CANVAS BODIED DUCK BOAT

bballard

bballard

Well-known member
Headed out to pick up a Mead Glider Corp. Canvas bodied duck boat tomorrow P.M. This is my first ever project boat in a bijillion years of ducking. It is a 1940's era home built and from the original owners son. The canvas was replaced with rubber cloth. I am thinking about undertaking the restoration, but the only canvas work I have ever done is a couple of goose decoys with Chuck J (cue Chuck in 3....2.....1). I may see if there are any canvas pro's still around these parts, OR a may try glass over wood transition.
Any one ever try such a folly? Regards, B[inline ]
 
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B-
Sounds like an interesting project. Hope you'll post pictures when you get it. Your description so far puts me in mind of "Fol-bots". I wonder if the "skin" of these boats is anything like what you'd be working with.
Here's a link I found to a forum of people who may have expertise in some of the things you'll be dealing with: http://www.folbotforum.com/
Also a link to main page: http://www.folbot.com/
 
cue Chuck in 3....2.....1
Click to expand...

Big-B, you lured me out from under my rock...where have you been hiding?

Mead Gilder eah...

T2eC16RHJHIE9nyseHsRBQddkoi7eQ60_57.jpg


Snappiest thing afloat!

Didn't find any internet reference to a duckboat, kayaks seem to be their main thing, but I really didn't look all that hard either. I'd be interested in seeing it once it is in your possession. As traditional as restoring it with canvas could be, often it's really not that practical if you really mean to use it glass might be a better choice, though if the frame isn't all that rigid the cloth would have more give...really have to see it first.

Best
Chuck
 
What a cool ad to look at. Fun to see them and try to understand that a profit was made after the company sold the boat.
Al
 
Brian
I'm certaintly not a canvas pro but I did recover an Old Town canoe and helped my dad build duck boats that were canvas covered. In fact I still have my dad's duck box covered in canvas. Back then canvas covered boats did well. I still have a can of canvas cement used back there but can't read the label :-) glass of course wasn't known then. It might be fun (?) for you to give it a try.
wis boz
 
Cool looking old boat. I looked into canvas over wood frame boats years ago. There are some very neat light boats made that way but as I remember there were some drawbacks. The ones I looked into were either painted or epoxied. While they worked well in open water many said you had to be careful near stumps and rocks. When you stiffen the canvas it becomes easier to poke holes in.

Now after seeing this article Click Here it might be worth another look. Never thought about what some of the more modern fabrics could handle.

Tim
 
canvas canoes are still popular-

i restored one a couple years ago, now slowly working on a Penn Yan Cartopper - a light weight wood and canvas row boat

all the supplies you need are easy to find - i'd say go for it
 

View attachment boatb.jpg Well, here she is afloat. Found one small leak in the skin. Did manage in Grand Ballard style to slice a neat 2 inch cut in my breathable wader (&^%%$# ^&*)! There now I feel better. Starting to look at materials for a re-skin. Dacron looks interesting. Bing covered in rubber I have given here the temp. name Uniroyal 1. Freeboard isn't to shabby for having a three hundred pounder on board.
 
Brian, is this canvas stretched over a wood hull, like a wood/canvas canoe, or is it canvas over a skeleton frame?

The dacron fabric boats I've seen are the latter--and I wouldn't put my 300 pound body in one where I might poke it into a beaver dam in the dark. And I may be wrong, but I don't know that epoxy and glass over the frame would be very strong.

But canvas over a wood hull, properly cared for, is as sea-worthy a boat as you could ever want. Glass over these hulls is common and works well, after the canvas is removed.
 
Gonna be difficult, hiding your frame in that craft! Brushed up, it may be interesting, as long as you dont poke any holes in her sides. Nice little boat, Ballard.
 
Jeff,
She is material over frame. The ribs are (I Think) aluminum with 1/2 x 1/2 stringers. The bow and stern are boxed in on top with tin tacked down. It has a motor mount, and I have yet to take a good look at what stern and bow are framed up like. I am planning on immersing myself in boat refurbishing prior to the attack (probably this winter) , AS for now, I don't even know correct terminology, let alone the correct track to follow, but I am really looking forward to what I will end up with.




Regards, B
 
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