"The Kwick Bluebill Blind"                         Using Cordura, CPVC & Raffia                                                  plus                                                                         Tricks & Tips for Raffia                                                 and a                                         "Kwick PVC Tiller Extension"

Having recently purchased a Carsten's Bluebill, building a boat blind was necessary.                   A 14 ft Jon boat was my last duck boat, and a scissors blind worked great.  However,                   the Bluebill is 12 ft long with a much different structure.  A "cockpit" type blind built                   out of CPVC, Cordura and raffia grass was designed..........."The Kwick Bluebill Blind".                   Awhile back I purchased 25 yards of 500 Denier Cordura with an International "Camo"                   design for $1.99 per yard (66" tall).  Tailoring Cordura to the correct shape is simple                   using waterproof carpet/contact glue and "The Speedy Stitcher" (manual device).                   Heavy duty plastic clamps "tie" the blind sections to the PVC frames.  "Snapped"                   bundles of raffia make it possible to rearrange placements or aid in removal for                   drying and seasonal storage.                   With  a Cordura base, the blind is wind "proof " and warmer for my dog. In addition,                   the back section can be brought forward and attached to the front forming a shelter                   from heavy rain.                                     list of materials and sources:                          2#18-2#10Cu wire crimp splice caps - Home Depot                               ( these work for crimping large diameter mono decoy lines)                          0.095 orange Commercial "weed eater" line - Walmart                          black plastic snaps P-163 at UMX, Inc.  www.umei.com  (not cheap!)                                   ( 1/8" Hardware Attachment For Round Cord / Flat Straps (Link) lanyards)                          ¾" CPVC - Menards                          PL Water Base Contact Cement - Menards                          18 pounds of raffia -  Cabela's via a friend (some left to do a field blind or two)                          66" Cordura Denier 500 fabric -  Camouflage Fabrics (Link)  (very inexpensive!)                                                                                               Structure Sequence   (left click on thumbnails)                                                                      Carsten Bluebill                                    6HP Johnson            finished        boat blind       cockpit frame                                                                    riding position                                        (frame)       front support           deck bimini                                                                      "snapped"                                Cordura/raffia blind               cockpit            rear blind          support                                                                      Cordura "base"            back Cordura        with "rings"         slide open dog          working area                                                                              aft blind                                           view              "self bagged"              blind              packed blind     dozen decoys                                                                                 Tricks and Tips                    Attaching raffia to a blind is much simpler in the long run if it can be re-positioned or                       removed for storage. When working with large "hanks" of raffia, place it on a table,                     snip the bindings or un-tie them depending on how it is "prepared", unfold it and                    de-twist it until it is slightly spread out (see picture). Next, gently divide the "head"                    into four or five smaller ones without disturbing the the rest of the "hank".  Zip tie                    each of the smaller "heads" tightly before pulling them apart one at a time.  There is                    little loss with just a small amount of trimming. Place a plastic snap into each zip tie.                     The "snapped' raffia can be "hung" on a Cordura blind base using rings protruding                    from the fabric.                    The rings are built into the blind along a center line.  First, a narrow strip of Cordura                     is cemented down the center on the underside of the fabric. A sharp awl made from                    a Phillips screwdriver using a grinding wheel can poke holes in the fabric aided by                    a predrilled 1''X2" wood template as a target. The weave will close back quickly as                    if nothing happened to it. Therefore, the section of  0.095 weed eater string must be                    immediately inserted.  Two holes about ½" apart allow a loop to be formed. Pull                    each end through to the underside forming the ring.  Crimp this with a copper                    "splice cap". Trim each tab to about 1", squeeze the plastic ring and push/pull it                    back through to the outside.  If necessary, two "snapped" raffia bundles can be                    attached to a single ring (loop).                               note: One of the larger raffia "hanks" was divided into 10 smaller bundles and                                    used for grassing up a field blind  (zip ties and snaps).                                                                                   (left click on thumbnails)

ring fabrication	underside rings	topside rings
spread/unrolled                                       raffia hank	zip tied "heads"   (before separating)	five separate          "bundles"         with "snaps"
plastic snaps	ring snapped          "bundles"	small loss     (one large hank)

"Kwick PVC Tiller Extension"                    The 1978 Johnson Sea Horse 6HP motor is working great. However, holding the tiller                     behind me and trying to maintain a twist for top speed puts quite a strain on my old                    back.  After pricing commercial extensions, reading their reviews on the Internet and                    personally examining them in the store..........I decided, "We need to build our own."                      The handle increases in diameter slightly to a maximum of 1¾ ".  Therefore, a  20"                      capped piece of 1½" PVC tubing had slots about 1" apart and 3 ¾ " long cut in the                     end with careful use of a chop saw.  This design allows the tube to expand.  After                     covering the PVC with "camo" duct tape, the slots were opened back up by cutting                     the tape with a razor knife. The "sleeve" is forced on to the tiller and the clamp is                     tightened finger tight with a dime.                        Cost?  Less than $5.                        Update: After several hunting trips, the extension has proved to be invaluable.                                                                                                         (left click on thumbnails)                                                                                                                       basic design                                        "Kwick Extension"