Layout boat shooters out there?

[huronmtns]

About 15 years ago I thought it would fun to do some layout boat waterfowl hunting. Being an engineer minded person I decided to build my own boat. Having built and designing sportsracing and formula cars since the early 80's working with fiberglass composites had become pretty easy. So here are some photos of the boat I built. Some thing that was light weight and rowable were the main design inputs. I did not want to have to rely on service boats if hunting smaller waters. So here is the final product the weighs in just under 60 lbs and is rowable.

 

[Zach]

@jlmatthew used to have one.

 

[Mallardsx2]

I got out of it after a drunk speed boater almost killed me.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Very cool.

I've been looking at a few of them. Seems like a good fit for marsh hunting. Is there enough room for a dog as well as gear?

 

[huronmtns]

Very cool.

I've been looking at a few of them. Seems like a good fit for marsh hunting. Is there enough room for a dog as well as gear?

They are a great fit for marsh hunting because you can row them. A friend of mine uses his in S. Dakota, he sets up on the shore line with a light vegetation cover. He then uses the oars and rows out to pick up the ducks.

As far as dogs go, I'm not sure. It would depend on the size of the dog or if he can stay laying down so you can sit up and shoot with your barrel out beyond his ears. If you can wade the marsh you could put all of your gear in the boat and pull it like a trailer. The boat loaded with me and all the gear has just 4" of draft. If you are rowing there is quite a bit of space for low height objects under the top surface of the boat where the safety flotation foam is not located. For decoys I bag them and place them near my knees and feet to give me the space to row with the oars.

I'll try and add a photo of the bags of magnum decoys in bags and where they roughly sit in the boat if I have one shortly. Photo found.

 

[sneakypete]

I've hunted out a skull boat which have a better profile in the water. My buddy had grass woven on the top of it.

 

[jrabq]

Really nice looking boat. I built a 2 man layout boat around 1980, fiberglass over a wood frame, so it was heavy, around 200 lbs. Powered with a low profile 9-1/2 Evirude, would not go very fast but was better than paddling. Had a few good years hunting out of it, then I moved and have not used it in over 35 years. Still leaning up against the side of the garage, don't have the heart to sell it. I did buy some property in another state where the boat might actually get used this year or the next. I'll see if I can dig up a picture.

 

[MO Betta]

They're a neat concept, I've never owned one though. If I was designing one to bring my lab I would build a platform into it on the stern end of the boat. He'd be able to follow where you're shooting and wouldn't have blasts going off over his head.