SO, as it turns out this layout boat set up worked pretty good once out in the marsh but I ended up having to tow it out behind my canoe or jon boat because it wasn't stable enough with gear and dog to paddle. And it was a bitch to paddle.
So in the off season I looked at different options and picked up a Discovery 119 canoe/kayak hybrid. Sub 50# and picked it up at less than cost because it had a couple scratches on it, not a big deal for a duck hunter.
Over the summer I retrofitted my old layout to be able to quickly set up (takes about 3 minutes).
I loaded it up last weekend with blind, gear, decoys and dog and went for a paddle. Quite stable and easily paddles (was actually surprised at how fast it goes.) I can paddle through as little as 5" of water and pull it simply with as little as 2". I want to be able to set up in up to 18" of water so I made 4 30x 2" posts that drive into the mud and secure to the cross frames, stabilizing the canoe perfectly for the dog to exit and enter as well as shooting ( worked well with it's predecessor). And when pulled into the small muddy channels (anyone who hunts the tidal flats knows what I mean) its a stable as can be and disappears.
Should fit the bill perfectly when hunting tidal flats on days when there is too much water for a layout and not enough cover for a blind
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