# Cost to do a duck boat right?



## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Hey everyone,

I haven't been big into duck boats in the past, but watching my family and friends aging and losing mobility is slowly changing my tune. I'm beginning to think I'll need to invest in a duck boat if I want to do much hunting with my Dad and a few of our buddies beyond the next 5-10 years.

I'm also almost out of school, and have an offer for my first "real" job. Now that I know about what I'll be making, I'm working to figure out my budget. There's a lot to consider - where to live, saving for a house and retirement, vehicles, and, most importantly, hunting. :mrgreen: The thought of a duck boat has been on my mind for awhile (ever since I hurt my knee, actually), and I'm trying to figure out if and where a duck boat might fit in to all of this.

I don't have any desire to get into debt for a boat. I also don't have any desire to start with a "beater" boat (if that's a thing) or a small boat and try to work my way up over time. I'd rather just save up for awhile, then buy a nice boat that's going to give me years of good performance with little trouble.

Basically, my question is: if you could go back in time and buy your ideal boat right from the start, what would you buy? How much would it cost today? (Or if you just want to tell me what you'd buy, I guess I can research the price). 

I know this has been discussed in the past at different times on the forum, but one thing that's not really clear to me with most of the recommendations I read is whether they're for a "starter" type boat or a really nice setup. I guess I don't really know how big of a gap there is between "starter" and "nice" type of boats either. Any advice on that would be great. Also, new brand and types of boats and motors pop up all the time, so I think it's a good topic to revisit every now and again. 

It just seems to me that the general pattern of boat ownership is to cycle through 2-4 before settling on a setup. I'd rather not go there if I can help it. I know I'm going to get a bunch of different answers, but that's a good thing IMO. I just want to get some idea of what people think a good system is, from people who have more experience than me. Price doesn't have to be too precise - remember, this is just for long-term planning purposes.

For some context, I'd plan to use it on the WMAs to hunt with 2-3 people at a time. I'd want it to be as versatile as possible, would probably not use a boat blind, and would probably not care to break much ice with it.

Thanks.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

You are going to get a lot of different suggestions, mostly because the definition of a starter boat and a dream boat will be different for everyone and their budgets. Having said that I will give my opinion.

Just to give you some sort of an idea on price for new, you are looking at around the $8,000 starting point for a decent rig. This price point will put you into a 16' riveted Jon boat, 23 HP longtail mudmotor and a galvanized trailer. If you wanted a 23 HP surface drive the price climbs an additional $1400.

If you go with a welded 16' boat (I'm using 16' because I wouldn't go any smaller) you will be looking at double + the price of a riveted boat. You will also want a bigger motor to push the heavier hull, something around 35 HP in a longtail or surface drive. Now you are looking at $4,500 for a longtail and $7,000 for a surface drive. 

The first thing you need to decide though is where and how you plan on using the boat. This will determine whether you will need a riveted boat or a welded boat. I know guys that started with riveted then sold to buy welded and I know guys that started with welded and sold to buy riveted. 

Ideally I would love to have 3 boats. A riveted with a longtail, a welded with a surface drive and an airboat. This would cover all of my hunting needs.:mrgreen: Hope this helps!


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Clarq, The sky is the limit on this IMO. Once you figure out the make of boat you want, there are other options as well. Do you have a dog, how many decoys, dry storage, gun lockers? I could go on. 

My last boat that I built overtime, (five years) I was into it over $20 K. It was an 18' aluminum, (welded) two motors, 35 HP outboard and a 35 HP surface dr. It had pods on the back, double hull front for breaking ice, etc. Even had a propane cooktop. Bacon and eggs are awesome in the duck blind. 

If your planning on budgeting/saving for a boat to purchase within the next three years, I'd say at best to plan on spending close to the $15K to $20K. That's for a nice finished boat to keep. Not a "builder boat".


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## Clarq (Jul 21, 2011)

Fowlmouth said:


> Ideally I would love to have 3 boats. A riveted with a longtail, a welded with a surface drive and an airboat. This would cover all of my hunting needs.:mrgreen: Hope this helps!


Thanks, that helps. Yours is a sixteen-footer, right?

My research seems to indicate that a riveted boat is better for shallower water and dragging over dikes, while a welded boat is better for breaking ice. Does that sound about right? Are there any advantages to a welded boat besides better ice-breaking capability?


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Clarq said:


> Thanks, that helps. Yours is a sixteen-footer, right?
> 
> My research seems to indicate that a riveted boat is better for shallower water and dragging over dikes, while a welded boat is better for breaking ice. Does that sound about right? Are there any advantages to a welded boat besides better ice-breaking capability?


Mine is a 16 footer. I did a 14 the first time, too small. A welded boat will last longer than a riveted, they are heavier and more durable.


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## paddler (Jul 17, 2009)

Clarq said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I haven't been big into duck boats in the past, but watching my family and friends aging and losing mobility is slowly changing my tune. I'm beginning to think I'll need to invest in a duck boat if I want to do much hunting with my Dad and a few of our buddies beyond the next 5-10 years.
> 
> ...


My canoe cost $800 in 1984. Still starts first pull. This photo is from a long time ago, back when the lake was high enough that we launched off the dike near the airboat launch at FB and paddled northwest on the open GSL a few miles in the dark and pulled out on the Layton ice sheet.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

you can get a new 16x48 alumacraft jon boat with a trailer for $3,500-ish dollars and a new mud buddy 35hp longtail for $4,500. Thats roughly $9,000 and that would be a hell of a setup

OR

you can get that same boat with a new 35hp surfacedrive for $8,000 bringing a rough total cost to roughly $12k. I would size up to an 18x48 if I went with the surface drive
And I would have pods welded on the back no matter which option I chose.
either one of those rigs would haul lots of gear and fast 

Either of those rigs would be bad to the bone and would never be worth upgrading.

PROS to the riveted boat is that it is light weight and easier to get un stuck 
thats about the only pro I can think of.

My Excel F4 fully welded is a smooth rider, and I mean smooth, a lot more stable on the water.. Yeah, I can "break" more ice than a riveted boat for sure but, none of these boats are built to "break" ice 


IF I were to do it again and the Airboat was not an option I'd get an 18x48 alumacraft boat/trailer and I would have a fabricator like widowmaker beef up the transom and weld pods on the back and I would buy a mud buddy 35hp hyperdrive (because you can always put BPS parts on it and make it a 45hp) and put on the back of it and i'll bet that boat would do 35+mph empty. You could haul some serious gear if we want to be completely honest here.
IMO, that would be the cheapest way to get as badazz of a rig you can get and it would be almost half the cost of my Excel F4 w/4400 Black Death 

my boat weighs 700lbs just the boat and I do 29.5 mph by myself with some gear.

an 18 foot alumacraft probably weighs 300 lbs maybe a little more so it is significantly lighter which came in handy a time or 2

I'v never been stuck in my heavy boat except 1 time which took a little more effort to get out..


I LOVE my Excel boat!! But, if I were to get another fully welded boat, I'd have widowmaker build me a custom 18x48 w/hunt deck and i'd put a 4400 Black Death on the back, no doubt! that boat would haul gear, and haul Azz and be durable


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

goosefreak said:


> PROS to the riveted boat is that it is light weight and easier to get un stuck
> thats about the only pro I can think of.


Also, a riveted boat is easier to trailer if you are by yourself.


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

I got the boat that I wanted last year 
All added up it was $20000
20x44 widow maker
4500 Black Death


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

i started with a 1436 that was old and beat up. the home made 12hp long tail worked but didn't go anywhere fast. after a few years i was able to find a 23 hp mud buddy that was used with 7 hrs on it. i got a great deal on it. later that year i lucked into a nearly new 1648 rivited jon with trailer for $1500. i put hydro turf in it, added pods, interior lights, bilge, led's and a gas tank. i have less than 5k into it and it is certainly worth more.

i did look at all kinds of boats and decided to go with this one over a welded boat for a few reasons. price, weight, ease of exiting, etc. for bigger water i'd want the high sided stronger boat, fwiw.


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## goosefreak (Aug 20, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> Also, a riveted boat is easier to trailer if you are by yourself.


True but, I guess I dont notice that because I can load my boat faster than most can with 2 guys!8)


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## LaurenKnox (Dec 21, 2020)

In fact, a duck boat is a really great purchase on which it is better not to save money. I was able to buy my favorite SeaArk Mud Runner 180 only after 3 years of work, so do not overestimate your capabilities and do not spend all the money on a boat if you are just starting to work. By the way, I recently decided to update some electronics in the boat and this is also quite expensive. I bought Aquos Haswing Cayman Bow Mount. I have been choosing which motor to buy for a long time, but I found a very useful article that helped me with the choice.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

LaurenKnox said:


> In fact, a duck boat is a really great purchase on which it is better not to save money. I was able to buy my favorite SeaArk Mud Runner 180 only after 3 years of work, so do not overestimate your capabilities and do not spend all the money on a boat if you are just starting to work.


But should it be a priority that it keeps you warm?


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## Pumpgunner (Jan 12, 2010)

LaurenKnox said:


> In fact, a duck boat is a really great purchase on which it is better not to save money. I was able to buy my favorite SeaArk Mud Runner 180 only after 3 years of work, so do not overestimate your capabilities and do not spend all the money on a boat if you are just starting to work. By the way, I recently decided to update some electronics in the boat and this is also quite expensive. I bought Aquos Haswing Cayman Bow Mount. I have been choosing which motor to buy for a long time, but I found a very useful article that helped me with the choice.


These bot posts are getting weird.....


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