it better buoyancy and had a good test run on the lake. Dalva jumped right on and was ready to go. She did great. I would throw a buoy and she would wait until sent after it. I would then point to shore where I wanted her to go, I’d back up, she’d jump on, and off we’d go.
Took it on the Shenandoah River for early October duck for the real test and got a lot of valuable feedback.
1. The pvc tubes on the back are fine for calm lakes, but way too much surface area for water to grab when going around sharp turns in rapids. Was too difficult to keep pointed straight. And too much drag on straightaways.
2. The platform is too wide, giving the dog too much real estate to go out beyond the center of gravity. Hated having to constantly tell her to sit down when she is curious and wants to check out the better view that is always on the opposite side.
3. The platform is too damn heavy. Easily weighs >50lbs.
4. The outdoor carpet, once it gets wet, just becomes a cold, soggy place for the dog to sit in for hours.
5. The 3/4” pvc on the outrigger arm was too fragile and one side snapped when it hit a snag just under the surface.
Thus, Dalva’s Chariot 2.0!!
Had a scrap piece of aluminum. Made it just wide enough for her to sit or lie down, with low side walls to keep her centered. Drilled weep holes. Re-used the toggle clamps. Was able
to keep my dry box. Moved my seat forward 4” to put more of my weight forward. Double-walled the outrigger arms and attached them directly to the kayak. Have a 3/4” thick ladder stand padded seat coming any day for the bottom that will make it anti-slip, insulated, and won’t hold water.
It’s light. It’s sleek. It’s sexy. Will it work any better for shallow river jump shooting?? Tbd 11/16: November duck and goose.
She can’t wait!
We took her out on her first trip during the September teal and goose season, river jump-shooting. We took canoes and my buddy brought his old dog to show her the ropes.
She did great, except not wanting to sit still. Which wasn’t a problem until I was reaching out with the oar to grab a spent shell that was in the water and she decided to quickly change sides. Back we went. Luckily it was September and the river was both warm and shallow. I asked my buddy if he was going to paddle over so we could put our gear onto his while we dumped out the water. As any good friend would, he said, “Of course. Right after I get some pictures.”
It was my neighbors canoe, and the nearby rivers are often too shallow for the outboard on my jon boat, so I decided to convert my kayak into a shallow river waterfowl float rig.
Version 1: Gun holder up front, dog platform with outriggers in back. Outriggers were made from sch40 pvc and crab pot bouys attached via adjustable rod holders. Platform was made from fiberglass resin on plywood and outdoor carpet. Connected to the kayak with adjustable toggle clamps.
Tested it in the pool. The stability from the outriggers was perfect, but it was too heavy and low in the back once the dog got on. Added some 4” pvc tubes underneath to give it better buoyancy and had a good test run on the lake. Dalva jumped right on and was ready to go. She did great. I would throw a buoy and she would wait until sent after it. I would then point to shore where I wanted her to go, I’d back up, she’d jump on, and off we’d go.
Took it on the Shenandoah River for early October duck for the real test and got a lot of valuable feedback.
1. The pvc tubes on the back are fine for calm lakes, but way too much surface area for water to grab when going around sharp turns in rapids. Was too difficult to keep pointed straight. And too much drag on straightaways.
2. The platform is too wide, giving the dog too much real estate to go out beyond the center of gravity. Hated having to constantly tell her to sit down when she is curious and wants to check out the better view that is always on the opposite side.
3. The platform is too damn heavy. Easily weighs >50lbs.
4. The outdoor carpet, once it gets wet, just becomes a cold, soggy place for the dog to sit in for hours.
5. The 3/4” pvc on the outrigger arm was too fragile and one side snapped when it hit a snag just under the surface.
Thus, Dalva’s Chariot 2.0!!
Had a scrap piece of aluminum. Made it just wide enough for her to sit or lie down, with low side walls to keep her centered. Drilled weep holes. Re-used the toggle clamps. Was able
to keep my dry box. Moved my seat forward 4” to put more of my weight forward. Double-walled the outrigger arms and attached them directly to the kayak. Have a 3/4” thick ladder stand padded seat coming any day for the bottom that will make it anti-slip, insulated, and won’t hold water.
It’s light. It’s sleek. It’s sexy. Will it work any better for shallow river jump shooting?? Tbd 11/16: November duck and goose.
She can’t wait!
