The ultimate hunting ATV?

[Dave Bulla]

Har har!  Made ya look.

No, I'm not talking about some 4 wheeler thingamajig.  I'm talking about an itty-bitty home made boat with a wheel in one end and ya use the oars for handles and push the whole thing like a wheel barrow across dry land if needed.

I was recently browsing an issue of wooden boat magazine and saw an article about making a little 6 or 8 foot pram or skiff (Not too up on boat terminology...) with a permanently installed wheel and tire like from a wheel barrow.  The 8 foot boat is supposed to hold 3 adults!  I figure me and a deer would be perfect and even room for one or two of the kids or a hunting buddy.

I've thought for years about doing some hunting from my canoe but it's a monster antique fiberglass square stern thing about 16 or 18 ft long and must weigh over a hundred pounds.  Can't haul it in my truck anyway and don't have a trailer.  But a little 8 ft plywood boat with a wheel, that was just too slick.

Here is a pic to a link for the magazine that shows one good picture.

   http://www.woodenboat.com/wbmag/pdfs/209toc.pdf  

I hunt almost exclusively on public land and it's all along either the Platte River or Smithville lake and water access is definitely a bonus.  My regular spot last year was flooded all season due to a levee break in the spring and as far as I know, it's probably still flooded.  The spot I want to access is about a 30-40 minute walk when it's not flooded but I'd say with it flooded, it's about a 10 minute walk to where I hit water.  A little rolling boat would be just the ticket I think.  Just not sure if I'd want the shape as shown or something narrower.  I realize the width is part of what gives stability and carrying capacity but I'm thinking of rowing or poling through flooded timber where clearance might be an issue.  Sure would be a big help getting a deer out from a mile or better back in the flooded quagmire and if I come to a dry spot I can just start using it like a hand cart.

Anyone ever use something like this to deer hunt?  I bet some of you who duck hunt might have something similar.  Any pro's or cons?  Suggestions on materials or design?

[boznarras]

Dave,
Interesting project, and a neat design.
I have built a few small boats, some from designs in Wooden Boat, like the nutshell pram and the acorn skiff. They are really fun projects. You have to take your time and do it right to get the best result, like anything else.
For materials, I would think on this project, you want it to be really lightweight, so I would lean toward some thin (say 4mm) okoume plywood and cut the side planking out of that. Maybe go a little thicker for the bottom if you are afraid of having to drag it around against sticks and rocks until the wheel takes the weight, or just use the thin stuff and be aware of the need to be careful. You could always add some guard strips on the bottom, using some oak or something tough and flexible like that.
The frames that support the sides can be real strong but light by laminating them from thin strips of wood that is steam bent to a form prior to gluing up in a jig that lets you clamp all the laminations together. This boat looks like the same contours might work for all the frames, so maybe you could just reuse the form and jig for each frame.
I think the bow and stern transoms would need to be a little thicker than 4mm, to give more edge surface for the side planking to attach to...
I'm sure if you got the plans from WBoat, they will specify some materials, and give good instructions on setting up jigs, patterns for the planks,etc.
One of the contributors to WB shown in the issue you reference, Greg Rossell, wrote a really good book on building small boats. There are a lot of good techniques in there that help a lot, and some homemade or modified tools that do just what you need to do.
Be very careful if you change any dimensions; not only is the width critical to stability, it is a part of the displacement and therefore the load carrying ability of the boat!!
For example, one of the easiest tricks I have found is to use self threading sheetrock screws to pull the edges of the plywood planking together while the glue is setting. After the glue is set, you back out the screws and fill in the holes with epoxy or bondo. This works especially well where it is hard to get a clamp to bear.
I think you are on to a good boat for the purposes you describe. Please post again with photos if you follow through! Good luck!

[Don Stokes]

Dave, I hunted an area of interconnecting beaver ponds for years, using a boat that size but without the wheel. Called it the Turtle. Great for getting around the swamps, but oars are too difficult to maneuver in the timber. A 3 foot sculling paddle was perfect.

Have you considered the little kayaks? Ultralight and ultra tough, and would skid along without the need for a wheel. I use mine to access a stand at the upper end of my 5 acre lake, with the added benefit of leaving no scent trail!

[Dave Bulla]

Walter, thanks for the good info!  I've been reading about building wooden boats off and on for a couple years but have never actually got one started.  Not sure where I'd stick the thing if I did build it.  I think I could make some hangers under my deck?

Don, I have looked into the kayaks but in my reading found that there would be one significant drawback... My feet are too big.  I wear a12 or 13 shoe and (from what I've read) there simply isn't room for feet that size especially with boots on except maybe in some modified designs.  Also a fairly big guy in the middle at 6'2" and 255#.  I used to spend hours reading about the Pygmy Boat stitch and glue kayaks and looking at their build-alongs on line.  Plus, it comes back to portability in the truck.  This little boat would fit in the back nicely.

[dan ferguson]

It should do you well Dave. Caught my largest Bass out of your Lake. Also saw alot of turkeys and deer while fishing. Looks to me like there are alot of duck hunter in that area so by going up the platte should help you alot.

[boznarras]

Dave,
Good to think of where to put the boat. They pile up; I have two hanging around, one under a deck and one high in my garage. It helps to have some pulleys in place so you can drop/pick it right from your truck.
You know, if the clearance of the oars is an occasional issue, you could always just paddle or scull it through the tight spots and go back to the oarlocks for the more open parts.
Some of the boats i have built, I put a sculling notch in the top center of the transoms, so you can lay an oar in there and scoot along. It also gives you and easy way to use the oar as a boom and tarp the boat if you want to keep it upright, say with some gear in it.
I used a canoe for duck hunting for years that I had painted camo, and when ashore I could tip it on its side against a paddle or something for an instant blind. Seems like you could do the same, even better with this wider boat. Besides the concealment, it affords some shelter from wind and rain too.
Have fun.

[Don Stokes]

Dave, one of my sons is an inch taller and 25# heavier than you, and when he got in my 9' kayak it looked like he was wearing it. A bit top-heavy, he flipped it twice while fooling around. He didn't mention foot room (14's), but he had a little trouble getting out of it when it flipped. I think you're right about needing more room.

I think it was the growth hormones in all those hot dogs he ate while growing up...

[Dave Bulla]

By the way, do any of you guys have pictures of any little boats that you have used successfully for hunting?  Preferably home made from wood as that is my area of interest.

I like the idea of sculling out the back with a single oar but is it noisy?  As small as this boat looks, I expect an ordinary canoe paddle would work if I sit off center a tad.

Do you think a little stubby boat like that would be awfully squirrely and not track very well?  I'm wondering about maybe a rudder to help out with control.

Also, I've seen some pics of little boats like this with detachable wheels or ones that fold up from the sides.  I think a single fixed center wheel on one end would be better than movable side wheels but I'm open to ideas.

[boznarras]

Hey Dave,
If you scull with the oar, it is not too bad on noise if you use an oar with a sleeve around it where it lies in the notch or in the oarlocks. I have some with a rubber sleeve, that just rolls onto the oar, and I also have some where I stitched on a leather sleeve with a baseball stitch. I have seen oars with rope wrapped around them too, with all sorts of fancy knotwork. Not only does a sleeve dampen sound, it protects the finish on the oar and the boat.
You could also line the scull notch with carpet or some such too, if you want to really quiet things down.
Sculling: it takes some practice moving a boat this way, you have to "feather' the blade as it moves back and forth by twisting the handle, sort of like the tail on an alligator does when it swims. The sculling oar acts much like a rudder when you get some forward movement going, by varying the time it is left trailing to one side, and the amount of push you give to each direction as you sweep it side to side. (Maybe you have seen the gondoliers in Venice...)
It can be a very stealthy movement, a lot of duck boats have been designed to be pushed this way with the hunter lying very low in the boat and holding the oar over their shoulder.
I'm sure you could also use a canoe paddle, but will also have to correct course by drawing and J stroking etc.
The tracking could be helped by a skeg on the bottom, on the end opposite the wheel; this would also give protection when grounding the boat. A skeg looks like a fin on the bottom of the boat, starts around the middle of the boat and gradually gets more surface into the water as the hull curves up to the stern; the side area of the skeg resists lateral movement, just like the fletchings on an arrow! (This IS an archery forum, see?)
Often the skeg is capped with a metal strip to keep the skeg from wearing down, half round brass looks nice/traditional, and the smooth metal surface helps the boat slide over stuff when you drag it, like beaver dams and such.
That boat does look like the bottom is curved up at each end (rocker) so it would turn easily. This can be plus for maneuvering, once you get used to the effect, but does let it wander around a bit until you learn how to control it.
Hope this helps.

Walter

[Dave Bulla]

I borrowed this picture from Grabwad.  He posted it on the Pics of Where You Hunt thread.  This is another option I've thought about.  A Cajun piroque.  Can't tell if this one is wood or plastic but I think it's wood.  The setting is typical of some of the places I want to access.

 

Thought about making one of these about 10 or 12 ft long with a wheel on one end but not sure which would work better.

[Paul/KS]

That looks like a wooden boat Dave...
I think you have a good idea there. It would truly expand your hunting area.

[recurvericky]

Dave

Check out Bateau.com. This site has many different boats designs and a very helpful forum. The boats on this site are made with the stitch and glue method which is strong and lite weight. I have built two boats with this method and they are extremely strong. A wheel could easily be added to a progue design.

[bowfiend]

I have to admit you got me. My blood pressure hit dangerous levels just reading the title of the thread.

That's a really novel idea, and something that I never woud have thought about. I know a bunch of people who try tons of different things to get animals out of places - including the river bottom. I don't know anyone who's used something like that.

[sendero25]

Great thread, I have been thinking about adding a small hunting boat myself, I am looking at the aluminum "Sportspal" canoe.
I had one when I was a kid and it is very wide and stable. I used to pole it around in the glades, paddle it and you can make any two paddles into oars. It has integral oar locks.
My new one will have the square stern so I can add a small motor if needed.
It may work for you Dave they come in several sizes and quite a few options.
I think they will make a great hunting boat.
John

[Brian Krebs]

One thing to consider about boat material - is the noise factor. My aluminum row boat makes BIG noise - and I am thinking that a wooden boat has a chance of being quieter ?

 Another thing I noticed from the 'Grabwad' picture- if your in that kind of muddy environment- you might not want to field dress a deer until you get it out of there; or bring plastic bags to put it in ( and take it out of fast or it will spoil).

 I like that wheelbarrow boat idea    

Around the country zebra mussels are becoming a threat; and you have to clean your boats off after use etc. ( there are cleaning stations in areas). I wonder how the wheelbarrow boat and finishes on other boats would be effected by whatever they are cleaning the boats with..?? just a thought.

[Running Buck]

Dave,
I am close to your size with size 13's as well. I used to be one of those people who was addicted to duck hunting. We had a number of small creeks and ponds we would hunt on the Jersey shore. One of the problems is the walk you need to take to get to the out of the way places( like any good hunting spot) I found a small kayak looking boat called the polk boat they are made in either fiberglass or kevlar. The fiberglass model weighs 28 lbs and the kevlar model weighs 22 lbs they are stable and close to being indestructable. The one I have is about 16 or 17 years old so I don't know what the going rate is but they are something worth looking into.
Denis

[J-dog]

That cajun pirogue seems like the deal! Just went and looked at the plans for one - does not look to rough to put together! COurse you might not say that two hours into it!

J

[Dave Bulla]

J-dog, I found a real good site for the cajun piroques a few years back.  Super simple to make.  At least it looks like it but like anything else, you can really do a lot of extra stuff to complicate things.  The standard version is one they call "The 6 hour canoe".

Here's a link.

 http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/

Look around the site and check out "photo's from builders" about 2/3 of the way down the page.  This site and the one from Pygmy boats are the two that really got me to thinking about a home made boat.

[boznarras]

About what Running Buck said- those are called "Poke Boats" and they have a website, pokeboat.com. I have seen these and they are nice rigs. Big cockpit is easy to get in/out of, which is nice if you are wearing hip boots, and also lets you put big stuff (read deer) into the boat.
They are real stable due to width, but that does make them a bit slow to paddle. Not a big concern for hunting use...
They now have carbon fiber versions that is even lighter weight, although it lightens up your wallet a bit more too. And for a few dollars more, they come in camo. You can pick it up with one hand and sit the cockpit rim on your shoulder to walk with it.
There are several sizes and shapes. Some don't haul enough for hunting. But the standard model in carbon fiber weighs 18 pounds and is supposed to carry 450 pounds in the water. The Maxi model weighs 23 lbs in carbon and will carry 500 lbs.
Of course this loses the wheelbarrow function that you were looking at in the wooden punt....plus the fun project of building a boat...but it would be turnkey ready to use!

[Dave Bulla]

Walter,

I've seen the poke boats before for duck hunters I think.  Sort of a wide shallow kayak.  Honestly, I think I'm most interested in the idea of building a wooden boat probably for the same reasons I'm interested in wooden bows.

There's the honest craftsmanship that plastic or factory produced items lack.  There is a history and tradition of use that goes back to simpler times.  There is a certain level of function that, while it may lag behind modern versions in some ways, to me actually surpasses the modern stuff in other ways.  There is a balance of art and function that comes from a versatile design and the ability to customize to suit ones needs. And of course, a "warmth" from both the wood itself and the labor that goes into it and of course a satisfaction of making something useful with your own two hands.

In the end, I ask myself, "Which is more fun, a week or two long project to do with my kids or a trip to the store to buy a plastic boat?"