# boat blind plans



## just ducky

Anybody got any basic plans for building your own boat blind?....or just pictures of yours so I can get some ideas? I'm fairly new to hunting the open water, so I made one a few years ago for my 14 ft boat from PVC pipe. Problem is, it doesn't fold down...I have to pop it apart to lay it flat. I hang Fastgrass mats off of it once I get to the water. It's okay, but it's kind of flimsy. I basically take it down after each hunt because driving with it in place would beat the heck out of it. I'm thinking of rebuilding it with metal conduit, or somehow making it more substantial so that I can drive with it in place. Looking for any advice people have. :help:


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## duckwingjim

I built a boat blind that closely resembles the fastgrass blind by mudd buddy for a fraction of the cost. I took 1.5 inch pipe and bent it with a pipe bender in order to make 2 "u" shaped sides. I then made brackets for the front and back so the unit could be put on and removed easliy. I attached Real-Grass mats to the runners and the side of the boat. Two clips are the only thing that holds the blind in the upright possition. We leave it on all season and can still park the boat in our stake blind garage. When we are running the blind lays flat against the gunnals. This blind is deadly on mallards and open water applications for divers.


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## chuckinduck

In my honest opinion a fixed blind that doesnt collapse works the best. Ive used the pop up deals and fixed blinds and prefer the fixed blinds. They seem to be easier to use and lack of moving parts and pins means lack of on the water problems of things breaking or getting lost. When I say fixed I mean the framework stays up all the time. I used 1" aluminum stock tubing to make mine. Its very light and strong as you would ever need. I leave it on the whole season and have never had a problem trailering it as it is very very sturdy. It is kinda hard to explain how I made it but I don't think you can go wrong with the setup I use. All I do is slap the fast grass on when I get out there and i am ready to go. I basically have 6 posts supporting the top rail.....three on each side of the boat roughly 5 feet apart with brackets holding the top rail. The bottom rail that hooks to the boat is 2" X 2" treated lumber that the 6 posts hook too via brackets......I then just fasten the lumber to boat via c clamps and its all ready for the year.....very fast, very simple, very strong and very affordable. And with the fast grass VERY DEADLY!! Hope that helps!


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## just ducky

chuckinduck said:


> In my honest opinion a fixed blind that doesnt collapse works the best. Ive used the pop up deals and fixed blinds and prefer the fixed blinds. They seem to be easier to use and lack of moving parts and pins means lack of on the water problems of things breaking or getting lost. When I say fixed I mean the framework stays up all the time. I used 1" aluminum stock tubing to make mine. Its very light and strong as you would ever need. I leave it on the whole season and have never had a problem trailering it as it is very very sturdy. It is kinda hard to explain how I made it but I don't think you can go wrong with the setup I use. All I do is slap the fast grass on when I get out there and i am ready to go. I basically have 6 posts supporting the top rail.....three on each side of the boat roughly 5 feet apart with brackets holding the top rail. The bottom rail that hooks to the boat is 2" X 2" treated lumber that the 6 posts hook too via brackets......I then just fasten the lumber to boat via c clamps and its all ready for the year.....very fast, very simple, very strong and very affordable. And with the fast grass VERY DEADLY!! Hope that helps!



Sounds very similar to the one I made, only I used PVC thinking it would be lighter....dumb move, because it's just not as sturdy as aluminum tubing like you use. But I also used 6 supports...three each side, connected to the boat with a bracket at the rail. The top frame has PVC joints built into it, and the upright supports just pop into them. Maybe I'll just modify what I have a bit, because it really does work well. The only reason I thought about making a fold down version was because with the fixed frame, it's tougher to climb through and around the frame when you're loading, setting it up, etc. Thanks for the ideas.


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## brdhntr

Take a look at this one. Would be pretty simple to make and at a fraction of
the cost. Northern Flight blind


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## lwingwatcher

Does anybody know where you can get the C clamps with the big plastic knobs?


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## Ken Martin

Lwing,

Go to www.duckboats.net and go to the "Readers rigs" section. You might get some ideas from there.

Ken


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## just ducky

brdhntr said:


> Take a look at this one. Would be pretty simple to make and at a fraction of
> the cost. Northern Flight blind


brdhntr-
That's exactly the picture that got me thinking about this. I was skimming the Cabela's waterfowling catalog and saw it. My fixed blind works fine, but that fold down version sure would be nice. I'm too cheap to pay that for it though :lol:


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## Steelfishin

Dude - I tried and had lots of help building homemade blind frames before and one thing is sure, next year you're back at it rebuilding it! I spent the money on the Northern Flight Blind and haven't looked back. The instructions are easy to follow and its so darn simple to put together but I don't need to improve anything on it. The C-clamps you mentioned didn't even leave a scratch in the side of the boat, like I figured they would do. I take the blind off after the 2nd of Jan and put it back on very quickly in late September. The fast grass can stay on the frame while in storage (garage), transport, or hunting, which is something I couldn't do while building my own frames. Like a wise man once said, "whats one more drink to a drunk man?"   By the way, it's your turn for the round of drinks, so don't go cheap!   Talk more later - MattBastard Kerr Custom Rods and Taxidermy.


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## Mike L

Ducky ? You have the right Idea just the wrong material. Been there etc.
Go to the Alum, or conduit and you'll be good to go. We used conduit and a little torch to heat and bend everything in place. Put curves to match the boat. Fast grass and it's a done deal. Bums me out we sold it.......


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## Bow Hunter Brandon

brdhntr said:


> Take a look at this one. Would be pretty simple to make and at a fraction of
> the cost. Northern Flight blind


JD, I am biulding onr of these for my small boat this season a few tips and then Ill pm you some sights that you can take a look at. Use furnature casters and bold those in some way to the boat upside down. remove the bolt through the wheel and remove the wheel then use the bolt through the end of the tubing. This way the tube will not bind because the caster can spin and pivot. Use 3/4 inch or if weight isnt a factor 1" electical conduit. Then just build the sissor style blind and last on the fast grass. You can fold it down when moving or on the road. 
Ill send you the links.


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## song_dog_slammer

Steelfishin,
When you are underway to your favorite duck spot do you have trouble with the fast grass mats getting soaked with spray? I ask because I have built 3 boat frames in as many years and may go commercial next time. I liked the northern flight blind but I could see the mats, on the gunnels getting hit hard with sray at least where I hunt. how is the concealment from the top?

-S_D_S


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## Steelfishin

S_D_S - in answer to your question about getting the mats soaked, no the spray from the boat doesn't effect them at all. I blind when stored in the closed position lays on top of the boat and the fast grass mats are folded up inside the blind itself. One of two improvements I added was using a camo rubberized material as both a wind/rain breaker before I added the fast grass to the outside of the blind. That way I had added barrier and this helped not only while it was set up and hunting but on the trips in and out as a barrier from the spray. I run this set-up on my 17.5 ft tracker grizzly duck boat and have used it in the bay as well inland lakes. As for the above viewing of the ducks what we found was to take bungie cords and stretch them from side to side across the top and then lay in the extra grass mats to reduce being busted from the topside. Just leave enough room to stand up and take em!    If you want to talk more just drop me a line. Matt "Kerr Custom Rods and Taxidermy"


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## just ducky

Bow Hunter Brandon said:


> JD, I am biulding onr of these for my small boat this season a few tips and then Ill pm you some sights that you can take a look at. Use furnature casters and bold those in some way to the boat upside down. remove the bolt through the wheel and remove the wheel then use the bolt through the end of the tubing. This way the tube will not bind because the caster can spin and pivot. Use 3/4 inch or if weight isnt a factor 1" electical conduit. Then just build the sissor style blind and last on the fast grass. You can fold it down when moving or on the road.
> Ill send you the links.


Brandon,
Where do you find the folding "hinge" connectors in the middle? I've looked some but can't seem to find any that might work.


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## just ducky

song_dog_slammer said:


> Steelfishin,
> When you are underway to your favorite duck spot do you have trouble with the fast grass mats getting soaked with spray? I ask because I have built 3 boat frames in as many years and may go commercial next time. I liked the northern flight blind but I could see the mats, on the gunnels getting hit hard with sray at least where I hunt. how is the concealment from the top?
> 
> -S_D_S


S D S-
The spray is an issue, at least with my boat. Seems to kick up quite a bit of spray, and those mats get heavy when wet. I don't like to motor with the stuff in place unless it's calm as glass. I typically don't hook the fastgrass up until we stop at the spot where we intend to hunt. It stays rolled up in the boat until then. Then two of us just roll it out and hang it around the frame. Takes just a minute to get it done.


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## song_dog_slammer

JUst Ducky,
That sounds like our standard operating procedure as well. I hope this frame lasts longer than the our previous pvc frame. Currently my design is 1/2" conduit. I placed a 1/8" luan (under fiberglass) top on it to fend of some of the elements as well as retain the heat from the stove/cooker. then of course hang our mats via bungies. I would if purchasing comercial blinds, the Northern flight, until then I'm a do-it-your-self-kinda-boat-design guy. I'm cheap not poor.


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## Bow Hunter Brandon

just ducky said:


> Brandon,
> Where do you find the folding "hinge" connectors in the middle? I've looked some but can't seem to find any that might work.


you mean to pivot the botom of the tube correct?


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## just ducky

Bow Hunter Brandon said:


> you mean to pivot the botom of the tube correct?


In the picture that was previously posted http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...alog/item-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=search&hasJS=true

The arms of the blind "hinge" at the bottom so it folds down. I think that's also what you described. So my question is, does anyone know where to find those hinges, or do you just make your own from standard materials you can find?


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## Bow Hunter Brandon

Ok Ill try to answer this with some "aquired" pictures 

This first picture is of the furnature casters you can buy at home depot and remove the wheels to insert the pipe.









This next one is a suport rod they built that pops in and out of place with the over sized plastic. 










This third is it all grassed up.


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## BaRtMaN

Here is plans that make a super nice blind. I made one very similar to this. Just click on the boat blind button.
http://pages.pathwaynet.com/~bketner/howto.htm


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