Decoy Repair Help

[tjwatty]

As we were sitting in the blind lamenting (bitchin) about the cost of super-mags, and how ours always seem to be the ones that leak, my son came up with the brilliant idea of asking the Hunt Chat crew about the best way to fix them.
The most recent suggestion is from a guide in Kansas, he said they use some kind of windshield repair glue/stuff, I haven't tried to get serious about that one yet but I figured that someone here would have something I haven't tried.
Let's have some ideas folks....

[skeet]

We used to put that darn yellow foam stuff in the shot up decoys. Had a member of a party shoot a decoy one day. Went down like the Titanic...except for a little air in the tail. Pulled it out and let it drain. Filled her with foam and it was fine. Had to touch up the yeller places. On the old hard plastic Victor decoys we'd use that silicone in a tube. Worked ok too.

[kt]

my buddy who usually handles all the group repairs is also a fan of the yellow foam that you can shoot in the crack. i have also seen 2 part epoxy that can be smeared flat than sanded work alright.
kt

[TreeDoc]

My smart-ass remark would be to quit shooting them if that's why they're leaking! But that's a "Well, duh!" comment I suppose.

Clear hot glue stick should do the trick.

[skeet]

Tree doc is right..stop shootin them. Honestly though I continued to use my carved diving duck decoys until about 1990..when they became so expensive. If shooting diving ducks get some of the solid plastic Herters decoys. If shooting puddle ducks get the 30 buck a dozen cheapies...and keep a few spares around. You have a tendency to shoot up diver decoys cause of the way they come into the rig...and it takes more of them to make a decent rig. Another option that I have used is to make a bunch of floating silhouettes. Something like V boards...it ya know what they are.

[DelDuck]

I use the foam for my repairs, just becareful how much you put in to them.

V boards are great for snow geese. I made up a bunch a long time ago, never used them in the water. Do you have to use something like ceder if you want to use them in the water?

[skeet]

We used the waterproof variety of tempered hardboard and then painted it up good. Really works fine. I may be able ta get you a few to try out if ya want. I also used some 1/4" waterproof plywood...but with that you have to add a bit of flotation on the underside of the V(actually a Y). They doo work good. Made a couple dozen that we used for 6 yrs before they finally succumbed to some inaccurate shooting....twasn't me really I wouldn't lie to ya..really it hadda be somebody else. Honest injun!!. That is a white blonde haired blue eyed honest injun!! I also made up some decoys with 3/8 waterproof plywood on single t bases..put a little plastic flotation under 'em and they worked ok too. But they can be knocked over when ya hit them with pellets.

Good to see ya posting Del

[tjwatty]

I guess I should have elaborated, We hunt on the Mississippi in a public area. We lottery draw for blind sites which are ours for 2 years. If I'm not in my blind by 30min before shooting time anyone can hunt there. We have approx. 600 decoys out from 3 to 5 days before the season until we get iced out, therefore WE DON'T SHOOT OUR OWN DECOYS but other idiots do on occasion.
Most of my leakage comes from splits along the keel and seams. I have used the spray foam in the past and that seems to get one or two more years but that foam tends to shrink over time and then the dekes partially fill and look funny in the water.
The really sad thing is that it seems the super-mags are more susiptible to damage, figures, their the most expensive. I haven't tried hot glue sticks yet, I think I'll give it a try.