Cool Herters Model Goose Duck boat.. sneak box dreaming.

For context. I’ve never built a boat from the ground up, but here’s a canoe I heavily restored years ago; whole new ply floor, plus the added cedar. Was a decent introductory project for your world of wooden duck boats!
 

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Jim Mandas said:
For context. I’ve never built a boat from the ground up, but here’s a canoe I heavily restored years ago; whole new ply floor, plus the added cedar. Was a decent introductory project for your world of wooden duck boats!
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Jim,
Your restored canoe is beautiful!
I have not yet been bitten by the restoration bug which is weird because I do enjoy fixing things. Maybe the right boat project hasn't come along yet. There is an old Sunfish sailboat laying in a neighboring yard so you just never know. I am glad you brought up canoes as that will be my project this winter. My plan is to rip the strips sometime this summer and begin in earnest when hunting season is finally over. Looking forward to seeing your project progress.
RM
 
RM Anderson said:
Jim,
Your restored canoe is beautiful!
I have not yet been bitten by the restoration bug which is weird because I do enjoy fixing things. Maybe the right boat project hasn't come along yet. There is an old Sunfish sailboat laying in a neighboring yard so you just never know. I am glad you brought up canoes as that will be my project this winter. My plan is to rip the strips sometime this summer and begin in earnest when hunting season is finally over. Looking forward to seeing your project progress.
RM
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Thank you RM, the canoe was a solid project- the guy never glassed it, and it made it doomed to water damage. It would have been easier to build one from scratch and glass it from the start I think.

As far as the duckboat goes, I'm taking the boat and trailer into my buddies welding shop to have them fit it to the boat, today was getting bunk rails built quick and then a day of motor diagnostics... weird rpm surges at idle. Hunting would be the technical term, Rebuilt carb, new plugs, and a recoil spring is all I've done so far, but new gaskets all around is probably in order too.
 
Jim Mandas said:
Steve, Eric, and RM; I have looked at this site for years, and always dreamed of building out one of these historic and hyper practical duck boats. Thank you guys, for your time, encouragement and guidance.

While I plan to someday build one from the ground up, I'm going to get to demo today on the Happy Meg. I think I've got a decent handle on how to frame out the bulkheads and the deck now, at least enough to be dangerous. She'll be built out using these great posts as a guide, I am considering pulling the whole factory deck up and redecking the whole boat. If this were your project, bearing in mind the narrower beam, you guys would redeck the whole thing correct? I think that'll make for a better finished product. I live in a town of 400, getting material of any kind is a mission; getting parker duck boat paint and primer here was brutal, but it can be done!

Again, thank you dearly fellas, and stay tuned :cool:

-Jim
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Good morning, Jim~

A few thoughts:

1) As Eric mentioned, dream it first! I always do lots of sketching as I plan - and always with the key measurements: length and width of cockpit; length of stern deck - which relates to the length of the foredeck. Can you add a stern deck and still have a 6-foot cockpit length? Will you shoot over the bow or the stern?

2) As your vessel is already suitably low, I would be tempted to keep the gunwales intact. You could keep the existing deck and just add a stern deck. I would probably add a stern deck about 20 or 24 inches fore-and-aft AND build a motor well. Thus, you can retain the the existing transom - but add lots of safety with a well about 14 wide by 10 inches long by 6 inches deep at the transom. I'd pitch the bottom toward the transom and add a drain that is flush to the bottom so it would not hold nuisance water (or ice!) between hunts.

3) IF you retain the factory decks, adding bulkheads will be considerably more difficult working in an enclosed space. I have done it both ways - open is much easier. Certainly constructing flotation chambers would be much easier with the factory decks gone.

4) IF you decide to replace the decks, do so carefully. I would leave a "lip" all around to which I would fasten new 1/4-inch plywood decks. I am currently working on a vessel (Top Secret for Tuckerton) where I marked a 1-1/2-inch lip all around - then sawed the factory decks to the line (they are headed to the dump this weekend). The remaining lip will be sanded with 60-grit (and wiped with acetone) so the 3M 5200 will adhere nicely when the new decks are attached.

5) I would try to keep/reinstall the original Duraluminum hardware: bow piece, oarlocks, lifting handles. I imagine the bow piece and lifting handles could be re-fastened on any new decks you fashioned. The oarlock sockets would probably be set on new stanchions - high enough off the gunwales so oars clear both new coamings and the water when rowing. I like the bow piece as a lifting handle and for attaching a painter - but I would probably add a s/s U-bolt on the stem for both anchoring and for pulling the vessel up onto your trailer.

6) I, too, live in a small town - with no real boating vendors nearby. So, I order my Parker's paints right from the factory (Wisconsin) - and my 'glassing supplies from U.S. Composites (Florida). I have relied on Hamilton Marine (Maine) and Jamestown Distributors (Rhode Island) for many decades now. Also, I use AC plywood instead of marine because of the lack of dealers nearby. It helps if you can find a lumberyard that carries quality lumber.

All the best,

SJS
 
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Steve Sanford said:
Good morning, Jim~

A few thoughts:

1) As Eric mentioned, dream it first! I always do lots of sketching as I plan - and always with the key measurements: length and width of cockpit; length of stern deck - which relates to the length of the foredeck. Can you add a stern deck and still have a 6-foot cockpit length? Will you shoot over the bow or the stern?

2) As your vessel is already suitably low, I would be tempted to keep the gunwales intact. You could keep the existing deck and just add a stern deck. I would probably add a stern deck about 20 or 24 inches fore-and-aft AND build a motor well. Thus, you can retain the the existing transom - but add lots of safety with a well about 14 wide by 10 inches long by 6 inches deep at the transom. I'd pitch the bottom toward the transom and add a drain that is flush to the bottom so it would not hold nuisance water (or ice!) between hunts.

3) IF you retain the factory decks, adding bulkheads will be considerably more difficult working in an enclosed space. I have done it both ways - open is much easier. Certainly constructing flotation chambers would be much easier with the factory decks gone.

4) IF you decide to replace the decks, do so carefully. I would leave a "lip" all around to which I would fasten new 1/4-inch plywood decks. I am currently working on a vessel (Top Secret for Tuckerton) where I marked a 1-1/2-inch lip all around - then sawed the factory decks to the line (they are headed to the dump this weekend). The remaining lip will be sanded with 60-grit (and wiped with acetone) so the 3M 5200 will adhere nicely when the new decks are attached.

5) I would try to keep/reinstall the original Duraluminum hardware: bow piece, oarlocks, lifting handles. I imagine the bow piece and lifting handles could be re-fastened on any new decks you fashioned. The oarlock sockets would probably be set on new stanchions - high enough off the gunwales so oars clear both new coamings and the water when rowing. I like the bow piece as a lifting handle and for attaching a painter - but I would probably add a s/s U-bolt on the stem for both anchoring and for pulling the vessel up onto your trailer.

6) I, too, live in a small town - with no real boating vendors nearby. So, I order my Parker's paints right from the factory (Wisconsin) - and my 'glassing supplies from U.S. Composites (Florida). I have relied on Hamilton Marine (Maine) and Jamestown Distributors (Rhode Island) for many decades now. Also, I use AC plywood instead of marine because of the lack of dealers nearby. It helps if you can find a lumberyard that carries quality lumber.

All the best,

SJS
Click to expand...
Steve, super helpful talking about keeping a lip from the existing aluminum. I took the boat out today for the first time in a long time, keeping all this in mind while I was running it. Pulling the seats and decking the boat are absolutely in order. As it is now, when I throw the motor in reverse it’s wanting to kick water over the transom, I think more weight in front plus the deck is going to make the boat a lot more practical. Thank you fellas and stay tuned!
-Jim
 
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