Thread: Duck Punt

I'd been toying with the idea on making a flat bottomed boat for game bird hunting at the big duck pond. This is a largish area and often quite shallow or large tracts of fairly flat mud so I thought it would be an ideal solution being able to be used as basic boat, a gear sled and maybe even as a make do layout blind with the addition of a cover. The big aim it to make something lighter and easier to manhandle than the old 3m ali dinghy.

A quick look around the garage I discovered some downgrade 6mm ply that has been there 15 odd years and some 45mm x 45mm lengths of pine clears. Right, set for materials for my first rough draft/proof of concept model. The first job was to rip a couple of 4m lengths of the clears down to 20mm x 20mm and 45mm x 20mm (after cleaning up with the planer). Now being a bit lazy I decided I couldn't be bothered dragging one of the saw benches out of the garage so I just used the skilsaw.

Next job was to roughly cut out the bottom, sides and ends from the sheet op ply. It was a bit bowed after the years leaning up against the wall, but near enough. Basically the sides 300mm deep with a 45 at the front, the bottom is 1900 x 600, the front and back are 700 wide at the top for a little more stability and water exclusion, basically I figured that the angle and the bead I'd run around the top might flick the water away rather than in the thing. Any extra trimming I figured I could do as I go.



I used some gorilla glue (expanding polyurethane foam glue activated by water) and ran some of the 20 x 20 along the sides and back of the bottom with a 6mm gap for the ply and used some little flat heads to keep everything in place. Then slapped on the back, then the sides, then the front with the 20mm x 20mm along all the joins. Then finished off with a bit of the 20mm x 20mm around the top with the 45mm x 20mm for the front top and bottom. Then some of the 20mm x 20mm on the bottom for rubbing strips.

[img]http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/a...1e34c.jpg/img]





Got my hands on some free paint thanks to mudgripz




Just need to add a couple of fittings to attach rope to and it will be ready to see if it floats. You can see the bow of the timber in the sides, not helped by me knocking the nails in a bit far. Shouldn't have done that part in the night using the headlamp. Doh! Total cost, excluding the timber already on hand, about $5. If buying the timber about $40-$45 with marine ply or exterior ply.

Looks fun GM. If not like a green coffin too!
My mate used to have one and we put a 25 on the back. Tried to turn around a corner in the river and as you know flat bottom hull and all we went straight into the bank.
Mate was nowhere to be seen when we rose out of the water then he popped up and nearly shit himself when his shoe was floating past his face. He thought he had cut it off on the outboard prop!!
He was fine though if only a bit wet!!! Was a hoot!

Looks good!

Don't forget to add the mountings for a 4g punt gun.

and a cup holder (not tinnie holder 'cos we're not hunting and drinking)

Si

Just put it on the scales and it came in at 16kg, so not too far off the 15kg I was aiming for. The floor is the right length for a foam mat and an offcut in the bow for a layout blind. I'll also add in a couple of spare saddles (from slide bolts) somewhere along it for a slot in gun rest and to rest the doors on when used as a blind. I like the idea of using as a sled come blind which is it's main purpose. On the roof of the truck it should be good as a roof box too, and so easy to handle.

Yeah Gibo the boss laughed when I called it a coffin too, well it was an uneasy laugh. Don't think I'll bother with a motor on this one. Keen to see how bad it is to paddle though.

SiB, I don't think a cup holder will be very conducive to sitting up in a hurry unfortunately. Though I am partial to a nice hot soup on a cold frosty morning, Spanish Tomato seems very popular with a lot of shooters.

Dammit i thought this was goin to be a punt gun thread.

Well done tho, bung and rolocks ?

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Dammit i thought this was goin to be a punt gun thread.

Well done tho, bung and rolocks ?

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

Don't need a bung on something you can tip upside down and paddle with a kayak paddle rather than oars. I know, I used to row and face backwards but at least there was someone steering and looking where we're going. Hate rowing the dinghy, unless I put rear view mirrors on so I can see forward.

140 Johnson on the back and you'll be water skiing on the offcuts

Originally Posted by Maca49

140 Johnson on the back and you'll be water skiing on the offcuts

Na, I'll just transplant the 170 Volvo. I recon the 6mm transom will be up to it. Not sure where I'll sit.

got a 3-4mlength of old dunny breather pipe her if you wanna "t' up the puntgun gadget.plenty of rubbishySTEEL shit in the shed too -make a bloody good load for nailing feral/canadas.need a skateboard and a few old car tubes for the recoil mechanism.Imthinking massive attack leaning into the back of it should stop it flying too far back.

Now you just need to construct a punt gun to go on the front

Punt gun! Hell yes!

Originally Posted by kotuku

got a 3-4mlength of old dunny breather pipe her if you wanna "t' up the puntgun gadget.plenty of rubbishySTEEL shit in the shed too -make a bloody good load for nailing feral/canadas.need a skateboard and a few old car tubes for the recoil mechanism.Imthinking massive attack leaning into the back of it should stop it flying too far back.

Shit, with massive on the back lending a push we may affect the earths rotation.

Where's da cup holder ?

well considering shes a little bigger than 12g and using DIY handloads and technology you can be assured of a fairlyy reasonable sort of bang ,and no c/o malfunctioning italians s on the forum.plus if we run short of shot we could always load a few of massives goosecalls in the oldgirl.
its massive or telephone poles to anchor the thing and telephone poles dont walk into position.actually add gsp follower as a second anchor -hes also got a fairly decent girth to absorb the loadings.