A Score for Safety!

I've wanted to pick up a waterproof VHF radio for several years now. I've had my eye on several radios, such as the icon IC-M88 and others due to their rugged-ness, waterproof-ness and compact size since space is at a premium in my Marsh Rat.

Mean while I stumbled upon a Humminbird VHF55s Plus on Craigslist for $25. It was too good of a deal to pass up, but I figured something was wrong.

Hummingbird VHF55s Plus

At first glance, everything looked fine with the radio. It functioned and came with most of the accessories.

Loose power port connection

It became clear what the problem was when I brought it home. The power port was loose in the charging cradle and would go on and off with any slight movement. 

Re-soldering loose power port on Hummingbird VHF55s Plus

Thankfully that's not more than a 5 minute fix. I popped open the case and re-soldered the loose connection and now it works like a charm.

I still need to come up with a mount to keep it close by and handy when hunting, but I have a few ideas about that. 

My family and I are exited that I  have reliable emergency communications in the boat this year .

How to Grass a Marsh Rat Duck Hunting Boat

I've had my Marsh Rat Duck Hunting Boat, made by Mallard Marine, for almost 5 years now. It started out as a plain boat with the older style blind doors. I knew I needed to find away to add natural vegetation to better conceal it in the spots I hunt. Here's what I looked like when it arrived.

New Marsh Rat duck boat

I knew I wanted something that wouldn't rot or absorb water so I went to the hardware store, walking the isles looking for something that would work. On the fencing isle I found just what I needed. I bought this roll of green plastic fencing from Home Depot. The boat is 9-1/2 feet long so I cut a 10' piece, then cut that in half length wise.

Plastic fencing for blind material

I have the old style blind doors, so I incorporated the snaps to hold the fencing. The blue tape marks where the snaps will be.

Front View

Side View



I trimmed the edges so they don't hang over the side so I don't catch my waders. This material is soft enough it shouldn't be hazard, but I cut it smooth so as not to risk a tear. 


Blind doors snapped over fencing




I took the boat out to a grassy spot and started cutting and ziptie-ing it to the fence material.  



I completed one side done before I had to head home. I filled the boat with more grass to complete it later. 



Here's what it looked like that first season. I left the grass on for the following year and it dried to a nice brown shade that blends it very well.

Grassed up Marsh Rat

 



Here's a view of the boat from a distance. 




On this day the wind was a steady 30mph, so I had some bare spots that needed some more grass.



Here is what the boat looked like last year. I have a base layer of grass that I leave on and then I add more when I get to where I plan to hunt.



 The Marsh Rat on it's trailer



Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.