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Building a KARA Hummer Layout Duck Boat

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335K views 72 replies 14 participants last post by  DustyMark 
#1 ·
Building the Lower Frame

The Requirement

I moved back to MN in June 2014, after nearly 30 years away, and my brother quickly introduced me to duck hunting. We're not on any of the major flyways here, so we need to put everything in our favor possible. We read about the advantages of layout boats in providing maximum concealment from wary ducks and talked about it in the duck blind all last season. Our hunting party consists of my brother, my nephew, and me and we decided to build three one-man layout boats.

The Boat

We chose the KARA Hummer, a very popular and reasonably simple boat to build. Follow this link to, Rob Leonard's, web site. The boat is 14' long, has a beam of 45 1/2", is 11 1/14" deep not counting the skegs, and often weighs in at about 120 pounds. It is supposedly very stable as a shooting platform. I plan to propel it in open water with oars that I will make from Chesapeake Light Craft plans . Once we get into the wild rice, I will propel it with a Superstick fiberglass push pole .

The Materials

Each builder will chose materials based on availability and budget. I bought premium white pine from Menards, when it was on sale a few months ago, for the framework. It is free of knots and quite light, but it is pretty soft. I chose 1/4" Marine Douglas fir plywood for the skin that I special ordered from Menards at $35 per sheet delivered. I'm trying Raka epoxy for the first time and will glass the inside surfaces of the boat with 2.3 oz. cloth, while the outer surfaces will receive 6 oz. cloth.

The Builder

I'm a fairly experienced boat builder. I've built two kayaks from plans, one kayak from a kit, and a small ski boat from a plan. I'll depart from the plan occasionally to incorporate techniques from past builds.

Frame

The plan calls for 3/4" by 13' 11" boards for the gunnels. Other blogs speak of these breaking while torturing them into shape. I decided to laminate my gunnels from two layers of 3/8" wood to make the bend easier and eliminate drama during assembly. I also chose to scarf 8' boards together to meet the length requirement. These choices added extra steps, but were worth it.



The ribs and end pieces are dry fit with screws to the gunnels.



I paused the build to construct a pair of simple, sturdy saw horses.



The lower frame is assembled with screws and epoxy. All the clamps were needed to laminate the two layers of the gunnels.

Next

In the next installment, I'll assemble the upper frame.
 

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#57 ·
Fabricating the Flip Blind Door Frames

Overview

I've enjoyed using the layout boat for fishing, but duck season is only a month away and it's time to finish the final stages of making this boat "disappear" from wary ducks in the marsh. That involves fabricating flip blind doors, a dog blind, and brushing out the entire boat. Fabricating the flip blind door frames requires head brackets, foot brackets, and tubular framing.

Head Brackets

Wood Gas Flooring Composite material Automotive exterior


Both aluminum crossbars attach to brackets screwed to the cockpit frame.

Wood Automotive exterior Motor vehicle Wheel Vehicle


I raised the head bracket 5" with a wood block screwed to the crossbar. This gives enough clearance for my chest even with a life vest and a down coat on. The crossbar is held in place to the bracket with a push pin. I used bimini hinges to secure the doors. These hinges are screwed in place. Notice that I cut one end off the base of the bimini hinge to put it closer to the edge so the door frame rests lower when it is flipped open.

Hood Automotive tire Trunk Motor vehicle Wood


The door frame is held in place to the bimini hinge with a pin. The bimini fitting at the end of the tubing is held in place with a 10-24 machine screw and a locking nut.

Foot Brackets

Wood Bumper Automotive exterior Gas Road surface


The foot crossbar is similar to the one at the head. The hinges are attached with small machine screws and nuts at the outermost ends and with 3/16" rivets at the inner end.

Hood Automotive tire Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Bumper


The wood screwed to the foot crossbar holds the flip blind doors at the ideal height and keeps the door frames separated by about 1/2".

Tubular Framing

I wanted my flip blind doors to be light so that when I flip them open, they don't beat up the bimini hinges too much. I opted to use 3/4" aluminum tubing. This proved a challenge since it slipped while bending it using a conduit bender. My brother did the bending and with a little struggle, we produced two good door frames from two 8' sticks of aluminum tubing.

Wood Composite material Gas Engineering Machine


View from the stern.

Gas Machine Automotive design Engineering Motor vehicle


Quartering view from stern. NOTE: I'll paint the crossbars and wood attachments once we're done sewing the door covers.

Wood Automotive exterior Engineering Machine Naval architecture


View from port side. NOTE: An option to consider is orienting the flip blind doors opposite from your oar locks. This would allow a person to chase cripples without removing the doors. I may flip mine around eventually, but I epoxied the brackets to the cockpit sides and will leave them in the current orientation for now. The next two boats will run in this reverse orientation. My brother thought of that today…it's nice for him that his and my nephew's boats aren't the prototype!!!

Camouflage Considerations

Our goal with the flip blind doors and dog blind is to make gradual transitions that create minimal shadow. This had to be balanced with the requirement to have our head at a comfortable height for spotting ducks in flight and also fit our body under the door frames with a life vest and heavy coat. I think we've achieved this with our doors. The door fabric will extend to the outer edge of the gunnels to ease the transition along the cockpit, provide a place to hide my oars, and also allow our arms to rest on the side deck or cockpit edge and still remain concealed.

Next

In the next installment I'll discuss modifying a trailer to transport three of these layout boats.
 

Attachments

#58 ·
Triple-Stack Trailer Modification

Overview

The three layout boats are done and we modified my brother's trailer to haul all three of them in a stacked configuration. Our set-up requires a frame to hold three boats, a set of ramps, and a cart.

Frame

The frame is constructed with pressure treated 2Ă—4's held together with bolts and lag screws. Each bunk has a strip of wood that mates with the outside edge of the runners of the layout boat. This helps keep the boat aligned on the bunks.

The frame is connected to the trailer with four 1/2" bolts. The lower bunks fit between the bunks for the regular duck boat so all my brother has to do to reconfigure the trailer is remove the frame and reinstall the original bunks.

Wheel Tire Vehicle Tree Shade


We load the boats from top down and unload them from the bottom up. Eyebolts provide points to attach the tie-down straps.

Ramps

At 160 pounds, these boats are too heavy to readily lift onto the second and third cradle. Our method is to use ramps and bring the boat up the ramps with the cart.

Plant Road surface Asphalt Wood Tree


The ramps are constructed of pressure treated, 10' long, 2Ă—12's and are reinforced beneath with a 2Ă—4. I already owned a set of ramp caps to hold the ramps in position.

Wheel Tire Outdoor bench Tree Wood


The ramp angle for the second level is reasonable. It is quite steep for the third level, but two guys can haul it up with the cart without too much fuss.

Cart

The cart is essential to moving these heavy boats up the ramp safely.

Wheel Tire Vehicle Automotive tire Tread


Wheel Tire Tree Automotive tire Vehicle


See my previous blog entry for details about the cart. I will install an eye bolt in the front edge of the cart frame. This will provide a tie-down point to rope the cart in position once the boat is at the right height in relationship to the cradle.

We're looking forward to launching all three boats together for the first time!

Next

In the next installment I'll discuss sewing the flip blind doors.
 

Attachments

#59 ·
Sewing the Flip Blind Doors

Overview

With all the framework complete for the flip blind doors, it was time to sew Cordura nylon to the frames. I made the plunge and bought a heavy duty sewing machine that I'd considered for many years.

Wood Cap Engineering Power tool Baseball cap


This is the Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 sewing machine. I considered this a major tool purchase and it will definitely make it easier to outfit these three layout boats. Here's a link to Sailrite Kits for more information on the machine.

Material Selection

We chose 1000D Cordura Nylon in Coyote Brown for the main panels from a vendor on E-Bay. We found 9/16" webbing for the brushing straps at a good price from an E-Bay vendor. We purchased the rest of the material online from Rockywoods Outdoors. Here's a link to Rockywoods Outdoor Fabrics. The binding is 1" Grosgrain Ribbon, Mil-Spec 5038, Stiff. We used 3/4" webbing and buckles for fastening the door edges to the gunnel. The mesh panel over the face area is Mil-Spec Heavyweight Mesh fabric.

Fabrication

I modeled the flip blind doors after quality blinds for field hunting geese. The mesh panel in the face area helps hide your hands and face while calling ducks in.

Hood Sleeve Khaki Beige Tent


I added 12 gauge wire from some scrap remaining after wiring the basement to make the mesh panel moldable. I worked this between the binding edge. NOTE: On subsequent doors, I'll run the wire deeper into the binding of the door frame to add rigidity and durability to the transition area of the mesh panel and the door.

Wood Bag Tire Shotgun Luggage and bags


View of face panel with door open.

Hood Motor vehicle Khaki Wood Automotive exterior


Three rows of brushing straps provide a place to attach natural or artificial vegetation. The entire boat will be covered with Avery Killer Weed.

Brown Hood Motor vehicle Khaki Bag


A 12" flap extends over the open foot area to cover my feet. NOTE: The square stitching pattern in the lower left of the picture is a double layer of Cordura reinforcement where the door chafes against the oarlock socket.

Motor vehicle Automotive design Automotive exterior Wood Engineering


Brown Textile Sleeve Wood Beige


I extended the second layer of material from the frame edges to the hinge points to beef up the whole assembly. The lower edges are held in with three tabs of Velcro. The frame edges are stabilized with stitching to prevent the panel from falling into the water when the door is flipped open.

Sleeve Wood Beige Tints and shades Hardwood


Three buckles hold the flip blind door to the gunnel edge. This is a view of the buckle at the stern.

Wood Denim Hardwood Flooring Automotive exterior


View of bow buckle. These buckles allow me to store my fancy oars out of sight of the ducks and outside the cockpit.

Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Hood


Good view of prototype door.

Wheel Tire Bicycle Automotive tire Bicycle tire


The highest point on this door assembly is only 16 1/2" above the waterline.

Sewing Challenges

This portion of the project is highly custom work and the sewing is quite involved. Four Rivers and MoMarsh both sell flip blind door kits worth considering. I wanted to sit up a little higher for more comfortable viewing, so I opted to make our own custom doors.

Coming up with a design that worked took a lot of trial and error. I had never sewed anything prior to this project and warmed up by sewing the two seat cushions and two layout boards before proceeding to the layout doors. I'm happy with how the prototype turned out and am convinced that the next five doors will turn out even better. I wouldn't attempt this project without a heavy duty sewing machine and a binding attachment. The binding produces clean edges avoiding the extra work of folding over and pinning the raw edges.

Next

In the next installment, I'll discuss sewing the brushing panels for the bow and stern.
 

Attachments

#60 ·
Sewing the Bow and Stern Brushing Panels

Overview

The entire boat will be covered in Avery Killer Weed blind grass. The flip blind doors accommodate attachment via the brushing straps. I chose a heavy duty mesh material for the bow and stern of the boat. Small zip ties easily push through the mesh to fasten the grass anywhere on the surface.

Brushing Panels

My main objective is that the entire blind system be easy to install in the dark. These panels are each fastened with three buckles.

Hood Luggage and bags Bag Wood Beige


One buckle at the bow. Notice the binding that covers the ragged edge of the mesh.

Wood Automotive exterior Bumper Rectangle Grille


One buckle at each corner.

Dog Luggage and bags Bag Carnivore Dog breed


Copper will walk over the grass to begin a retrieve. However, I'll release a buckle on whichever side he returns and roll the grass back so that he doesn't tear it up when he returns with a bird. This will also give him better grip with his claws in the carpet.

Hood Wood Sleeve Dress shirt Grey


I cut openings around the anchor pole sleeve, anchor cleat, and bilge outlet. Each of these is reinforced with binding.

Table Wood Hood Automotive design Bumper


View of entire panel.

Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Hood


Brush from the foot of the flip blind door will overlap the bow brushing panel to avoid any gaps in coverage.

Assessment

I'm pleased with the qualities of these panels. They are flexible enough to roll up for transport and storage and yet are heavy enough to hopefully survive years of abuse. Here's a link to Rockywoods Outdoor Fabrics, my source for this material.

Next

In the next installment I'll discuss building the dog blind frame.
 

Attachments

#61 ·
Sewing the Bow and Stern Brushing Panels

Overview

The entire boat will be covered in Avery Killer Weed blind grass. The flip blind doors accommodate attachment via the brushing straps. I chose a heavy duty mesh material for the bow and stern of the boat. Small zip ties easily push through the mesh to fasten the grass anywhere on the surface.

Brushing Panels

My main objective is that the entire blind system be easy to install in the dark. These panels are each fastened with three buckles.



One buckle at the bow. Notice the binding that covers the ragged edge of the mesh.



One buckle at each corner.



Copper will walk over the grass to begin a retrieve. However, I'll release a buckle on whichever side he returns and roll the grass back so that he doesn't tear it up when he returns with a bird. This will also give him better grip with his claws in the carpet.



I cut openings around the anchor pole sleeve, anchor cleat, and bilge outlet. Each of these is reinforced with binding.



View of entire panel.



Brush from the foot of the flip blind door will overlap the bow brushing panel to avoid any gaps in coverage.

Assessment

I'm pleased with the qualities of these panels. They are flexible enough to roll up for transport and storage and yet are heavy enough to hopefully survive years of abuse. Here's a link to Rockywoods Outdoor Fabrics, my source for this material.

Next

In the next installment I'll discuss building the dog blind frame.
Mark, that is a gorgeous boat. Wish I knew someone around here like you. I'd have an honest to God Duck hunting partner.
 

Attachments

#63 ·
Fabricating the Dog Blind Frame

Overview

The only portion of the boat remaining to be covered is the dog blind area in the stern of the cockpit. Copper is pretty small, so I didn't leave him a whole lot of room to "nest." The height is just enough for my head to clear when I sit up. Copper can lay down or sit with his head lowered. Allowing him full seated head clearance would defeat the purpose of a layout boat.

Tire Wheel Hood Automotive tire Vehicle


Construction

I built the frame from 3/4" aluminum tubing and bimini fittings.

Wood Hardwood Wood stain Machine Gas


The tubing is bent to a radius of 13" to allow clearance for the bimini hardware and is mounted to the cross bar assembly with one-sided 1/2" EMT clamps.

Bicycle frame Bicycle fork Bicycle part Automotive tire Bicycle accessory


The struts attach to the top tube with 3/4" nylon jaw slides that I purchased from Sailrite Kits. These made fabrication a whole lot easier.

Automotive tire Automotive lighting Bumper Automotive exterior Floor


The struts attach to the outside edge of the cockpit inside 7/8" aluminum tubing that is clamped in place with two-sided 3/4" EMT clamps.

Bicycle tire Bicycle frame Bicycle fork Automotive tire Fender


The nylon jaw sliders came with a set screw. I removed the set screw and riveted the slider in place with a 3/16" rivet. That will be much more secure.

Assembly

The frame is a simple design and folds up nicely.

Gas Automotive exterior Composite material Electrical wiring Wire


The struts can fold out.

Luggage and bags Automotive lighting Automotive exterior Gas Bag


I think I prefer them folded in. The mesh will be permanently sewn to the frame and the folded in position will likely cause the least hassle with the mesh and the Killerweed brushing material.

Automotive design Automotive tire Engineering Gas Flooring


Assembly begins with the struts folded.

Automotive tire Automotive design Engineering Flooring Machine


Unfold the struts.

Wood Flooring Engineering Gas Machine


Place struts in rear clamps.

Gas Engineering Composite material Machine Flooring


Place crossbar into the cockpit clamps and insert retention pins. The flip blind doors would be installed next.

Assessment

It took some trial and error to get the bends I wanted, but aluminum is pretty easy to work in the conduit bender. It's important that the struts line up without binding. If they bind, assembly of the crossbar is difficult. I eventually attained a nice fit without any binding.

Wheel Tire Automotive tire Hood Bumper


Wheel Tire Hood Motor vehicle Automotive tire


The profile of the blind from the stern is rather abrupt. I plan to ease this transition by extending the mesh that covers the dog blind to about the midpoint of the rear deck.

Next

In the next installment I'll discuss sewing the dog blind.
 

Attachments

#64 ·
Sewing the Dog Blind

Overview

I've only sewn for a week now and getting this dog blind right was quite the challenge for a rookie like me. However, I eventually prevailed! My goal was to establish a good profile that would hold even after adding the Avery Killerweed.

Modeling

The blind has a complex shape, so I did some modeling to establish a pattern.

Tire Dog Wheel Comfort Carnivore


I began with the actual material draped over the frame, but this wasn't very helpful. Copper wasn't too excited about getting into the blind at first.

Tire Automotive tire Wheel Electrician Automotive design


I eventually got him in there.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Motor vehicle Hood


I used a light tarp that was wrapped around my marine plywood delivery. I pinned the shape from the outside to experiment with what made good lines. I eventually used these pieces as rough patterns.

Features

Dog Dog breed Carnivore Fawn Working animal


I designed the dog blind so that Copper can see clearly out the bow by looking over my shoulder. He has a marginal view through the mesh and brushing material. It's a tight fit, but he settles down nicely.

Wood Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Grass Bag


I like Copper's position safely behind me. NOTE: I removed the wire from the mesh in the flip blind door that helps hide my face. It was more of a bother than a benefit.

Brown Sleeve Tent Bag Luggage and bags


The drop into this blind from the rear deck isn't the easiest even for a small dog like Copper. I made entry and exit easier by installing a zipper. The zipper also gives me access to the anchor pole slot and the anchor cleat. I can easily reach over the dog blind to access the buckles and the zipper.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Hood Vehicle


I like the lines of the blind. Six buckles around the perimeter hold the mesh and help keep the blind's shape. My head clears the front bar by about an inch.

Sleeve Khaki Beige Collar Bag


View from stern.

Assessment

Designing and sewing the blind was a pain, but the final product made the effort worthwhile. I need to sew my other flip blind door and then I'll brush the boat.

Next

In the next installment I'll discuss brushing the boat with Avery Killer Weed.
 

Attachments

#65 ·
Sewing the Dog Blind

Overview

I've only sewn for a week now and getting this dog blind right was quite the challenge for a rookie like me. However, I eventually prevailed! My goal was to establish a good profile that would hold even after adding the Avery Killerweed.

Modeling

The blind has a complex shape, so I did some modeling to establish a pattern.

Tire Dog Wheel Comfort Carnivore


I began with the actual material draped over the frame, but this wasn't very helpful. Copper wasn't too excited about getting into the blind at first.

Tire Automotive tire Wheel Electrician Automotive design


I eventually got him in there.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Motor vehicle Hood


I used a light tarp that was wrapped around my marine plywood delivery. I pinned the shape from the outside to experiment with what made good lines. I eventually used these pieces as rough patterns.

Features

Dog Dog breed Carnivore Fawn Working animal


I designed the dog blind so that Copper can see clearly out the bow by looking over my shoulder. He has a marginal view through the mesh and brushing material. It's a tight fit, but he settles down nicely.

Wood Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Grass Bag


I like Copper's position safely behind me. NOTE: I removed the wire from the mesh in the flip blind door that helps hide my face. It was more of a bother than a benefit.

Brown Sleeve Tent Bag Luggage and bags


The drop into this blind from the rear deck isn't the easiest even for a small dog like Copper. I made entry and exit easier by installing a zipper. The zipper also gives me access to the anchor pole slot and the anchor cleat. I can easily reach over the dog blind to access the buckles and the zipper.

Tire Wheel Automotive tire Hood Vehicle


I like the lines of the blind. Six buckles around the perimeter hold the mesh and help keep the blind's shape. My head clears the front bar by about an inch.

Sleeve Khaki Beige Collar Bag


View from stern.

Assessment

Designing and sewing the blind was a pain, but the final product made the effort worthwhile. I need to sew my other flip blind door and then I'll brush the boat.

Next

In the next installment I'll discuss brushing the boat with Avery Killer Weed.
Mark, your boat it totally awesome!
 

Attachments

#71 ·
Brushing the Boat

Overview

All of the sewing is done and I included brushing straps on the flip blind doors to insert brushing material. I planned to use zip ties on the mesh panels at the bow and stern and on the dog blind. The original plan was to use Avery Killer Weed, a Rafia grass product, over the whole boat. That didn't work out as well as planned…

First Attempt = Failure

I blended Avery Killer Weed's All-Terrain and Cattail Slough together thinking it would be an effective color combination. Here's how I applied it.

Wood Art Grass Pattern Twig


I experimented with the end panels first and applied the brushing material with zip ties.

Plant Twig Terrestrial plant Tree Tints and shades


The dog blind was next.

Smile Wood Automotive tire Workwear Engineering


I zip tied the material to the brushing straps on the flip blind doors.

Grass Gesture People in nature Wood Grass family


There are three rows of brushing straps on each door and I cut the material to slightly overlap the lower layer.

Plant Wood Door Twig Pollinator


Here's the final product…very brushy! I applied way too much to the doors. Once Killer Weed gets wet, it gets heavy. Less is better.

Water Sky Water resources Plant Plant community


Unfortunately, it was the wrong color. We nailed our opening day location at a remote wild rice lake and saw hundreds of ducks. However, we were the wrong color and all the birds flared before committing to our decoys. I was so frustrated, that I cut $150 worth of Killer Weed off and threw it in the trash when I got home! That was rash as I should have cut only half of it off and blended in natural material with it…OOPS!

Second Attempt

I decided to go with all natural brushing material.

Triangle Wood Shade Rectangle Automotive exterior


I sewed brushing straps on the end panels to make this easier.

Wheel Tire Bicycle Vehicle Automotive tire


Here's the boat with all natural brushing material.

Wheel Tire Automotive tire Vehicle Wood


Another view.

Wood Twig Plant Grass Soil


I cut some vegetation from the area we hunt. Here it is resting in front of the dog blind. You can see that the color is a good match. We now have ducks landing in the decoys or at least coming for a close pass that often proves fatal.

Sky Water Natural landscape Tree Grass


Here's a photo from today's hunt. We weren't a perfect match, but were close. We cut vegetation from behind us and threw it on the boats. Some mallards decoyed and we took home two.

Water Plant Plant community Ecoregion Vertebrate


A closer view. We were packing up, so you see some decoy bags in the background. Copper's face can be seen, but that doesn't seem to flare the ducks.

Assessment

We're learning the importance of matching your location on the day of the hunt. The only way to do this is with natural vegetation. We carry machetes to supplement our brushing job and blend it in better. All-natural brushing material is sort of a pain as it needs to be topped off before every hunt. I don't load the boat with a tremendous amount of brushing material, so the brush that falls off needs to be replaced before the next hunt.

Bird Beak Feather Wing Wood


We're enjoying some successful hunts and had diver ducks just pouring into our decoys the other day. We limited out quickly and rowed home early!

Next season I plan to add a thin base layer of Rafia grass in a better matched color. I'll then supplement that with natural vegetation to blend in at the hide sight.

Final Thoughts

1. I'm glad we built the Kara Hummer boats. It's an awesome design.
2. Building them heavy was a double-edged sword…they'll last a very long time, but they're difficult to cart around on muddy trails.
3. I would consider using CPES from the Rot Doctor to seal up much of the boat if I were hoping to build a lighter boat. I'm using it on my teardrop camper build and am quite impressed with the product so far.
4. Our outfitting job made all the difference in comfort and utility. The flip blind doors keep you warm and dry in the worst weather. The layout board is comfortable enough to sleep on… we take turns napping during longer hunts. The dogs squeeze into their blinds well and are comfortable for hours at a time.
5. My fancy oarlocks weren't worth the hassle while rowing through heavy, early season wild rice. I switched to cheap, clamp-on oar locks. The ash oars are great and absolutely bomb-proof.
6. One boat couldn't do it all for our hunting environment. Later in the season, I bought a used 13' solo canoe for hunting the most remote lakes by myself. I plan to make brushing panels for it and will use it similar to a layout boat.
7. These make great fishing boats for small lakes. We absolutely love our pedestal seat conversion for the summer fishing season.
8. I'd build this boat again without hesitation.

That's it for my Kara Hummer build blog! I hope it proves helpful to fellow builders.
 

Attachments

#72 ·
Brushing the Boat

Overview

All of the sewing is done and I included brushing straps on the flip blind doors to insert brushing material. I planned to use zip ties on the mesh panels at the bow and stern and on the dog blind. The original plan was to use Avery Killer Weed, a Rafia grass product, over the whole boat. That didn't work out as well as planned…

First Attempt = Failure

I blended Avery Killer Weed's All-Terrain and Cattail Slough together thinking it would be an effective color combination. Here's how I applied it.

Wood Art Grass Pattern Twig


I experimented with the end panels first and applied the brushing material with zip ties.

Plant Twig Terrestrial plant Tree Tints and shades


The dog blind was next.

Smile Wood Automotive tire Workwear Engineering


I zip tied the material to the brushing straps on the flip blind doors.

Grass Gesture People in nature Wood Grass family


There are three rows of brushing straps on each door and I cut the material to slightly overlap the lower layer.

Plant Wood Door Twig Pollinator


Here's the final product…very brushy! I applied way too much to the doors. Once Killer Weed gets wet, it gets heavy. Less is better.

Water Sky Water resources Plant Plant community


Unfortunately, it was the wrong color. We nailed our opening day location at a remote wild rice lake and saw hundreds of ducks. However, we were the wrong color and all the birds flared before committing to our decoys. I was so frustrated, that I cut $150 worth of Killer Weed off and threw it in the trash when I got home! That was rash as I should have cut only half of it off and blended in natural material with it…OOPS!

Second Attempt

I decided to go with all natural brushing material.

Triangle Wood Shade Rectangle Automotive exterior


I sewed brushing straps on the end panels to make this easier.

Wheel Tire Bicycle Vehicle Automotive tire


Here's the boat with all natural brushing material.

Wheel Tire Automotive tire Vehicle Wood


Another view.

Wood Twig Plant Grass Soil


I cut some vegetation from the area we hunt. Here it is resting in front of the dog blind. You can see that the color is a good match. We now have ducks landing in the decoys or at least coming for a close pass that often proves fatal.

Sky Water Natural landscape Tree Grass


Here's a photo from today's hunt. We weren't a perfect match, but were close. We cut vegetation from behind us and threw it on the boats. Some mallards decoyed and we took home two.

Water Plant Plant community Ecoregion Vertebrate


A closer view. We were packing up, so you see some decoy bags in the background. Copper's face can be seen, but that doesn't seem to flare the ducks.

Assessment

We're learning the importance of matching your location on the day of the hunt. The only way to do this is with natural vegetation. We carry machetes to supplement our brushing job and blend it in better. All-natural brushing material is sort of a pain as it needs to be topped off before every hunt. I don't load the boat with a tremendous amount of brushing material, so the brush that falls off needs to be replaced before the next hunt.

Bird Beak Feather Wing Wood


We're enjoying some successful hunts and had diver ducks just pouring into our decoys the other day. We limited out quickly and rowed home early!

Next season I plan to add a thin base layer of Rafia grass in a better matched color. I'll then supplement that with natural vegetation to blend in at the hide sight.

Final Thoughts

1. I'm glad we built the Kara Hummer boats. It's an awesome design.
2. Building them heavy was a double-edged sword…they'll last a very long time, but they're difficult to cart around on muddy trails.
3. I would consider using CPES from the Rot Doctor to seal up much of the boat if I were hoping to build a lighter boat. I'm using it on my teardrop camper build and am quite impressed with the product so far.
4. Our outfitting job made all the difference in comfort and utility. The flip blind doors keep you warm and dry in the worst weather. The layout board is comfortable enough to sleep on… we take turns napping during longer hunts. The dogs squeeze into their blinds well and are comfortable for hours at a time.
5. My fancy oarlocks weren't worth the hassle while rowing through heavy, early season wild rice. I switched to cheap, clamp-on oar locks. The ash oars are great and absolutely bomb-proof.
6. One boat couldn't do it all for our hunting environment. Later in the season, I bought a used 13' solo canoe for hunting the most remote lakes by myself. I plan to make brushing panels for it and will use it similar to a layout boat.
7. These make great fishing boats for small lakes. We absolutely love our pedestal seat conversion for the summer fishing season.
8. I'd build this boat again without hesitation.

That's it for my Kara Hummer build blog! I hope it proves helpful to fellow builders.
you mention above using "CPES to seal up much of the boat", how so? Like painting this on the inside instead of fiberglass and epoxy? Any other ideas on making this lighter?
 

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