Project - Scull boat

S

ScottCK

Active member
I have decided that ya'll are a REALLY bad influence.... I have always been jealous of you east coast guys finding cool old boats for sale. Now it was my turn.

Saw where Eric had posted this in the "Seen Elsewhere" board a while back and decided to toss the guy a lowball offer not expecting a reply. Well. it didn't go as planned as he accepted it. Just picked it up today and spent an hour cleaning out all the junk that some prior owner had put in it. Based on what I have seen, the wood in the floor is all waterlogged and the foam in the sides of the top are most likely wet as well. The issue with the floor was caused by a prior owner mounting a steering control to the floor by drilling drywall screws through the fiberglass. They also ran the control wires through conduit that they glassed into the floor and in the process, covered the drain hole with glass. As a result it had standing water in it that was able to get into the floor and foam on the sides.

On the positive side the bottom looks to be in good condition and except for one crack the top section is as well. I did some measuring, and I have enough Coosa Board left over from the Broadbill project to replace the wood. Whoever made the boat did not skimp on fiberglass - the top section glass is 1/4" +/- thick.

Something I was surprised by is the fact there is not a hole for a sculling oar to go through. Looks like the PO used the trolling motor to sneak up on birds which is only slightly illegal.

Would like some info on the boat if anyone knows anything about it. The owner said someone IM'ed him on Marketplace and said it was built by a Peter Witham from Newmarket Nh in the 70's. I didn't see a builder tag anywhere on it but really have not dug into it too much yet.IMG_2163.jpgIMG_2164.jpgIMG_2165.jpgIMG_2166.jpgIMG_2167.jpgIMG_2168.jpgIMG_2169.jpgIMG_2170.jpgIMG_2171.jpg
 
My plan it to see if I can get some history then plan out the rebuild. Don't think this one is going to be as intrusive as the Broadbill project.
 
if anyone has original condition photos of the boat, I would love to see them. need to figure out what "original condition" looked like and what is PO modifications.
 
Can't help on photos of the original. That looks to me like a Merrimack River/Whitney type scull. There were a bunch of commercial models with that design scheme, and also plenty of home-made boats. The long nose is very different from sculling boats from the Merrymeeting Bay region in Maine, but were common on Great Bay in NH and on the Merrimack. Maybe other places, too. (West Coasters, please weigh in, as I know there is a sculling tradtion out there but nothing about the boats.) Did it come with the lead (or something else?) weight that is supposed to be in that cavity at the bow? You need a lot of weight at the bow for balance once a gunner and sculler are aft. If not, it'll need to be replaced, and you may need to do some experimenting to figure out how much weight you will need.

No sculling hole seems odd. Maybe it was glassed over when the boat was modified for a motor?
 
Eric may be able to help with a link(s) to Duck Boat Specs archive files, too. I found a 2023 post where he referenced them, but don't see a link to them any longer and I wasn't able to find them. My vague memory is that there were several scull boats of similar design in that list when I was working on re-glassing my MMB.
 
A search on here for "Witham" returned several posts which confirmed the maker based on the photos. It looks like there were either different options available or changes over the years. I noticed one that didnt have the motor mount on the transom and another that did have the sculling oar hole.

I did think that maybe the PO had glassed over the oar hole but in looking at the inside and at the PO glass work, there has never been one on this boat. The PO did add a glassed in block extending the motor mount to place the trolling motor.

I am going to continue researching and looking for photos so I can see what the transom and motor board looked like. (IE how much of the PO modifications I need to remove) I am assuming the motor mount was a wood board of some type. The transom has a flat "factory" mount spot molded in so I know it was there originally.

From the other posts, it looks like the top and bottom halves were put together with rivets. All of the rivets are gone on this boat so I need to figure out what to do here and why they are gone. Also, it looks like there were riveted snaps for canvas covers around both the openings (these are all gone too)


So far the plans I have worked up:
1) Cut out the wet wood in the floor and replace with Coosa board
2) Check and cut out / replace any wet foam in the side pockets
3) Remove the PO addition to the motor mount and replace with whatever was original (wood board?) If I have enough Coosa board left, I may use it instead of wood
4) Add the Sculling Oar hole and boot. (REALLY need details on exactly where it needs to be and how it was shaped. Assuming I need to float the boat just to make sure it is above the waterline)
5) Replace the top/bottom connection pop rivets? (Should I split the top and bottom so I can seal it with 5200? It appears that they are still very much attached to each other (IE didn't see anywhere that it is coming apart)
6) Replace the canvas covers
7) Make lead bow weights - sounds like there were 3 @ 25lb each.


If anyone has this boat in original condition or photos of one, I would really appreciate you posting them.
 
Had two half of a scull boat just like yours that was given to me by. Peter , he also helped me put it together and make a sculling oar.
 
perry said:
Had two half of a scull boat just like yours that was given to me by. Peter , he also helped me put it together and make a sculling oar.
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do you have any photos of it or information on making the sculling oar? Trying to gather as much info as I can as sculling is going to be a new adventure for me once I get this boat in shape. thanks
 
perry said:
have a photo if I can find it
Click to expand...
that would be great!! It would be more then great if you have any that really show the Sculling Oar hole. I am wanting to add one to this boat and have no clue on location or how it needs to be done structurally. That said, I will really appreciate anything you have.
 
ScottCK said:
I have decided that ya'll are a REALLY bad influence....
Click to expand...
Ugh, another waterlogged hull! My dad used to call me a sucker for punishment! You did such a great job on your Broadbill that I am sure it will turn out beautiful. RM
 
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Exploratory surgery confirmed the suspicions; the floor is completely waterlogged. The good news is that the original plywood was 1/4" which is what I have in Coosa Board so I will not need to buy any. The Coosa will be stronger, lighter, and completely waterproof. The next good news is that getting the floor out is going to be easy as I have good access to 95% of it.
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Note the standing water:
4.jpg

It looks like the strakes were filled with foam under the plywood. Is this something I should do when rebuilding it? Not sure of reason other than to fill the gap.3.jpg

This appears to be a drain line from the front of the floor to the back. If you look closely, you can see where it must be plugged up and ice busted it. Not sure if this is a great idea or not. 5.jpg

If I can get a full day, I am pretty sure I will be able to get the complete floor and waterlogged flotation foam in the side pockets out and have everything cleaned up.
 
Well getting everything out was easier than even expected. Im estimating that I pulled out 70+ pounds of wet wood and foam. The only challenge was a couple areas where the PO had done some work. Still need to do a little grinding/sanding to smooth things out but that will have to wait until it dries completely from being pressure washed.

IMG_2216.jpegIMG_2215.jpeg
 
Ok, time to start the rebuild questions to the pros:

Originally the boat had a small pipe in the center stake cavity to drain water from front of the boat where the floor ledge would trap water. This pipe was completely clogged making it not functional. Wondering if I should just leave the cavity completely open and have it open on both ends or block it off completely and just deal with the little bit of water that could be trapped?

The outside stake cavities were filled with foam, they are completely covered by the floor. I am going to use Coosa board instead of wood for the replacement floor so it will not be affected by water. Should I fill these cavities with foam or just leave empty?

What is the best option for replacing the floatation foam I removed? Considering using either 2 part boat foam (what weight?) or the closed cell insulation foam from Lowes. Cons on using insulation foam?

When putting the Coosa board down what should I use to attach it to the hull? 5200 or fiberglass epoxy?

I plan on adding a hole for the sculling oar but I have no clue where to put it or how to do it so it is structurally sound. The one picture I have has it on the lower (hull) section of the transom. See photo below Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated.
Screenshot 2025-11-04 201709.png




I hope to be able to glass in the floor sometime in the next two weeks. Have to order some chopped mat which will delay me a bit.

Really appreciate any guidance on this
 
Scott, I have never refurbished a boat, but when I built new I tried to think of potential problems to eliminate such need. Plenty of evidence from others would suggest elininating foam altogether and going with a sealed floor compartment with inspection hatches. Coosa board, again no experience, but with out question I would use thickened epoxy as 5200 takes a long time to cure. I would probably eliminate the drain tube altogether as a couple of good quality sponges make quick work of standing water. The hole position for a sculling oar, no clue.
RM
 
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I'd speculate the strake cavities were filled in an effort to reduce condensation build-up, and I'd probably fill them, too. If not foam, maybe cut to fit coosa or ply and epoxy in so no gaps? If the center strake can be open front to back for draining, I think I'd be tempted to leave that one free flowing.
 
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