AH........100 views....no replies........y'all are being too nice......maybe a little skeptical, too.
I have a little more Velcro to add here and there….and I have to ‘mud’ the fore, aft, and starboard camo panels (nets)…..and there’s some detail work around the bow that I have to do with the nets ‘on’ the boat……..but I’m getting close to finishing this project.
The aft (rear) hoop is stored on the floor right in front of the drop deck. The fore (front) hoop folds flat on the deck allowing access to the deck hatch. Each hoop has their respective nets ‘on’ them.
Set-up:
Insert the aft hoop in the eyebolts….
Hook the transfer lines to the lift brackets on the motor…..(new aluminum ‘take-up’ blocks)
Hang dog ladder off hunt deck (not shown because of trailer bunk) and secure with spud pole – hook-up the cord that supports the nets over the dog perch.
Undo the Velcro on the nets and roll’em out onto the motor after muffler cools-off.
Undo Velcro off side nets – raise the front hoop (and net), and hook each end of the top cords on the side nets into the eyelets on the hoops. Push the bottom of each side net over the gunwale until the perimeter cord snaps under the gunwale (under it’s own tension). I’ve also installed some Velcro in 4 places along the underside of the gunwales on both sides that match-up to Velcro on the bottom inside of the side nets.
Put seat brackets and seats in place……(get guns, gear, etc. out, and situated)
Pull the cover flaps from fore, aft, and port side nets and Velcro them to the side nets…..
Interior view…..
(Those Easton 2018 shafts are for when the nets get wet and have a tendency to sag because of that 10' -8" span on the parachute cord. A 300# MM can only put so much tension on the cords. So, the arrow shafts can be 'knocked' onto the top cord to cut the 'sagging' span in 3rd's. The net behind the guns is the only one with Cordura on it to resist wind and rain. Everything else is die-cut nylap on lightweight mesh netting.)
Pull starboard (14”) and port (6”) side flaps over the top
That's it.
Rear Oblique.....
Front Oblique...('mudding' is a must!......that front net is WAY too shiney, eh?)
'Kinda looks like a big-ugly alligator.
'Gator Blind', maybe?
Keep in mind, we stick cane up all around the boat before we start putting the blind up. And before we pull all the flaps over the 30” x 10’- 8” clear opening, we pull natural grass out of a decoy bag and sprinkle it on all surfaces. (Stubble straps will help hold it in place on windy days). Then when it gets close to shooting time, we pull the flaps over the top, and finish grassing everything. Nothing but our heads (including the dog’s head) are sticking out of the blind, and as long as you don’t whip’em around too much, ducks usually never know we’re there. The cane we put behind us is usually taller and hangs over our heads a bit - to give us a bit of a canopy.....and break-up our outline.
What are the 3 holes on the bow net for?.......(view of front hoop folded flat)…….
…….removeable light bar and power receptacle……
And here’s the blind folded-up, ready for
‘running’ That sheet rubber flap on the bottom of the light bar is so I can't see the glare off the bow surface in front of the lights.
It's by no means perfect, but it works well for us. Maybe it'll give you some ideas this Fall when you get ready to put a blind on your boat at the last minute.