Fixed position "drive-in" style boat blind ideas?

[Barq's]

I want to build a couple of fixed position, as in location, boat blinds where you will basically drive the boat inside the blind and hunt out of the boat....Do any of you have any ideas of how you would do something like this or have you hunted out of any that you could give insight on? I have had floating blinds where we had a "lean to" off the back to hide the boat and also "T" type blinds where the boat hide was to the rear and again, you got out of the boat and hunted the blind...What I'm wanting to do is to keep the profile as small as possible and to do that, I need to keep the whole package the size of the boat....

What I am thinking is angle iron legs with hog panels on angles of about 35-45 degrees....I'd be using the hog panels to attach brush too....any ideas or pics of this style?

Thanks,
Barq

[Anatidae]

That brings back memories of some SW LA marsh blinds we hunted from in the 60's.....out of 14' jon boats.

We just took 2x4's and pointed them and pounded them into the mud. Then put a door on one end and covered the whole thing in chicken wire. All this is much more portable than iron and panels, although less durable. Pull your boat up in there and clamp it to the frame for added stability. 'Only draw-back to wood is - it burns easier than iron.

If you wanted to get REAL fancy, you could frame a floor to run your boat up under as you got to the blind - but that always created potential for wasp nest and spiders.

'Wish I'd been inclined to take photos back then.

[southernfire97]

We sink square hay bales, stake them in place with PVC conduit and jab cattails and marsh grass in it. They will grow in the bales. Cheap and easy. We come off the bank with a big L design, and that gives you somewhere to pull into.

[Anatidae]

[slayem]

I've seen 8" PVC capped with it seems like t post or angle iron attached to it somehow and framed in nicely and it floats!

[Blake Williamson]

Made one from conduite and 5gallon buckets for $40 Want some pictures let me know I can get you some.

[Anatidae]

I am fascinated by the concept and engineering of this blind from 'Stump52' of KY, from the Refuge forums......

Here's a link to his write-up about the blind built by a guy in his 80's now.....that's been on this lake for years. You can tell the old guy had some understanding of floatation/ballast, construction, and logistics. Really amazing ideas to me, but obviously pretty routine for it's designer.

http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=944986&highlight=ballast



Here's a view on land:



It's basically a 16' x 8' x 5' x 1/2" steel box (the above view shows the 8' side of the gunner's box) with a long outrigger (everything to the left of the box in the photo).

If you think of a 'T'.......the boat bay is the stem of the 'T', and the gunner's box is the top of the 'T'.

You pull-up to the gate on the end of the outrigger section.......



open the gate.......


(view in 'dry-dock' / field)^^^

...........step-up onto a walkway (on top) that extends to the blind box.

You push the boat under the outrigger and close the gate. The area where the boat is moored appears to be lined with a rubber material - probably to protect the boat from the structure in choppy conditions and to keep any resulting splash from going into the boat. 'Stump52' says they get 2' swells on the lake sometimes.


^^^View of boat bay^^^ - catwalk on right side, above bay. I haven't figured-out what the vertical tube is, with the lid on it.........septic tank, maybe?

The concrete blocks on the front and back (16' long dimension - photos, above and below) sides of the blind box are ballast.......



.........and holds the steel box 'down' at a certain depth in the water.


^^^Front view of 16' long gunner's box ^^^

I think that's one of the motor mounts in the right foreground - there's another one on the left corner for dual motors to push this thing out onto the lake. I suspect the other box on this side of the blind is a dog box. Imagine what it took to figure-out the depths everything had to be and how much ballast would accomplish that, to make sure water didn't spill-in somewhere.....like the dog box and the tunnel under the skirt, over to the gunner's box for bird delivery.

The write-up indicates this blind is anchored by 1/2" steel galvanized cables to 5 tractor tires filled with concrete. That in itself would take some 'doing'. I've tried doing stuff from a boat.....and it's not easy. I think the lake-bed goes dry and then the water comes-up during the Winter months.

I realize this is probably more involved than most folks would attempt........but thought it worth sharing on here.

I have catalogued this in my brain for future reference......... You can learn a lot from these old guys - I have no doubt (from this blind) he was very passionate about his waterfowling, and can just imagine some of the stories he has to tell.