Blind....Help

[HarleyG]

I am in the market for a blind for my boat and dont know whether to build one or buy one? .

I have built one in the past and wasnt really fond of the way it turned out. I am leaning towards buying one, but havent completly decided yet. Anyone have any designs or know anyone who builds good quality boatblinds?

All recommendations greatly appreciated.

[D Duck]

I and 2 guys I know all have the MB Quickflip. If you need to have a boat blind, I think it's the best. Easy up/down and has a flip open top for better concealment.

[D Duck]

You can contact Sid (Fastduck here on the forum) as he is a MB dealer.

[Raul G]

I would advise you to DIY. I know on the Duck Hunters Refuge forum there are plans (search the archives) for various blinds- the "scissor" type folding blinds look good. You will save money and I find it more fun to make your own custom one. Aluminum and conduit are good. I have been able to get by with heavy schedule pvc for here in Florida- it is cheap, light, and has held up. So what if it takes 5-10 minutes to set up instead of the advertised "up in seconds" factory blinds? I personally don't like the symmetrical look of most factory blinds and like to shape my own and use local foliage along with camo sheets. What I like about this sport and tradition is the ability to keep it custom and personalize your waterfowling....

[filter]

i built one out of 3/4 emt and used 1/2 emt inside the 3/4 emt connections to make it stronger. i used Bimini hardware to attach it to the boat, it turned out good. its nice and light and come off in about 5 minutes. i had a Wiley flex bilnd that i hated and used the camo material from it, works good i have about $40 into it.

here are some pics

the start
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h335/lennysutton/IMAG0113.jpg
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h335/lennysutton/IMAG0115.jpg

pained and put straps on it to help it from moving around and to keep the camo from falling back into the boat
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h335/lennysutton/IMAG0124.jpg
got a bunch of Raffia grass and colored it green, brown and natural
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h335/lennysutton/IMAG0156.jpg
Finished
http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h335/lennysutton/IMAG0184.jpg

[Ichabod97]

I would build your own. i built one on my 14ft jon boat last season and it turned out good and help up great. It worked good too. I sold the boat now i'm going to adapt that blind to my new rig. I do like the look of some of the premade ones, but you could save yourself a ton of cash and build one yourself very similar to the ones you would go out and spend $500-$700 on. I think i had just a hair over $200 in mine. I even put together a powerpoint on how i built it...check my signature. It has helped out a lot of people.

[Raul G]

Excellent work, both Ichabod and filter! Proves what I said! I know you saved money and got more satisfaction from DIY! They are both more intricate than my press-fit pvc sections. One thing I'd like to have is the ability to adjust the height, because you are not always in the same amoung of marsh cover, and sometimes my frame sits too high... the easy fix are different length uprights.

[HarleyG]

Those are good looking blinds, and exactly what I am looking for. Thank you all for the replies.

Does anyone have any pictures of the factory built ones?

I am still undecided as to whether I am going to buy one or build one. Early season is coming quick and I want to make sure that I have "all my ducks in a row" before the season starts.

[Raul G]

Harley, you should try a homebuilt unit first- the teal can be fooled with something simple. The regular season is way off and with the savings you can buy a shotgun or accessories for duck hunting. Sorry to all the reputable factory blind builders, but I figure with the plans in hand you will make something superior to the factory ones for a lot less.

[Running Drake]

I had an Avery pop up blind and really liked it. It was really cool to slam both tops back and jump out shooting!!! Check them out

[RKDuce]

If your interested in going the frond route here is the rack I just fabricated for my F4.
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n539/RKDuce/photo1-1.jpg