Best Duck Boats of 2022

DON'T MISS Episode 36 - 2022 Giant Gear Issue Series - Boats & Motors with Go-Devil

Duck boats today come as dream rigs, a far cry from those in the past. With high-end manufacturers crafting custom-tailored duck boats, hunters no longer must cut, tweak and otherwise mutilate perfectly good fishing boats to get the features they need for a winter on the water. This has created a pleasant experience for the duck boat shopper, allowing them to order exactly what they want, right off the assembly line.

Big Water Boats

Layout Addictions - Ghost 2-Man Layout Boat

If you have never experienced true, open-water gunning, you are missing out. And, to take it one step further, if you have never hunted in this style from a two-man, you are really missing out. Nothing says a good time like watching your buddy miss a layup single and getting it on camera. Yes, that may be me, and the 2-man Ghost Layout ensures that you can make that happen too! Made from durable aluminum, the Ghost is built to last a lifetime and includes all the right features including an adjustable spray shield, false floor with HydroTurf, shell holders, headrests, and more. Pair it with a Great Lakes Duck Boat and you are sure to be the talk of the town, heck maybe country!  

$3,650 | layoutaddictions.com

War Eagle - 961 Blackhawk

If you look up the definition of all-purpose on Wiki, undoubtedly the War Eagle 961 Blackhawk will pop up. Measuring 19-foot long with bottom width of 61 inches, the 961’s 18-degree V-hull is perfect for crossing the choppy big water and snaking through the shallows. It is equipped with a reverse chine and wings transom that allow the 961 to corner on a dime and maneuver around obstacles with ease. It is offered in both a center or side console model and can be outfitted in either Realtree and Mossy Oak camo patterns, pick your poison.  In addition to the 19-foot 961, War Eagle makes bigger, and smaller, siblings measuring 21 and 17-foot respectively.

Contact Dealer for Pricing | wareagleboats.com

Gator-Tail - Savage Series

If you are a timber hunter, check out Gator-Tail’s Savage Series. The Savage Series was specifically designed for greenhead connoisseurs that hunt the obstruction-choked flooded timber of the South. Measuring 17-feet long and 50 inches wide, the Savage Series finesses through tight quarters with ease, while providing ample room for gear, hunters, and decoys. Deep, 24-inch sides, dual real pods with 12-inch deck, dual gun trays, a stabilizer kit, and a four-foot front deck are just a few of a plethora of hunter-built features on the Savage Series. Like wine and cheese, the Savage Series pairs perfectly with any of Gator-Tail’s surface drive mud motors to get you in deep.

Packages Start at $25,737 | gator-tail.com

GO-DEVIL - 18x60 Open Floor Plan Package

If you want floor space, GO-DEVIL’s 18x60 Open Floor Plan Package is right up your alley. First and foremost, GO-DEVIL boats are designed and built by duck hunters, not fisherman, maximizing the custom duck-quality right out of the gate. Their 18x60 package provides a turn-key boating experience that is ready to rip through the shallows and get you deeper into the backwaters and swamps than ever before. It has a slick bottom and no keels to get hung up on mud, sticks, or other obstructions and a tapered chine to roll off stumps and ditches with ease. This package comes with GO-DEVIL’s hottest surface drive, the 40hp FNR, that eats mud and sticks like milk and cheerios for breakfast.

$20,415 | godevil.com

Lowe - Roughneck 1860

The Roughneck Series from Lowe Boats have a long-standing reputation for durability and function amongst hunters. Their 1860 is one of the most popular sizes amongst duck hunters. It can handle up to a 60hp outboard, six passengers, and has an open floor plan to give you space to spread out. It can be purchased painted in Dead Grass green or in Mossy Oak Shadow Grass or Break Up camouflage. The 1860 is just one model in a line of boats ranging from 16 to 20-foot in length available in tiller, side console, and center console configurations.

1860 Starting at $14,700 | loweboats.com

G3 Boats - SPORTSMAN 1710 PFX

The 1710 FPX is one of nine available configurations in G3’s Sportsman boat lineup for 2022. The 1710 PFX is the perfect combination of size, comfort, and versatility, allowing it to be used all summer for fishing and recreation, but built for waterfowl season. Hunter-friendly features include a Rubber-infused Kodiak coated three-inch tubular steel Trail Guard trailer to shed the salt, lockable storage for the valuables, cup holders for the coffee, and more standard features than we could list. It is available painted in Mossy Oak camouflage to simplify your hide. If 17-foot 10 inches isn’t big enough for you and the crew, check out G3’s 18, 19, 21, and even 24 series Sportsman models.

Contact Dealer for Pricing | g3boats.com

Pro-Drive Boats - “X” Series TD Edition

Designed with the duck hunter at heart, Pro-Drive’s “X” Series, TD Edition features a Timber Deck (TD) that allows hunters and retrievers easy in-out access in shallow water. While this model was designed for timber hunters, it is equally at home in any shallow water environment that a duck hunter can encounter. The TD Edition is available in two lengths, 18 and 20-foot, and three widths including 48, 54, and 60 inches. Like other Pro-Drive models it includes a ton of hunt-worthy features right from the factory and can be customized to your “dream” specifications. Complete the rig with a Pro-Drive surface drive, and things are fixing to get downright radical. Hulls Start at

$8,845 | prodriveoutboards.com

Excel Boats - Viper F4 Pro Hull

The F4 Pro Hull is the lightest and quickest F4 in Excel’s lineup. It boasts an open floor plan design that provide tons of room for gear and passengers. Standard features include hunt-tough .125 gauge, 5086 aluminum alloy, F4 step deck, grab bar, bilge, interior courtesy light panel and driver’s seat box. The Pro Hull is available in both a low, or high front deck model, hunter’s choice. That said, if you want more room, the low front deck model is your huckleberry as it allows even more room for decoys, hunters and gear! Worthy options include an Orca cooler seat, gun box, gunwale trays, built-in fuel tank and exclusive OPTIFADE camo paint.  

Hulls Start at $10,000 | excelboats.com

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Waterfowl Works- NXT GEN UFO X2

Waterfowl Works is proud to introduce the first and only two-man layout boat ever produced using rotomolding technologies. The NXT GEN UFO X2 measures 10-foot 3 inches long and approximately 92 inches wide and 18 inches tall. It weighs in at a manageable 230 pounds and was designed to handle the roughest of waters, from the ocean to Great Lakes, with ease. Waterfowl Works has a long-standing history of providing quality layout boats and products designed for the diehard sea duck or diver hunter. The NXT GEN UFO X2 is the two-man counterpart to their one-man NXT GEN. Waterfowl Works rotomolds these boats using their proprietary blend of Poly materials called AstroidDust for increase durability.

$3,200 | layouthunting.com

Gator Trax - GT Specialty Series with Removeable Hard Blind

A variation of the 17x54HD GT, this specialty model features a custom, removable hard blind that can easily be brushed up to match any environment. With a flip down lid that opens in the middle for additional walking room and a 36-inch Hunt Deck that allows you to drive and still see, this blind was designed with purpose by serious duck hunters. If that isn’t good enough, maybe the best part is that the blind stays put during transport, creating a truly mobile hunting platform that is always ready to rock. Videos of this set up can be seen on Gator Trax’s YouTube channel and this, and many more models can be found on their website.

$35,000; Depending on Configuration | gatortraxboats.com

Great Lakes Duck Boats

While Great Lakes Duck Boats may be “new” to building full-size duck boats, they have years of experience in aluminum, marine construction. This allows them to create sleek, strong, and dependable aluminum boats worthy of hunting the biggest of waters, including the ocean. Available in 22, 24, and 26-foot lengths, Great Lakes Duck Boats include a .250-inch outer hull, dog ladder, 55-gallon fuel tank, marine grade electrical components, navigation lights, and decoy curtains to keep your gear safe and secure. These boats are the ultimate open-water vessels that are specifically designed for duck hunters. They are spendy, but does your kid really need a college fund? Wouldn’t he rather experience all this duck-hunting euphoria from your new boat?

Starting at $35,895 | greatlakesduckboats.com

Small & Sneaky Duck Boats

Old Town - Sportsman Discovery Solo 119 Canoe

Weighing in at only 56 pounds, the Old Town Sportsman Discovery Solo 119 canoe is the ideal grab-and-go duck hunting machine. Incorporating a unique design, it offers the simplicity and utility of a solo canoe with the agility and handling of a kayak (canoeyak?). Simply put, this isn’t your daddy’s canoe. Boasting a 354-pound capacity, it features a three-layer hull construction surrounded by layers of high-density polyethylene for ruggedness, a recessed track on forward thwart for easy on/off accessory mounting, and a comfort flex kayak-style seat that it contoured, adjustable and padded for ultimate comfort. If you are looking to explore some new duck hunting ground, don’t overlook the versatility of the Solo 119.

$1,099 | oldtowncanoe.com

American Airboat Corporation - AirRanger

Have you ever wanted to be a fighter pilot, but couldn’t hack the G-forces? If so, you should really check out AirRanger airboats. These things are deadly fast, handle the skinniest of water with absolute ease, and can get you places that are otherwise impossible to get to. They are available in many sizes, with different power plants, and many different options. Give them a call and check out the website to build the airboat of your dreams. Just make sure to buy a pair of Aviators when you make your maiden voyage.  

Air Ranger | americanairboats.com 

MOMarsh - Fatboy DP

If you are looking for an adaptable one-man watercraft, the “DP” in MOMarsh’s Fatboy DP stands for dual purpose. Built with a double-ender design for easy paddling yet available with a removable transom, the Fatboy DP gives you the option to hunt shallow water mallards in the morning and big water divers in the afternoon. This boat will take you anywhere you can dream up and its shallow profile allows you to hide once you get there. It fits into the back of all truck beds and can be stacked one on top of another for easy transport. It is also stable enough to stand in while poling or paddling.  

$1,999 | momarsh.com

County Line Boats - Aluminum Sneak Boat

A small business in Concordia, MO, County Line deserves a closer look for hunters in search of aluminum marsh boats. These boats absolutely disappear in the marsh and skim across shallow water to access difficult areas with ease. They are uber stable, ultra-durable, and built one at a time with painstaking care. Their 1038 model measures 10-foot long and 44 inches wide, is made from all-welded aluminum, weighs 150 pounds, and has a 70 by 29-inch cockpit. Check out their website and/or Facebook page for more info or reach out to Andy directly to get his crew working on your dream boat.  

$2,400 | countylineboats.com

Four Rivers Layout Boats - MINI

The MINI Layout boat by Four River is a great lightweight fiberglass solution for hunting shallow water lakes, backwater marshes, and shallow edges. Made to work as both a transport boat for you, your retriever, and your gear or as an “open” water layout boat, the MINI is a great option for hunters needing a versatile solution. It weighs in at only 90 pounds, can be transported in the back of a truck bed, has a flat-bottom design to reduce draft, and can be purchased with a camo flip door system for the ultimate in concealment. If the MINI isn’t the exact boat you are looking for, check out the rest of Four Rivers lineup.

$1,500 | fourriverslayoutboats.com

Mallard Marine - Magnum Marsh Rat

Mallard Marine’s Magnum Marsh Rat was designed for the waterfowler first. Big brother to the Original Marsh Rat, the Magnum allows a hunter to get  low and a wide cockpit. Rated for 2hp, and can be push-poled or paddled.

$1,250 starting | mallardmarine.com