duckboats.net Might End Up An Endling

[Eric Patterson]

@Richard Lathrop

I communicated with Anthony a few years back. Not sure if he is doing artwork these days but I'd love to have him do something for us. Last time I took one of his existing works and modified it for the logo. We paid him a minimal fee to use it.

@benp 30k operating costs? That place must have a million active members and host videos at no charge. I don't remember selling Koozies. That may have been made/donated by a member here but for the life of me I don't recall whom.

@Steven Alexander and @benp yes this forum does have mobile platform formatting, unlike our old forum. But what I meant was it isn't nearly as streamlined as Youtube, Instagram, or even Facebook for uploading and sharing pictures/videos.

 

[JasonM]

This forum works perfectly well in "mobile-mode" on a phone. I visit this site on my phone more than on a PC.

I don't even own a computer.

I have this weird thing about collecting koozies. Never knew this place made any. Now I want a duckboats can koozie. I had 100 of them made up for the Refuge when I was hosting the shindigs in Alabama a few years back. Think I have 3-4 left now, after giving most of them away.

I'll try to remember to look around. I might have a couple from the local DU dinner I use to go to years ago. They gave them away in the gift bags you got with entry. Like Ben I don't drink so I don't think they've ever been used for anything other than decoration.

 

[Richard Lathrop]

A shirt or hat with the website logo?

Sweatshirt

 

[Richard Lathrop]

I agree with something you said here (well more than one but one in particular).

I don't believe there are as many folks building wooden duckboats anymore. I also think (no proof at all) there arent as many folks rebuilding old wooden duck boats..

Once again, another opinion. Many people have a variety of boats they use for duck hunting. There are many sites that are specific to that particular boat. I see FB groups for jon boats, sit on top kayaks, kayaks, canoes, specialty built blinds and more. People who visit those sites may cime here and thing it is a bunch of old dudes sitting around and building and restoring old wooden boats and nothing more.

I kind of experienced this here as well. I am no craftsman for sure and would have a very difficult time with anything to do with wooden boats. With this in mind, I have restored/repaired a few aluminum and fiberglass boats specifically built for duck hunting back in the day. I didn't fel (jeez, I hate using this word) that there was much interest in the restoration of boats, or the use of boats that weren't wooden.

Maybe DBHF could attract more folks if it expanded its scope. Just a thought from one guys perspctive.

Mark

Mark,

I am interested in aluminum and fiberglass boats. I think the entry level is lower for wooden boats. Aluminum you start needing welding skills for some repairs.

I don’t know first thing about making fiberglass boat molds but I find it interesting.

Rick

 

[benp]

30k operating costs? That place must have a million active members and host videos at no charge. I don't remember selling Koozies. That may have been made/donated by a member here but for the life of me I don't recall whom.

Eric, you are right. Shows how often I use it- it is in fact a workingdecoys.net koozie. I think the last time it was out was 2024 based off a picture I took

And yeah there is a lot of media posted. There is one thread on there that is 15,173 posts that is dedicated to sharing pictures. Probably at least 1/2 of those posts are pictures and there are a lot of other threads that have a ton of pictures. I wonder if there is a matrix that shows the media count there, I think they use the same host program as you do for this forum.

 

[Nick Papavasiliou]

Question: Is it the forum platform that is dying or has there been a subtle shift in demographics that is causing a lack of interest?

Im trying to kinda look back on what made me start using forums and it kinda comes back to really wanting to learn, and talk a bit too.
I think Instagram and YouTube are giants, and it’s just so easy to view duck hunting through those.
I do believe there are less people building duckboats now than years ago, maybe the same with decoys and calls. I just don’t know by how much other, easier sites have sort of stolen the exposure.
Hard for me to put into words, but it’s like with IG and YouTube, 1 active participant can broadcast what they’re doing to hundreds/thousands of people who consume the content. And one person who wants to be an active participant is getting ideas from hundreds of duck hunters, without really having to talk to any.
That’s all to say - I do already think I’ve gotten something from forums that I could not get from other sites I think they’re much more interactive than other social media.

 

[Carl]

I sure hope people don't have the impression that this site is only about wooden duck boats.
Sure that how things started, but we've had a lot of posts about aluminum and glass boats, and lots of other topics.
All things duck hunting have been welcome. And even some stuff that's NDR.

 

[Nate Hoyt]

I am or was in many forums (this one, DHC, the Refuge, Microskiff, SkiffHQ, the Hull Truth, 2Cool, Bateau.com, Georgia Outdoors, WoodenBoat, KudzuCraft, Southern Paddler, JEM Watercraft, etc.). Many are dead or dying now. Others are bombed with ads. Some were so toxic I just stopped.

As hinted at above, forum style discourse is falling out of favor. It is too slow and deliberate. Social media is now about reactions, not discussions. Reading and writing are too slow when the average attention span caps out before the end of a 15-30 second TikTok video. Due to this, many of the forums that used to be primarily about what the members are doing are now primarily about what the members are buying.

My participation admittedly ebbs and flows. I participate more actively when 1.) I have an active project and need input or want to see what others did in similar circumstances, or 2.) I have absolutely nothing else to do (like when deployed) and need problems for my brain to chew on.

For the record, this forum is by far the chillest forum I’ve participated in.

Nate

 

[Eric Patterson]

Due to this, many of the forums that used to be primarily about what the members are doing are now primarily about what the members are buying.

This dovetails into what I'm observing on social media. Average Joes once frequently posted on IG about what they were working on or doing. That content has really fallen off. Most of what I see today is continuous marketing of goods and services The avg Joe doesn't post, they are now the audience to the vendors and outfitters, many of whom use professional video services to make their goods more appealing. Personally, I've grown weary of the duck hunting content creators who obviously are there to just to sell. I prefer dialog and mutual engagement. This is somewhat true in the woodworking community I keep up with, but to a lesser extent, and a lot of those folks still offer content that is geared to show what they are working on and how they go about it, i.e. informative.

Lastly I'll add I don't think the fact you see less boatbuilding and other projects from duck hunters is an indication that duck hunters don't make their own gear anymore. Rather, I think they are just like the rest of the population that are more helpless in the workshop or as handymen than ever in the history of the USA. Why get off your ass to fix/restore/make something when that 24% interest rate credit card can take care of it for you?

 

[Huntindave McCann]

Why get off your ass to fix/restore/make something when that 24% interest rate credit card can take care of it for you?

One big reason is because they were never taught those skills. That and it is so quick and easy to replace rather than repair. As an example; Vehicle, lawn mower, small engine repairs involved rebuilding a carburetor, rebuilding the alternator. Now, the procedure is to replace those components, rather than repair. Even entire car engines can be cheaper to replace than to rebuild the engine.
EDIT: ya, I know "what's a carburetor?"
The local small engine repair shop can not recover expenses to repair for the same price as one can go buy new. Why wait a month for parts to come in when Amazon will have a new one at your door the next day?

 

[Mark W]

This dovetails into what I'm observing on social media. Average Joes once frequently posted on IG about what they were working on or doing. That content has really fallen off. Most of what I see today is continuous marketing of goods and services The avg Joe doesn't post, they are now the audience to the vendors and outfitters, many of whom use professional video services to make their goods more appealing. Personally, I've grown weary of the duck hunting content creators who obviously are there to just to sell. I prefer dialog and mutual engagement. This is somewhat true in the woodworking community I keep up with, but to a lesser extent, and a lot of those folks still offer content that is geared to show what they are working on and how they go about it, i.e. informative.

Lastly I'll add I don't think the fact you see less boatbuilding and other projects from duck hunters is an indication that duck hunters don't make their own gear anymore. Rather, I think they are just like the rest of the population that are more helpless in the workshop or as handymen than ever in the history of the USA. Why get off your ass to fix/restore/make something when that 24% interest rate credit card can take care of it for you?

Why not create a poll for this site and ask how many members have repaired or built a duckboat? Or even specify a wooden boat?

 

[Huntindave McCann]

Why not create a poll for this site and ask how many members have repaired or built a duckboat? Or even specify a wooden boat?

Do we get credit for every project? or is it one per customer?

 

[Nate Hoyt]

Do we get credit for every project? or is it one per customer?

…and does fixing your dumb mistakes years later count as a new project?.

Nate

 

[Eric Patterson]

One big reason is because they were never taught those skills. That and it is so quick and easy to replace rather than repair. As an example; Vehicle, lawn mower, small engine repairs involved rebuilding a carburetor, rebuilding the alternator. Now, the procedure is to replace those components, rather than repair. Even entire car engines can be cheaper to replace than to rebuild the engine.
EDIT: ya, I know "what's a carburetor?"
The local small engine repair shop can not recover expenses to repair for the same price as one can go buy new. Why wait a month for parts to come in when Amazon will have a new one at your door the next day?

Dave

Yes, the engineers and designers have shifted the ways maintenance is done. We could probably come up with examples of why this is both better and worse for the consumer. But that wasn't the point of my post. The point I was trying to convey is I think today's duck hunter is more reliant on outdoor manufacturers with attractive marketing than ever before. This at a time when consumer debt is at an all time high. I have observed today's young hunters arrive at the launch ready to hunt supported by equipment well into five and even six figures. You nor I never ever would have taken on that debt to shoot a duck. Instead we relied on our own abilities to reduce cost whenever it made sense or gave us additional satisfaction, or we did with less. But that school of thought is completely absent if you view social media today. Nobody is peddling self restraint and self-sufficiency.

 

[Eric Patterson]

Why not create a poll for this site and ask how many members have repaired or built a duckboat? Or even specify a wooden boat?

I'm interested in why you ask this.

 

[Mark W]

I'm interested in why you ask this.

I'd be curious and might learn a thing or two.

I've been a member for a very long time. I have changed my hunting style for sure and your excellent site has changed as well. I don't actively visit any other site unless I have a question that I think might be a better place to ask the question.

There are specific sites out on the web for Jon Boats, duck blinds, aluminum duckboat refinishing and usage,, electronics, new equipment, kayaks fir duck hunting, lightweight hunting techniques, mud motors, and more. I guess I don't see as many questions asked here about some of this stuff and because of this maybe some don't stick around as long. Just a guess Eric, nothing more.

The topics of discussion here I really enjoy. I appreciate the wisdom of those more experienced hunters here as well as the fresh ideas being brought in by the younger and less experienced. I enjoy reading about the various forms of hunting done in other parts of the Country and in different types of environments.

Not a dig on your site Eric and I hope none of this is taken this way. just sharing my opinons and some of the stuff I've noticed.

Mark

 

[Eric Patterson]

Mark

I agree with your observation that there are a lot of topics that don't come up very often but sure seem to fit. I recall coming across forums dedicated to "tin boats" and thinking I wish they'd migrate here because the restorations and mods they were making were right inline with the type of things members here have done or would find interesting. They probably wound up on FB when their forums died.

If you ever come across someone doing something interesting encourage them to post it here. I think recruiting by word of mouth is one of the best tools we have to keep active membership. People come and go and it will always be this way. But to keep it alive we need new participants and that takes more effort on our part than it used to. People reach for FB groups since they are already on that platform and can find a group where they are already logged in. FB has the advantage of convenience. A case of easier beats better.

All this talk of membership reminds me to say how thankful I am for members such as yourself who have been here from the beginning or a good long while and still regularly contribute.

 

[Nate Hoyt]

Dave

Yes, the engineers and designers have shifted the ways maintenance is done. We could probably come up with examples of why this is both better and worse for the consumer. But that wasn't the point of my post. The point I was trying to convey is I think today's duck hunter is more reliant on outdoor manufacturers with attractive marketing than ever before. This at a time when consumer debt is at an all time high. I have observed today's young hunters arrive at the launch ready to hunt supported by equipment well into five and even six figures. You nor I never ever would have taken on that debt to shoot a duck. Instead we relied on our own abilities to reduce cost whenever it made sense or gave us additional satisfaction, or we did with less. But that school of thought is completely absent if you view social media today. Nobody is peddling self restraint and self-sufficiency.

I make decent money and still can't afford to keep up with the Duck Commandos. They give me props at the ramp for my retro setup . Kid, this isn't retro; it is all I can afford.

Scraping together materials, time, and knowledge to patch the old pirogue your dad let you pull out of the weeds by the barn so you can get on the water just doesn't compute to as many anymore.

Collecting a bunch of old rotten duckboats for restoration has always been an old man's disease, but you have to start messing about with boats at a young age to eventually come around to the attraction of puttering around spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars resurrecting a boat that was considered disposable the date it was completed. I'm almost there; I always take time to look at any boat stored in the rafters or piled behind the shed to see if it looks interesting. I haven't drug any home yet, but it is coming.

Nate

 

[rob_g]

Yeah, its funny how the forums fell off. Seemed like it was overnight thing. I think most of them just turned into Facebook groups. There were so many smart people on some of them with loads of free info.

 

[SJ Fairbank]

I make decent money and still can't afford to keep up with the Duck Commandos. They give me props at the ramp for my retro setup . Kid, this isn't retro; it is all I can afford.

Scraping together materials, time, and knowledge to patch the old pirogue your dad let you pull out of the weeds by the barn so you can get on the water just doesn't compute to as many anymore.

Collecting a bunch of old rotten duckboats for restoration has always been an old man's disease, but you have to start messing about with boats at a young age to eventually come around to the attraction of puttering around spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars resurrecting a boat that was considered disposable the date it was completed. I'm almost there; I always take time to look at any boat stored in the rafters or piled behind the shed to see if it looks interesting. I haven't drug any home yet, but it is coming.

Nate

I admit to buying toys. Lots of toys. Having had commercially made TDB style boats, blind boats, layout boats, mud boats and others, I just dont see the value in many of the duck boats being pushed today. Except for guides with a bunch of guys shooting sea ducks. Fifty grand and up is stout.

I admit to liking the mud boat as a transport. I'll accept one lash at the mast as punishment for not wanting to push a boat over a mud flat at low tide. Otherwise I enjoy a couple of companions and a dog or two sitting on a tidal rock, in a blind, or in a grassed boat in a marsh. I even enjoy rowing sometimes, in certain spots. No big money boats necessary. Don't let the spendy kids ruin your fun.