"The Boat"

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR LARGER IMAGE
It all started with a Lund SV16 -20HP Merc and a Shorelander trailer from sixty lakes marine.I remember there was a scratch on the motor cover and saying "no big deal its all going to get camo painted anyway" well 6 years later the motor still not painted (just couldn't come to defacing motor by the time i got home !) i have added a stow-away compartment under seat ,bow platform ,battery,lights,bilge pump,compass,wood floor and blind.
I finally did add camo paint to the boat last year

Here is the story about the blind
I have changed the boat blind 3 times with tweaks in between-my first thought was to be able to assemble blind out in hunting spot but it soon became too many parts that would have to be assembled

"TAKE 1"
I used 1" and 1 1/4" square stock aluminum that could be inserted into each other -all the bending of stock was done by heating it with a torch and held by a vice-the idea was to create a hoop and hang camo like a curtain that could be pulled closed when at hunting spots and so i attached blind to boat with minimal fasteners so that it would be easily removable after season
Problems with this blind were top to open -too tall-wrong camo -but still shot ducks from it !

"TAKE 2"
Around this time i saw the camo called fastgrass and had to have it

At this time i added a center rail-small screw stubbs that hung off of rail to allow the fastgrass to hang on - draped the fastgrass over the top leaving a shooting hole open -it sets quite nicely in catails almost invisible !

This blind in "take 2" had plenty of room (just look at sleeping beauty in pic above ) But the profile was still to high and the fixed center rail was sort of a pain -so onto "take 3"

"TAKE 3"
I started off by by dropping the height 10 inches and removed the center rail -which was replaced by 2 removable offset rails -leaving a center shooting lane
Around this time i also cut the front of the blind off allowing the camo drop down to the bow- giving a nice profile when camo has been added

"Season over"

In closing i believe that i will never be finished with the boat -which is fine with me -playing with the boat during the off-season is just as enjoyable for me !

"My next challenge"

TRANSPORTING THE LAYOUT BOAT
I think that i will try to make some sort of outrigger to transport when in water-
it takes too much room up in the boat and it wont be as dangerous
trying to pull layout back up into boat.