Need input in designing duck boat..

we built a mold and laid up six 14' flats with it
couple of things

1) unless you are an engineer there will be some trial and error
2) we had to add on a cavitation plate under the transom because they wanted to hop up and down
3) know your outboard weight and design to that
4) flat bottom is what you want for duck hunting but it will beat you to death in a chop
5) higher gunwales are better

Prodrive. Not the fastest or the cheapest but sure as hell you will never get stuck with that full power reverse. Yeah it can be a little bit of a pain in the arse at times but I don't know how many times I have gotten myself out of bad situations in a much larger and heavier boat than some of my buddies with their gator tails and one who has a boss (it's a piece of shite btw don't look at them). In the mud it outperforms everything.

If only you had a brother who was an engineer with a few years of experience building duck boats.....

Boss Hoss

I'm in the same boat now (no pun intended). I have a 16ft Go Devil boat with a 35 surface drive now, but I've been wanting to get a new boat built for a while. I want something a little bigger and more capable. I know the must haves for me are crimped sides, , round chine, huntdeck, and an open floorplan.

Who is building the boat?

For what you want 1848 or 1854. If your hunting 4 guys mods will be in your future for sure. I run a 16x48 with a 37 gdsd. It's a fun little boat, can hunt 3 no problem, but it sucks. Definitely a 2 man boat. Easy to hide, I fish out of it as well. All the guys in my camp are running bigger boats, they carry a load slightly better and are more comfortable if your hunting out of a boat blind.

Seems like 18x60s are getting popular, but I've personally never driven or rode in one. I don't care what anyone says most stock combos struggle to plane 4 guys, assuming your friends aren't all 120 pounds. That's why your going to need mods, or an outboard. Maybe the 18x60 does and hence it's growing popularity.

I had a CC gator tail that was pretty nice. Definitely would get catwalks again. Mine were 10" at the widest point. They're great for sitting while landing fish/reaching out of the boat, standing on when needed, using for shell box shelf/coffee cup shelf while blind is up and for the blind to rest on while in the down position. Also, I added rod holders under the catwalks which held 3-4 rods on either side. Nicely stowed the rods/reels away off the floor. I hate having a lot of crap on the floor.

I had the pipe rail all the way down both sides of mine that were awesome for my young sons to hold on to and for use in tying the blind and other misc things to.

I had the rear enclosed deck which I loved for fishing. I hate having to fish off the floor. It was nice having it for storage as well, but not optimal for duck hunting as it makes it awkward for whoever is in the back. All these things add weight but my preference is to have the niceties over speed.

Battery charger was nice as I did not have one prior to owning that boat.

Had a nice Lowrance depth finder/gps which I used A LOT. So glad I had that thing in the marsh and on Catahoula in the fog. Would not own another boat without.

Hydroturf...would not own another aluminum boat without it.

Lastly, I'd look at Prodigy Boats website for some design ques. They've done some cool things like the fishtail transom area setup and the under catwalk trays. Frankly if I get another aluminum boat it will be one of theirs.