Aquapod OR Hellbender

The 12' boat does. It is very similar to an old MN boat made in McGregor called a Minnewawa.

The 10' boat is flat without rocker. The points help with tracking in my opinion but the 12' with rocker, pointed ends and extra length tracks better than the 10' but is a little less stealthy.
 
Whats the specs on your 12' double end hellbender. Can,t see them on web site. Use to have a bobcat which looked very sinilar to your 10' but think your 12' hauling dog and decoys might better suit me presently. Like the rocker for paddleing or poleing.
 
Roy - Here's a couple pics. You can see the rocker a bit in these and the difference with the 10' & 12' hulls. They look the same and have the same melted square chines & runners down the length of the hull. You can paddle the boats both directions equally well without a second thought VS. some of the boats that have a keel/fin that is perhaps better at the stern. In areas with lots of SAV I feel like protrusions on the bottom of the hull hang up and slow the boats progress or contribute to fatigue when paddling. Less of a concern in clear water situations if that makes sense. The hulls are also easily stacked with the flat bottoms, square chines, and no protrusions. No special bunks or anything needed. I use sections of water noodle to cushion the cockpit rails and hulls and I can stack a number of boats up pretty easy in my pickup bed. If you go higher than five you'll wanna make sure you don't go thru the drive through for burgers and soda without checking the clearance.

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That 12 footer looks interesting. The 10 foot looks like it would be a real dog to paddle, and I'd probably sink it anyway.

What do they weigh? That 12 footer in a nice lightweight layup to make it easy to carry would be sweet.
 
I know it's a specific request. But does anyone have a picture of a person with a dog sitting behind them? I'm looking for a sneak boat to use in this application. I want to be able to lay down and build a "hood" to cover my head and the dog which will sit behind me. If I could make that work with the 12 footer I'd be sold I think.
 
Roy - The boats are built entirely by me using hand-layup in open molds. Noting fancy, but I can control resin and reinforcement to make a robust laminate that is as light as possible.

Jeff- The 10' boats are around 45lbs. That can't really be reduced by much although I have experimented a little bit with different layup schedules and I used to use a boat that I had built around 35lbs. For strength, toughness, and utility the 45lb boat is the appropriate weight to be beefy enough to handle everything you can throw at it including ice without adding unwanted weight.

The 12' boats are typically 65lbs, but based on similar experiments with differing layups I have built them from 60-70lbs without sacrificing toughness or being overbuilt and too heavy. I make them on an individual basis for guys based on their desires so a lighter or heavier boat can be customized by altering the layup slightly to fit hunting situations. The last one I sent to ME was approx. 70lbs for icy conditions while my personal boat I use here in FL is 60lbs. I have very little waste on builds and I manage resin/reinforcement for optimal strength & weight with everything I do.

Jake - I don't have a pic with any dogs and people layout hunting, but here's a pic of an average size guy setting in a turkey chair in a 12' boat for reference. This is a buddy of mine from Eric Patterson's neck of the woods and he's 6' tall, and perhaps 200lbs. A dog/hunter layout setup would be pretty easy with the 12' boat. My uncle uses exactly that type setup for himself and his wirehair dog.

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Here's another pic where the rocker is visible on the 12' models.
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Thanks, Derek. It's been added to the (very long) boat wish list. My current marching orders are that no new boats can come into possession unless I give up one of the old ones OR build a new shed so the current "boat shack" can return to use as a garage.

Don't tell my wife, but I have quietly excluded canoes and kayaks stored at remote sites from these rules. I think there are now a half dozen strategically spread at north country trout ponds.

I have an actual list, and on cold winter nights I pull it out and resort by priority. A 16-17 foot "Prospector" style canoe in kevlar is at the top. My plastic and Royalex and aluminum canoes get heavier every year, and I can foresee the day I can't hump them a half mile into remote ponds any more. (My days of humping them a mile or more are long gone, but I have found one of the joys of mentoring kids is they turn into teenagers with strong backs. LOL)

A 17' TDB is also high on the list, though it alternates with a 16-18 foot Lund Alaskan.

I still regret the day my father gave away a sweet little 14' daysailer. Funnest boat I ever sailed, and if anyone knows where I can find a Tanzer 14, I'm still in the market for one. It used to just smoke our neighbors' O'Day 16 on anything but a dead downwind run.

After those, that 12" Hellbender might sneak into the Top 5.

Don't tell my wife, though.
 
Aren't you like an hour from Ft Meyers where Derek is?.....two hours at most.....to see him. Try it out.....[/reply
About 5 hours... not exactly feasible.

I've seen them at the farms, look sharp. Wish I had someone local that wouldn't mind me sitting in it, paddling, etc.
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Thanks Derek, that top pic looks to answer my question. I'm about the same body type, and it looks like he has a few feet to scoot up in to allow the dog behind him. That's great. Very well may be moving forward with it.
 
Jeff, it sounds to me like we just need to set up a work party for a new boat shed. As you previously taught Phil and I, the answer to how many boats do you need is, One more!
If the TDB comes your way before the shed you can park it in Vassalboro. ;)
Hope to see you Monday. I am bringing the whole family.
 
Jeff, it sounds to me like we just need to set up a work party for a new boat shed. As you previously taught Phil and I, the answer to how many boats do you need is, One more!
If the TDB comes your way before the shed you can park it in Vassalboro. ;)
Hope to see you Monday. I am bringing the whole family.
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Actually, if the TDB comes home, the 14' tin boat could go. It's the canoes, kayaks and the like that seem to accumulate. I know I can't get away with that Kevlar 16 footer. She was with me when I priced one once!
 
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