Fruitbowl - Fresh Ideas from Hawke's Bay

Hi, I thought would share something from my life (outside work ) that the men might like.

Over the last year I have been making a special boat for Duck Shooting with a flatter hull for use in shallow water.

I set out trying to find a motor that we could use in about an inch of water and about 1 metre of thick soupy mud. Normal outboards and jet units dont like mud so this wouldn't work. I couldn't afford to spend thousands on a everglades baot with a 6ft diameter air prop similar to a small aeroplane or a hovercraft  , so i settled on a design that we copied from pictures of Mud Boat Motors  from the States.

The attached pictures show how we made the engine mounts and drive train use a stepdown drive and a 600mm shaft with the special mud prop that I bought from America.

The first boat (DD1) I made had a few flaws , it was pretty heavy , made from 18mm ply and about 4m long.  We ended up shorting it with a chainsaw down to 3.2m and angled the transom so the prop would be below the water line without causing to much water disruption.

DDII has been made using 10mm ply construction,3.2m long 1400mm wide , screwed & glued with fiberglass joins , paint finish is sandstone and she is propelled by a 13hp engine. Max speed / better than wading in waist deep mud.

DD1 worked well , unfortunately like many prototypes has been sacrificed to the gods and retired from service.

We launched DDII earlier this season but ran into drivetrain issues and luckily enough we returned her to the shore before it became a hazard in the busy water ways of Lake Hatuma.

This Weekend I will be taking her back into the water with a revamped drivetrain, better starting and excited captain (me) at Lake Hatuma ,CHB.

I understand Cat from Mogul is a boat builder so I might have to use her expertise on the next project!!

Thanks to Reece Barber, Tony Ludeman, my brother Dan for helping me out with the engineering and thanks to my wife for letting me spend money on a project she didn't understand.

Look out for my updated post on Monday morning or if you want to see it in action your most welcome to come down to Lake Hatuma at 6am this sunday morning.

See you then,,

Ben Keehan

P.S  all XT mobile's  get the water test.

Taken on Sunday Morning down at the Clive river.  Had some fun with my family and took these snaps.