A Stool Boat for Cassiopeia

[Steve Sanford]

Here is one more project for the Bird Man of Aquebogue.....

Although we originally planned the CASSIOPEIA ( http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=252871;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;) to be the "mother ship/tender/big boat" for our Broadbill rig - with White~Wing ( http://stevenjaysanford.com/white-wing-2-man-scooter/ ) as the open bay "scooter" - a 2-boat rig - we are now moving toward a 3-boat rig: tender + stool boat + scooter.

Bud Corwin gave Craig Kessler a vessel Bud had converted from a tin (aluminum) hull. Buddy had cut it down, decked it, and customized it for gunning sea ducks. We are now re-purposing it as our stool boat.

Stool boats have been around since the days of sail. The old battery rigs often had a stool boat to carry the decoys. The rig was set and retrieved from these open skiffs, which were usually rowed or poled once they had been towed by the "mother ship" to the gunning grounds.

Here is a 3-boat rig - thanks to John Verbeke - from the early days of power. The scooter is on deck and the stool boat is being towed.

Here is an Amesbury Skiff being used as a stool boat by Brandt Rising's RETRIEVER. Each of the compartments holds individual trawls.

Here is a different set of "dividers" in another Amesbury.

Here is Red Oster's stool boat for COMMANDING MISTRESS:

Here it is setting the rig.

Stool boats usually serve to transport gunners between the tender and the scooter - and also chase and retrieve downed birds.

We began our conversion by bolting some taller sides around the cockpit - to keep decoys in and Great South Bay out.

The dividers will be removable while retaining the sides. This will allow the boat to be used for lots of purposes year-round.

Stay tuned!

SJS

 

[RLLigman]

Steve, two questions: Does the transom cut-out make you nervous, particularly with multiple hunters on board? Do you know who carved Red Oster's scaup rig?

 

[Shawn Linn]

can't wait to see this three boat rig in operation. I really like the idea of a stool rig with dividers to keep all the rigs separate. Removable for the off season would be a must for me.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, RL~

re Transom height. It certainly bears watching. Decks are self-bailing and the bulkhead - although not designed to be watertight - would give some help in minimizing the misery if a big sea climbed in over the stern. Were I building a stool boat from scratch, I would deck over the aft 30 inches of the boat and mount the motor in a well.

Red's Broadbill stool are mostly E. Allens from Lou Tisch (http://www.lockstockbarrell.com/) - painted by Red.

All the best,

SJS

 

[RLLigman]

Thank you!

I noticed it was a self-bailing hull. What caught my eye was transom cut-out and where the scuppers were located in relation to the the degree of potential displacement increase with stool and multiple hunters on board. The ping-pong ball scupper flaps enclosed in a plastic housing have worked well on two boats I've installed them on. They "react" quickly, far better than a flap/diaphragm system. Yes, they are not very pleasing to the eye...! I eventually got used to them on my old Outrage CC, largely because they stopped the ingress of about a gallon of water that would slosh back and forth in the splash well all day while we were salmon trolling. You could always scuff-up the plastic housings and paint them gray!

 

[Steve Sanford]

RL~

We had the ping-pong ball type on a Privateer I bought for the job NYSDEC) back in the day. They did, indeed, work well.

re scuffing and painting: You know me too well! More than once, I have lightly sanded brand new stainless hardware (e. g., nav lights) and painted them Interlux Miami Tan - to complement my old gaff sloop and the like.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

All~

Another work day on Cassiopeia's stool boat.

I fabricated the dividers for the hold up north and drove them down to Long Island yesterday. We had a perfect fall day - great working weather with cool, crisp dry air. And, it's always nice to be working on boats within sight of salt water....

First job was fitting and installing the dividers. A local craftsman bent the aluminum "hoop" for the helmsman. We U-bolted it to the bulkhead.

Removing a dozen bolts - with nylon lock nuts - removes the dividers for off-season use.

Acorn nuts on the U-bolt ends protect decoys and crew.

The Helmsman - probably making motor boat sounds and dreaming of lumpy seas, stiff winds and hordes of Broadie-beaks.....

A handy little vessel! As usual, I ordered the name through http://doityourselflettering.com/ - they have been a real pleasure to wok with. Of course, not too many stool boats get names.....

Next task is canvas to keep 100 Broadbill stool out of the weather. I'll sew 3/4 of it up north - and do final fitting on my next trip south....

All the best,

SJS

 

[roy brewington]

Love the lines of that hull steve. Who was builder and is it heavy guage aluminum or Glass? Or is an aluminum riveted hull with fiberglass cap?

 

[Steve Sanford]

Roy~

I do not know who made the hull - riveted aluminum - but will try to track it down.

The hull was cut down and had new decks, floor etc made with plywood + fibreglass by Bud Corwin. Bud is from the Corwin family of the Bellport, LI area - lots of creative and energetic baymen, gunners, and carvers. Bud made or inspired many of these gunning boats - which he called "pow-pows". They were cut-down powerboat hulls - I am sure acquired for next-to-nothing - and modified to allow 2 gunners to carry lots of gear - rather quickly - and then lay side-by-side to shoot over the transom. Bud made this one to gun sea ducks. Others were made for big Goose rigs in the Pattersquash Club on Bellport Bay starting in the 1980s.

We have not yet had this boat in the water and I am anxious to see how it handles. It is surprisingly beamy for its length and I think it will be a very handy boat to have on the water for lots of adventures year-round.

All the best,

SJS

 

[roy brewington]

That explains it. Thought I was looking at some kind of small commercial type hull initially, Then picked up on the bow rivets and fiberglass cap. I guess the spray rails were an add on also?

 

[Keith Dolbeck]

Steve
Great article and pics of the "Stool Boat for Cassiopeia"!!!! Your contributions to this forum make it even more worthwhile to read and to join! From all of us nostalgia minded waterfowlers; a heartfelt Thank You !!!!!
KAD

 

[Phil Eager]

Hey there Steve I m always intrigued by boat names... Where does Cassiopeia come from?


Phil

 

[John Augustine]

Neat boat, I'm surprised you didn't just pocket the dividers so they would just lift out.
You do some really nice work, John

 

[Steve Sanford]

Phil~

Cassiopeia is from the constellation. Craig's Dad showed him the constellation when he was a young lad - and Craig inherited the boat after his Dad passed a few years ago.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

John~

I had considered a "lift out" approach when first designing the dividers. I opted for the dozen bolts, instead, because I was afraid the hull might rack under way. Although I wanted to keep the added weight low, I also want a stiff structure so that the crew could steady himself on any part of the boat.

It was interesting when we bolted the center divider in place. Even though the pipe "hoop" was bolted through a heavy bulkhead, it was noticeably stiffer after the divider was fastened fore and aft.

Ten minutes with a box wrench and a nut driver and the dividers come out.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Phil Eager]

Thank you Steve'' had no idea


Phil

 

[Steve Sanford]

All~

Just finished the canvas for BROADBILL. As with much of my work on both CASSIOPEIA and this stool boat, fabricating parts and pieces with the vessel 250 miles away from Pencil Brook Boatworks is less than ideal. Nevertheless, I was generally satisfied with the fit of this cover. It is snug where it needs to be and will certainly keep rain, snow and errant seas out of her. I did not want to be the next gunning crew desperately searching for someone's heated garage because all of the decoys are frozen into the hold mid-season......

Only the front is fastened "tight" - with Common Sense fasteners. When in use, the canvas can be rolled forward and lashed to the spray shield.

The sides and back are held taught with loops of 5/16" shock cord. The canvas is Cadet Grey Sunbrella - from sailrite.com.

You cannot see it here - but Craig has painted the dividers and stowed the first 71 Model 72 burlaped Broadbill. I brought him 4 more burlaped and 9 epoxy + sawdust (but not burlaped) Model 72s for "singles" at the head of the rig. The singles have individual anchors on 15-foot lines.

So, we will be setting 84 decoys from BROADBILL this year.

I am looking forward to seeing this boat on the water - to see how she handles generally and to how she works as a stool boat with the 4 trawls.


All the best,

SJS

 

[RLLigman]

Very nice! Is Common Sense a brand name? I was taught that they were turn-buttons...

Here is a good "ropes and tools" website for boat builders and duck boat refurbishers:
http://duckworksbbs.com/hardware/misc/sd318501/index.htm

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, RL~

I guess I learned these "turnbuttons / twist lock" fasteners as Common Sense brand.

Here is what SailRite shows: http://www.sailrite.com/easearch#!&ea_q=common%20sense%20fasteners

For this job, I tried the stainless steel - instead of the chromed nickel. They are a bit more expensive but seem sturdier.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Tim Speight]

Great Job Steve!


Quick question...does the Helmsman have a Deckhand to assist in deploying the trawls or is he able to perform both functions himself?
When deploying do they set the rear trawls first then step over the bulkhead to access the forward trawls?
Trying to visualize the Broadbill ballet in my head.
Thanks!
Tim