[DustyMark]

Rigged for Fishing

Video of the Fishing Setup
Check out this video of how I set up the kayak for fishing.

View from bow.

View from stern.

Anchor/Rod Holder Module
I'm taking a modular approach to my customizations when possible.

The anchor reel, anchor holder, and four rod holder bases all fit on a 5" wide by 24" long board clamped behind my seat like the other accessories I've detailed.

It's a "busy" setup, but I think it will work out well. Check out this video for how the anchor system works.

Fish Finder Module

The front shelf includes my Humminbird Helix 7 fish finder, hook removal kit, rod holder base and transducer arm. It's a great work area when you're switching lures.

This view shows how the transducer arm is routed. I've got side scan, so I made sure it is just below the keel line.

Transducer Clip

This clip keeps the transducer arm from shifting while paddling. Water drag swings it out without this…even with the Ram Mount ball.

Footman Loops
Footman loops provide a way to tie down the fish cooler.

I needed something to screw the loops into. I made mounting bases of white oak and epoxied them in place. Notice my high-tech clamping method.

The mat helped keep the weights from shifting…it worked well.

Anchor Pole

An 8' long, 3/4" diameter fiberglass anchor pole is a great way to secure a small boat in shallow water. It's my first choice whenever possible. I connect it to the anchor trolley system. This is also a good photo of the YakAttack HD anchor trolley system.

Paddle Holder

YakAttack paddle holders are a little bit bulky, but are easy to use.

I'm hoping that my placement doesn't result in bloody knuckles when I paddle!

Next
Make the dog cockpit attachment.

Those triples can take a huge payload…very nice and out on the big lake! I agree, four-once cloth makes a nicer layer than raw epoxy.

 

[DustyMark]

Reworked Anchor/Rod Holder Module

Moved it Back
I had an "ah hah" moment this morning and decided to try moving the anchor/rod holder module back just past the cooler hinge. This made everything easier to reach since it wasn't immediately behind me, allowed me to move my seat back 5" for way better fore and aft trim and gave me free access to the cooler without having to weave through fishing rods.

This is me fishing tonight with the new setup. I rotate my torso and lean an arm on the cooler lid to reach the rods behind me with no stability problems. The green tub, stored in front of me, is my stripping basket that holds my fly line and prevents a tangled mess when I'm casting. Notice that I'm sitting pretty level in the water. The boat cruises easily at 3.5 mph and can do 4.0 mph with a modest effort.

I lost a big northern tonight because we were one rod holder short and I opted to wedge the net between the cooler and the side of the kayak. The fish was taking out line at will whenever it made a run and I have a pretty stout setup. I had the fish approaching the side of the boat and it took me a little too long to find the net handle. As I was searching, the fish made a run toward me and used the slack to get free from my single-hook Johnson's Silver Minnow. I didn't see the whole body, but it had a pretty big head…oh well!

Reworking the Module Board
I had to remove the old clamp boards that were already glued and screwed to the module board. The photos below showed how I made the modification without having to redo the whole module. I'll just need to do some spot varnishing on the bottom.

My Stanley flush cut saw did a good job of sawing off the old clamp.

Not perfectly flush, but pretty close.

Nothing like a sharp plane to clean things up a bit.

Real clean.

The shoulder plane allowed me to work close to the bolts without having to remove them.

Looking good.

After sanding.

The cooler top is slightly above the gunnel, so these spacers raised the module 1 1/4".

Close-up of the final result. I used it without varnish tonight and will begin coating it tomorrow.

Next
Try to integrate the hip braces with the spray decks…another "ah hah" moment I had today!

 

[htl]

Reworked Anchor/Rod Holder Module

Moved it Back
I had an "ah hah" moment this morning and decided to try moving the anchor/rod holder module back just past the cooler hinge. This made everything easier to reach since it wasn't immediately behind me, allowed me to move my seat back 5" for way better fore and aft trim and gave me free access to the cooler without having to weave through fishing rods.

This is me fishing tonight with the new setup. I rotate my torso and lean an arm on the cooler lid to reach the rods behind me with no stability problems. The green tub, stored in front of me, is my stripping basket that holds my fly line and prevents a tangled mess when I'm casting. Notice that I'm sitting pretty level in the water. The boat cruises easily at 3.5 mph and can do 4.0 mph with a modest effort.

I lost a big northern tonight because we were one rod holder short and I opted to wedge the net between the cooler and the side of the kayak. The fish was taking out line at will whenever it made a run and I have a pretty stout setup. I had the fish approaching the side of the boat and it took me a little too long to find the net handle. As I was searching, the fish made a run toward me and used the slack to get free from my single-hook Johnson's Silver Minnow. I didn't see the whole body, but it had a pretty big head…oh well!

Reworking the Module Board
I had to remove the old clamp boards that were already glued and screwed to the module board. The photos below showed how I made the modification without having to redo the whole module. I'll just need to do some spot varnishing on the bottom.

My Stanley flush cut saw did a good job of sawing off the old clamp.

Not perfectly flush, but pretty close.

Nothing like a sharp plane to clean things up a bit.

Real clean.

The shoulder plane allowed me to work close to the bolts without having to remove them.

Looking good.

After sanding.

The cooler top is slightly above the gunnel, so these spacers raised the module 1 1/4".

Close-up of the final result. I used it without varnish tonight and will begin coating it tomorrow.

Next
Try to integrate the hip braces with the spray decks…another "ah hah" moment I had today!

Looking great and nice your able to fine tune the set up.

 

[DustyMark]

Reworked Anchor/Rod Holder Module

Moved it Back
I had an "ah hah" moment this morning and decided to try moving the anchor/rod holder module back just past the cooler hinge. This made everything easier to reach since it wasn't immediately behind me, allowed me to move my seat back 5" for way better fore and aft trim and gave me free access to the cooler without having to weave through fishing rods.

This is me fishing tonight with the new setup. I rotate my torso and lean an arm on the cooler lid to reach the rods behind me with no stability problems. The green tub, stored in front of me, is my stripping basket that holds my fly line and prevents a tangled mess when I'm casting. Notice that I'm sitting pretty level in the water. The boat cruises easily at 3.5 mph and can do 4.0 mph with a modest effort.

I lost a big northern tonight because we were one rod holder short and I opted to wedge the net between the cooler and the side of the kayak. The fish was taking out line at will whenever it made a run and I have a pretty stout setup. I had the fish approaching the side of the boat and it took me a little too long to find the net handle. As I was searching, the fish made a run toward me and used the slack to get free from my single-hook Johnson's Silver Minnow. I didn't see the whole body, but it had a pretty big head…oh well!

Reworking the Module Board
I had to remove the old clamp boards that were already glued and screwed to the module board. The photos below showed how I made the modification without having to redo the whole module. I'll just need to do some spot varnishing on the bottom.

My Stanley flush cut saw did a good job of sawing off the old clamp.

Not perfectly flush, but pretty close.

Nothing like a sharp plane to clean things up a bit.

Real clean.

The shoulder plane allowed me to work close to the bolts without having to remove them.

Looking good.

After sanding.

The cooler top is slightly above the gunnel, so these spacers raised the module 1 1/4".

Close-up of the final result. I used it without varnish tonight and will begin coating it tomorrow.

Next
Try to integrate the hip braces with the spray decks…another "ah hah" moment I had today!

Thanks, I think that's the part I like the best…making it mine!

 

[DustyMark]

Hip Braces

End Pour
I did the epoxy end pour of the bow yesterday. The objective of this step is to provide a strong means of mounting the pad eye on the bow. My parents came over for dinner and my Dad helped me flip the kayak onto its nose and tie it to the ladder on the rear of my camper. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.

This is 8 ounces of lightly thickened epoxy and it cooked off pretty good with so much epoxy in such a tight area. There was no good way for the heat to escape from the chemical reaction of the cure. Smoke was wafting out of the hatch.

Here's the pad eye installed. I'll tie the toggle to it once the paint cures.

Touch-Up Paint
I primed and painted all the parts that weren't green on the outside of the boat. I also applied a couple coats of varnish to the anchor/rod module that I reworked.

Hip Braces
I've pondered what to do about hip braces for quite a while and even considered not installing them. However the gunnel on such a long cockpit has quite a bit of flex and would surely benefit from some braces. I plan to paddle this boat in Lake Superior quite a bit and it's always better to have a good fit in the cockpit in the waves.

I opted for a permanent hip brace for the stern paddling position. I struggled more than I care to admit to get this set installed well, but I eventually prevailed. The black board is used to keep the braces in alignment during the gluing process.

The bottom cleat is made of white oak and has a 10 degree bevel at the bottom to ensure a good fit on the floor. Pieces are screwed and epoxied.

The solo paddling position hip braces had to be removable since they get in the way of your feet if paddling from the stern position. I used similar techniques as the stern position, but used threaded inserts instead of screws to attach the cleats. I added a second alignment board at the top and a 20 pound weight to get everything in position. I had to be careful not to accidentally glue the plywood brace to the cleats. I'll trim the top of the brace flush with the top cleat later.

Note that I used plenty of heavy plastic to keep parts separated. This cleat has a 7 degree bevel (how's that for picky?)

Next
Fit the front hip braces.

 

[DustyMark]

Front Hip Braces

Different Approach
The front hip braces are different since they're anchored at the top to the spray deck. That way there's not a permanent cleat below the coaming in this busy area.

Here's the assembly (upside down) ready for gluing the lower cleat to the floor.

This is the hip brace cleat for the middle paddling position that I installed last night. I was happy when I was able to confirm that it doesn't get in the way of my foot when paddling from the aft position.

Similar approach for holding in position, except the top is already anchored well by the cleat attached to the underside of the spray deck.

Tandem Spray Deck
With the braces glued in, I'm shifting my focus to completing the spray decks. I'm glad I hadn't sewed them earlier since I ended up adding the hip brace cleat to the front position of the tandem spray deck.

This photo shows how the tandem spray deck will assemble. I'll start sewing the vinyl that binds it all together and seals it from waves tomorrow.

Next
Dog cockpit.

 

[DustyMark]

Dog Cockpit Attachment

What We Do for Our Pets!
Copper has great small boat manners and he's fun to take kayaking, so I'm building him a place to sit in the new kayak. The solo spray deck has a rectangular coaming ring behind me and that's Copper's spot.

The dog cockpit attachment is a 1/4" plywood box with two sections of trim around the perimeter. 3" up from the bottom is a 3/4" by 3/4" piece of trim that rests the attachment on top of the coaming ring. The second section of the trim is 1" by 3/4" and forms a coaming for him to rest his chin and also creates a lip to attach a doggie spray skirt. I've experimented with him and know that I have to cut the trim all the way to the plywood at the corners. This prevents the spray skirt from hanging up and trapping/drowning the dog if we tip the boat.

I'm on a time crunch and went with 1/4" galvanized crown staples and polyurethane construction adhesive to assemble the box. The staples are really just clamps holding everything together while the glue cures. I filled the staple holes with epoxy putty.

3/4" by 3/4" pine cleats hold the adjacent panels together.

This photo shows both rows of trim. The whole assembly is locked in by two 1/4" bolts tightened into threaded inserts under the spray deck. This is secure and makes for a quick installation. A vinyl spray skirt will wrap around this box's perimeter and secure with a bungee to the rectangular coaming of the spray deck. This keeps water out of the boat.

I'll sand and prime this attachment in the morning and paint it green late in the evening. It should be cured enough the next day to fit the doggie spray skirt.

Next
Sew the spray decks.

 

[DustyMark]

Spray Decks

Dog Cockpit
I had only two days to complete the dog cockpit attachment and sew the spray decks before we departed on our annual paddling-centered camping trip to Lake Superior. I got it all done with a couple of near-sleepless nights!

Here's the attachment all rounded and sanded. I sealed it with a coat of epoxy.

Hip Braces
There are three different paddling positions, so I built three sets of hip braces.

This photo shows the permanent hip braces at the stern position and the white oak cleats to hold the mid and forward hip braces to the floor and the mid hip brace cleats glued to the gunnel. The forward hip brace mounts at the top to a cleat on the underside of the spray deck.

I used contact cement to bond 3/4" minicell foam to the braces. It takes 3 or 4 coats to get adequate coverage on the foam since it keeps soaking in.

Spray Decks
The process of sewing the spray decks is pretty straight-forward canvas work.

Begin with the deck and allow at least 1/2" for seam allowance. I used Shelter Rite vinyl for the decks and 6 ounce polyester for the bungee sleeve. Here I'm fastening the bungee sleeve to the deck with basting tape before sewing it.

I used spur grommets to run the bungee cord in and out of the bungee sleeve. I reinforced the sleeve with vinyl before attaching the grommets.

Sewing the bungee sleeve with a half-felled seam.

At this stage, I've got a nice cockpit cover.

These next steps transform it into a spray deck. First I make some relief cuts.

Then I trimmed the vinyl to within 1/4" of the coaming rings with scissors.

Mark the coaming screw holes with an awl.

A punch makes a clean hole.

The slightly undersized punch allowed the screws to grab the vinyl and "tent" it for applying vinyl cement to both surfaces.

Applying vinyl cement under the vinyl and to the deck.

You can see how the screws suspend the vinyl and give me room to work.

Applying vinyl cement to the coaming ring.

Tandem spray deck done. The clamps were in place until the glue cured and then I was able to drive the coaming screws for that section.

Solo spray deck done.

Dog cockpit done!

This was at the Meyer's Beach sea caves in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Jam Cleat

This is the jam cleat for adjusting the seat in the middle or forward positions. I screwed it to a piece of white oak and then epoxied the white oak assembly to the underside of the deck using Gorilla repair tape as a clamp. It worked well.

Next
Lake Superior performance assessment.

 

[DustyMark]

Performance Assessment

Retrieval Practice with Copper
I removed the spray decks and had Copper do five retrieves from the boat. This was an important test to determine if he'd be hunting with me from this new kayak. I couldn't believe how stable the boat was for retrieval work! It took Copper a while to figure out how he'd exit the boat, but he eventually did and it went real smooth. He puts his feet on the side beyond the coaming and lunges out into the water. The boat rocks, but I never felt like we were even close to tipping. I kneeled and faced the stern to recover Copper. He puts his front paws onto the deck and I support the back of his head with my left hand, while I hold the opposite coaming with my right hand, to nudge him into the boat. We're a "go" for duck hunting!

Wet Exit Results
NOTE: Without my added spray deck, the Wood Duck Double is a horrible Lake Superior boat. I removed the spray deck and did a wet exit with the bare boat. The cockpit filled up with water as I'd suspect, but I was able to remove a lot of it when I flipped it upright. However, the sides are so low that I could not do a paddle-float self-recovery from the side. The boat would simply take on more water over the coaming…no matter what I did. I managed to enter the boat from the rear and it took forever to bail it out. If I were in conditions rough enough to dump me…it wouldn't be a good situation. To be fair, Chesapeake Light Craft does only advertise this kayak as a calm water vessel. My solution is to build and install a portable bilge pump system. I'll run a a Rule 1100 pump with a 9 amp hour 12-volt battery installed in a Pelican box. (Yeah, I've built one of these before for my last folding kayak!) I'm making it portable so that I can relocate it based on my configuration. Another step to displace water in the event of tipping is to lash down anything that floats. My duck decoys would provide a lot of help if they were tied down well. The same goes with any other waterproof bags on board. A person can also install flotation bags to fill unused space. The big cockpit is both a "blessing" and a "curse."

Coastal Paddling
We paddled six miles exploring the sea caves along Meyer's Beach. The dog cockpit attachment doesn't get in my way and Copper didn't cause any instability. I cruised easily at 3 mph with the dog in the stern. The boat tracks well with or without the rudder.

Longer Crossings with Waves
Our second paddle was a 10-mile round trip with a 3-mile crossing to Sand Island. We had a tailwind going out and a headwind coming back with seas of one to two feet both ways. Mary and I paddled using the tandem spray deck (we left Copper in the camper.) We were thankful for the rudder with the following seas. (Mary wasn't happy that she had to operate the rudder from the from the bow position, but she did well!) Waves lapped over the side of the boat onto the spray deck quite often with the following seas. Without a spray deck, that water would have come into the boat. The spray deck worked well at keeping the boat dry inside. I plan to add a one-foot section of velcro in the middle of the long, straight section for peace of mind. Bungee does well on curves, but can roll out of position in extreme conditions on the straight sections. We averaged 4 mph with the following seas and 2.7 mph with the increasing headwinds on the paddle home. This is quite amazing for a 14' kayak paddled as a tandem! The kayak does a nice combination of slicing/bobbing as it goes through/over steep chop of one to two feet. I'm super happy with the hull performance.

Fog Crossing
Our third paddle was an 8-mile round-trip to York Island. There was heavy fog with visibility of only 100' the entire paddle out. (We had GPS, compass, chart, and a horn readily available.) We paddled our kayaks solo and I took Copper in the back of my boat. The massive stability of the Wood Duck Double was comforting while paddling in such poor visibility. We were attempting to beat a thunderstorm on the way back and averaged 3.0 mph with a 10-knot headwind.

I'm very happy with the performance of the Wood Duck Double kayak.

Next
Duck blind planning.

 

[DustyMark]

Duck Blind Planning

What Fits?
Duck season starts in MN on 9/26…I need to build my blind! Now that I know Copper will be riding in the back, the big question is "how many decoys can I realistically fit in the kayak?"

I'm able to squeeze a dozen full-size decoys between me and Copper and stay below the notional height of the blind. My blind bag and six decoys fit in front of my feet. I'll wedge my shotgun and case on the floor on one side of the kayak behind me.

I'll make the roof of the back half of the blind convertible so Copper can escape if we tip over while paddling. That will also allow him to sit full height as I paddle to and from the hunting site.

I own four goose floaters that I plan to transport between my legs during the paddle out and back. These are great confidence decoys that I won't leave behind. During diver duck hunts, I'll replace the goose floaters with two swan decoys…another great confidence decoy.

Layout Position
Hunting from a layout position is very comfortable and keeps you quite low for better concealment. A disadvantage is that you have limited visibility behind you. I experimented with how far back to place the layout support board and found a position that is just far enough forward to reach the rudder pedals when paddling and just far enough back to rest my feet on the pedals when in the layout position…nice.

This photo shows how Copper will have good visibility to mark the birds I shoot. It also shows how much you can stuff into this kayak. I plan to store some safety gear in the front and rear hatch compartments. I dressed in my gear and carefully weighed everything that I normally take hunting…I'm sitting at 320 pounds without the blind. I imagine a wet blind will weight about 40 pounds, so I've got perhaps 40 pounds to spare. Copper was getting a little "birdy" being around all the duck hunting gear!

Frame Design
I plan to use 3/4" aluminum tubing for the frame and assemble it with bimini fittings. This approach is light weight and durable. The layout board rest is the centerpiece of the system. An arched piece of tubing will run from one coaming edge to the other. Two struts will run aft from that and define the shape of the back of the blind. The flip blind doors will run forward from the rest. I'll primarily duplicate the method I used and described in detail in my Kara Hummer blog.

Blind Body
I ordered solution-dyed, coyote brown, 500-weight Cordura nylon for the blind body. I've used this successfully on three layout boat blinds, my Grumman Sportboat blind, and a canoe blind. The brushing straps are 9/16" wide military-grade nylon tacked down every four inches. Any buckles or webbing are 3/4" wide. I'll brush the blind out with various colors of Rafia grass to begin a good base and supplement it with natural vegetation during the season.

Costs
I've spent $190 on the blind body materials. That includes purchasing excess amounts to restock my canvas supply kit. I ordered the brushing strap material on e-Bay and the rest of the materials from Rocky Woods out of Colorado. I've also spent $170 on the aluminum tubing and the bimini fittings from Sailrite Kits out of Ohio. I already have enough Raffia grass that I previously bulk-ordered from Joseph Stern. If you had to purchase the raffia grass, that would push the total cost of this blind to over $400. That might seem like a lot of money, but this will be long-lasting, "tank" of a blind that is also easy to deploy.

Next
Build the blind frame.

 

[DustyMark]

Electric Bilge Pump and Stern Rudder Pedals

Electric Bilge Pump
I struggled over where to locate the electric bilge pump. Normally I mount them behind the stern seat and attach the battery to the aft side of the stern bulkhead in the stern hatch compartment. My initial thought was to mount it behind the solo seat so that I could keep the fish cooler as far back as possible.

Here are the items I typically use for an electric bilge pump installation in a small boat. I was most of the way complete with building a pump system centered around a Pelican dry box and abandoned that for a standard installation. Mounting it behind the solo seat would have made it dangerous to wet exit the kayak from the rear tandem position with the spray deck installed.

I fabricated a bracket to hold the top of the pump from 1/8" thick aluminum scrap. I used footman loops and a 1" tie down strap to hold the body of the pump to the bulkhead. This is quite secure and allows me to remove the pump screen without tools to clean debris. This is a much simpler installation than my original plan.

The through-hull bilge fitting is stainless. I still need to paint it. I also need to install hose clamps.

I mounted the marine switch to some aluminum angle to the middle hip brace cleat. I used 14-gauge wire as recommended for the distance of the wiring run. This system should pump 18 gallons per minute as installed!

After drilling 10 holes through the Pelican box for a free-standing installation, I discovered it didn't fit in the stern hatch compartment! That change of plans cost me $35…I ended up building a simple plywood box to contain the 12-volt, 5 amp-hour, AGM battery and fuse holder. I routed the wires through the bulkhead directly into the battery box. I'll back the electric bilge pump system up with a collapsable bailing bucket.

Stern Rudder Controls
I purchased a second set of rudder controls so that I can operate the rudder from any of the three seating positions for super versatility.

This is the setting that is most comfortable for me in the stern position. (The middle seat would obviously be removed if I was paddling from the stern position.) I'm able to comfortably paddle with the middle hip braces installed. I lock my ankles around the brace. This is great since it gives me more of a connection to the boat for bracing. I also like it since the hip brace stiffens up that long run of coaming that is usually unsupported

I routed the stern rudder cables aft and outboard of the front rudder cables. I can switch rudder cables at the rudder head by removing a retaining ring from each clevis pin. I'll fasten the unused set of cables to the stern hatch cover webbing tab with a small carabiner.

I'll adjust the new cables tomorrow after the 3M 5200 adhesive caulk has cured.

NOTE: The kayak now weighs 65 pounds. That includes two sets of hip braces, a rudder system with pedals at stern and bow positions, one seat, and the electric bilge pump system. The tandem spray deck weighs another 12 pounds. That's only 77 pounds for a Lake Superior-capable small tandem kayak. I'm quite happy with these final weights!

Next
The rest of my blind building supplies arrived today, so it's time to build the blind frame.

 

[DustyMark]

Duck Blind Frame: Main Body

Decisions
This is the point in the blind build that you make basic decisions like how low to lay in the blind and how much room to set aside for decoys and the dog. My objective remains to paddle the kayak with the blind doors closed around my torso. This will allow an amazingly quick set up.

This is a comfortable position for Copper and me. It's the second lowest position on the layout seat. The lowest position would conceal us better, but at the expense of comfort. Copper is a little crouched in this photo, but he has good visibility to mark the birds I might shoot.

The top of the seat fits under the frame when in the paddling position.

Frame Design
The heart of the blind is the support board that is clamped across the coaming ring.

The layout board rests on it, the rear blind frame is built around it, the aft portion of the flip blind doors are attached to it and my notional face shroud is also connected to it.

Close up of the support board. Notice the two 10 degree wedges I used to try to deconflict the flip blind doors and the face screen frame. I'm not sure it will work, but I'm giving it a try.

Bimini fittings are a wonderful thing! They make blind construction a whole lot easier. I'm happy with my bends…I've gotten a little better with a conduit bender during each blind build!

Cooper will ride to and from the hunt site in the area between the two crossbars. I'll sew a flip door that will cover the opening once we're set up. I'll also sew a removable barrier that will allow me to stack decoys tight in the are between Copper and me. It sounds complicated, but it will be simple and fast to use.

The flip blind doors will connect to the front deck with bimini fittings. I bought a piece of 1/2" EMT conduit to practice the bends on the doors since a replacement piece of aluminum tubing would cost $30 in shipping alone. I'll burn through as many pieces of $4.49 conduit as it takes to get it right.

Next
Fabricate the flip blind door frames.

 

[DustyMark]

Duck Blind Frame: Doors

Complicated Bends
Bending the doors always kicks my butt. I used both ends of my conduit practice piece before I moved on to aluminum tubing.

I'm laying pretty low in these pictures. There's room for me to raise the seat up one incline notch.

Once you get all your gear on, the extra room gets used up. I hate being crowded under the doors. I don't need a framed face shield. A soft shroud attached at the roof of the blind will work just fine. I'll part it in the middle so there's never any chance of getting stuck under it while sitting up for a shot.

It's nice to have the rudder pedals to hook a foot under while shooting.

My arm pits just clear the door frames when I paddle. I suppose I could have lowered the blind an inch or so, but I'd rather add a cushion to raise my butt and have the room under the doors during the hunt.

Being able to paddle with the blind completely assembled is a game changer for me. I'm used to throwing out decoys and then setting up my blinds in other boats I've owned. This blind is fast, convenient, and comfortable.

I still need to replace the set screws with 3/16" rivets, add braided stainless tethers to the quick release clevis pins, and paint the frame. That's just busy work after wrestling with bending the door frames!

Next
Sew the blind.

 

[DustyMark]

Blind Body: Boat Prep

Backing Plates
I fabricated backing plates from 1/8" aluminum for use under the bimini mounts. I didn't want those #10 washers pulling through the deck when I flip open a wet door!

I also cut all the bolt ends flush under the deck with my Fein oscillating sander and the bimetal blade attachment.

Clevis Pin Tethers

I used 1/16" braided stainless cable to tether the clevis pins to the blind frame. Each tether is riveted to the frame.

Buckles
The lower edge of the blind is attached with 3/4" plastic buckles along the outer edge of the kayak.

The blind is planned for three individual sections (bow, doors, stern.) The buckles are doubled where each section meets the adjacent section. The buckles help hold the blind down during windy conditions.

Entering the Kayak
I hadn't given much thought to how the bend of these doors might make it difficult to enter the kayak.

However, loosening the clevis pin at the shoulder area and suspending it from a carabiner gets the door out of the way nicely. I'll also have to unclip the aft most buckle.

It won't lay this flat with Rafia grass on it, but I'm confident that entry over the side will remain possible. This also might be my preferred paddling setup, if I'm not anticipating flushing ducks and then trying for a speedy setup before they return. I'll know more after it's all brushed out and I take it for a test paddle.

Next
Begin sewing the blind body.

 

[Redoak49]

Blind Body: Boat Prep

Backing Plates
I fabricated backing plates from 1/8" aluminum for use under the bimini mounts. I didn't want those #10 washers pulling through the deck when I flip open a wet door!

I also cut all the bolt ends flush under the deck with my Fein oscillating sander and the bimetal blade attachment.

Clevis Pin Tethers

I used 1/16" braided stainless cable to tether the clevis pins to the blind frame. Each tether is riveted to the frame.

Buckles
The lower edge of the blind is attached with 3/4" plastic buckles along the outer edge of the kayak.

The blind is planned for three individual sections (bow, doors, stern.) The buckles are doubled where each section meets the adjacent section. The buckles help hold the blind down during windy conditions.

Entering the Kayak
I hadn't given much thought to how the bend of these doors might make it difficult to enter the kayak.

However, loosening the clevis pin at the shoulder area and suspending it from a carabiner gets the door out of the way nicely. I'll also have to unclip the aft most buckle.

It won't lay this flat with Rafia grass on it, but I'm confident that entry over the side will remain possible. This also might be my preferred paddling setup, if I'm not anticipating flushing ducks and then trying for a speedy setup before they return. I'll know more after it's all brushed out and I take it for a test paddle.

Next
Begin sewing the blind body.

Interesting!!

 

[DustyMark]

Blind Body: Boat Prep

Backing Plates
I fabricated backing plates from 1/8" aluminum for use under the bimini mounts. I didn't want those #10 washers pulling through the deck when I flip open a wet door!

I also cut all the bolt ends flush under the deck with my Fein oscillating sander and the bimetal blade attachment.

Clevis Pin Tethers

I used 1/16" braided stainless cable to tether the clevis pins to the blind frame. Each tether is riveted to the frame.

Buckles
The lower edge of the blind is attached with 3/4" plastic buckles along the outer edge of the kayak.

The blind is planned for three individual sections (bow, doors, stern.) The buckles are doubled where each section meets the adjacent section. The buckles help hold the blind down during windy conditions.

Entering the Kayak
I hadn't given much thought to how the bend of these doors might make it difficult to enter the kayak.

However, loosening the clevis pin at the shoulder area and suspending it from a carabiner gets the door out of the way nicely. I'll also have to unclip the aft most buckle.

It won't lay this flat with Rafia grass on it, but I'm confident that entry over the side will remain possible. This also might be my preferred paddling setup, if I'm not anticipating flushing ducks and then trying for a speedy setup before they return. I'll know more after it's all brushed out and I take it for a test paddle.

Next
Begin sewing the blind body.

Thanks. I've got more hours invested customizing the kayak than I have in building it at this point!

 

[DustyMark]

Blind Body: Base

Designing on the Fly
I pretty much "wing it" when I'm sewing blinds. My initial thought was to have the flip blind doors provide sole coverage for the middle third of the kayak. However, once I started sewing the stern panel, I realized I could extend it to the bow panel and provide a nice, fitted base for the blind that would provide better coverage with the Rafia grass.

View of blind base from port bow. I'll float the kayak with me and gear and Mary will pin an accurate waterline hem tomorrow.

View from starboard stern. I used a seam with edge binding that ensured the side panels would fold over close to the hull. The wind shouldn't be able to lift these panels up.

Close-up of bow.

Close-up of stern. I still need to fold it over and sew on a buckle below the rudder assembly.

Lots of Fittings to Sew Around
There are lots of fittings on the deck of the kayak. I sewed around all of these for the base of the blind. These help hold the base in place. I reinforced each area with a piece of heavy vinyl.

Overview photo.

View of stern.

View of stern and bow overlap.

Brushing Straps
I'll sew brushing straps after I've completed the cover for the stern frame and the blind doors. I'll know better at that point how the various parts overlap.

Next
Sew the blind doors.

 

[DustyMark]

Blind Body: Doors

Floated the Boat
We floated the boat today with about the amount of weight it will have once the decoys are deployed. Mary sat in the boat as "self-propelled ballast" and I cut the side panel material of the blind at the waterline.

That's the waterline of the kayak loaded. Unfortunately, I ran 4' short of binding edge material to even finish these edges. I totally messed up that order!

Sewing the Doors
I draped a 2' by 5' piece of material over the door frame and pinned the material around the tubing to create sleeves. I then sewed those in place with enough tension to shape the doors, but loose enough that I could slip the door frame through the sleeves

View of port side with brushing straps sewn in. I might add another short row in the fat section. I sewed a 3" flap on the starboard door to overlap. This will keep the rain and snow out on miserable days. It also provides a way for brushing material to fill the gap between the doors. Three buckles, attached to the deck, keep the lower edge of the door tight and in position.

I like the way these doors turned out. Since they terminate at the deck edge, they don't lay in the water with the doors open. The overlap flap on the starboard door will touch, but not the majority of the door like my old layout boat blind.

Closeup of inside of port door. You can see my brushing strap stitching.

The lower overlap area flipped up in the wind. I'll sew velcro to prevent that from happening. If the Velcro doesn't hold, I'll add a couple of snaps.

I still need to sew brushing straps on the starboard door and the blind base.

Next
Sew the stern dog blind.

 

[DustyMark]

Blind Body: Dog Blind

Lots of Sewing
The dog blind was pretty complicated to sew. It's 3-D shape, so it requires darts to shape it around the frame.

View from the inside. There are eight buckles to hold it to the kayak, four buckles to support the decoy barrier, seven velcro sleeves to hold it to the frame, one buckle to hold the back door shut, velcro to hold the shroud at the front, a zipper, and brushing straps

View from the outside.

The door has .4" foam inside to give it some rigidity.

The profile of the blind turned out well.

Copper riding in the position he'll travel to and from the hunt site.

Copper positioned in the door he'll use for retrieves.

Close-up of side. Notice the little window I sewed in to help reduce the blind spot to the rear quadrants.

Close-up of the retrieving door. Sewing the zipper in an arch shape made for a roomier entry and exit.

The doors blend nicely into the shape of the dog blind.

Copper has plenty of room when we're laying out during the hunt.

The sewing remaining includes a buckle at the bottom of the door, velcro to join the bow panel to the stern panel, the shroud, and a whole lot of brushing straps to the rest of the blind.

Next
Brushing out the blind.

 

[Redoak49]

Blind Body: Dog Blind

Lots of Sewing
The dog blind was pretty complicated to sew. It's 3-D shape, so it requires darts to shape it around the frame.

View from the inside. There are eight buckles to hold it to the kayak, four buckles to support the decoy barrier, seven velcro sleeves to hold it to the frame, one buckle to hold the back door shut, velcro to hold the shroud at the front, a zipper, and brushing straps

View from the outside.

The door has .4" foam inside to give it some rigidity.

The profile of the blind turned out well.

Copper riding in the position he'll travel to and from the hunt site.

Copper positioned in the door he'll use for retrieves.

Close-up of side. Notice the little window I sewed in to help reduce the blind spot to the rear quadrants.

Close-up of the retrieving door. Sewing the zipper in an arch shape made for a roomier entry and exit.

The doors blend nicely into the shape of the dog blind.

Copper has plenty of room when we're laying out during the hunt.

The sewing remaining includes a buckle at the bottom of the door, velcro to join the bow panel to the stern panel, the shroud, and a whole lot of brushing straps to the rest of the blind.

Next
Brushing out the blind.

Amazing sewing…You must have a heavy duty machine!