Recent content by Matt C

I have not had much luck with the titebond 3 approach, as I have found it to be brittle, and not nearly as tough as epoxy. The next time I restle coat foam decoys, I am going to attempt to do it as described in the restle coating patent (link below). The original restle coat did not use either...

https://vermont.craigslist.org/boa/d/north-hero-tdb-duck-boat/7836352892.html

https://vermont.craigslist.org/bod/d/north-ferrisburgh-14-duck-fishing-boat/7836048281.html

I am not sure how many iterations of Quacks there are, but here are pics of 2 of them

I will get a picture for you today. The keel weights are different depending on vintage.

I used to have a few of the mallards, and I was told that they were model 96. Not sure about the Canada though.

Congrats on the King Eider! Do you come across them very often?

I am not a fan of rafia for all the reasons previously mentioned, but I am intrigued by Blind Grass although it appears somewhat rigid in the pictures I have seen. I need to be able to roll up the blind on my Bankes for transport, would the Blind Grass allow for that.

Great photos, Brad. Curious as to the purpose of the clamps along the crossbar of your blind?

I have had more luck with Shoe Goo than AquaSeal. It's tough stuff, and I have repairs that are several years old and still holding strong

Update: Great news! It looks like Ron has found a buyer and these boats will now be built in Nova Scotia (https://bankesboats.com/) by Rock Solid Fabricators (https://rocksolidfab.ca/about/)

While cruising the 'net last night, I noticed that Ron Bankes has decided to retire and has shut down Bankes Boats. It does appear that he would like to sell the business. Hopefully someone takes over that can reproduce the quality work and service that Ron & Mike were known for.