Devlin Boat

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Eric Beaumont

Member
Hello all. New to the forum. I have been wanting to build Devlin's Cackler for the last few years. I was wondering if anyone here has built this boat for hunting? I hunt some fairly large water and would like a sturdy boat.
 
Hi Eric,
I'm a relative newby to, just joined a couple of weeks ago, but welcome anyway. My hunting buddy and I built a Snow Goose, the boat one size larger than yours. We love it, it is quite seaworthy on our lake which can get quite rough, its the largest natural fresh water lake west of the Great lakes, the boat is fast with a 40 hp and hell for stout.

My Architect partner is going to build a Cackler this summer. He's not a hunter, this will be his runabout, sightseeing boat. I'm probably going to build myself a Scaup to compliment the Snow Goose, but I'm struggling to decide between a Broadbill III, Scaup or another Snow Goose just for me.
 
Eric,


Welcome to the site , this is this the best place for a guy like yourself looking for boat building advice . I built a Cackler 3 years ago and absolutely love the boat , i hunt solo but have had as many as 3 guys with a dog , in that capacity i use the boat for transport only . I have been out in some pretty rough water , the roughest by far was last year when my partner and i Andrew were headed back from a hunt and encountered about 5 footers , it was a little concerning but i never once felt unsafe in the boat . Andrew built a Snow Goose which is also a great boat for the rough water we hunt . I hope this helps you out feel free to e-mail me with any other questions . I have a ton of pictures if you need some reference . Good luck enjoy your project


Dave
 
Thanks guys.

I have been told that the stitch and glue boat would not be as strong as a fibreglass boat. I was once a owner of a 16 St-Lawrence duck boat, which I hunted out of, but found that this boat was not good in the waves due to it's semi flat bottom. The boat however, was solid and I did not have to worry about banging against rock. I guess what I am worried about is, will a stitch and glue hold up and it there a lot of maintenance on these types of boats?

Can the cackler be hunted out of with a permanent blind attached to it? Fully loaded what type a draft am I looking at?

Sorry for all these questions, I just want to ensure that what ever I build it will suit my needs.

Cheers - Eric
 
I have a Devlin boat, on my 4h season. No, very little maintenance - if any. My hunting partner spills coffee all over the place which is a problem but i just bought him one of those kid cups.

Seriously, wooden boats are lighter, as strong and far warmer than either fiberglass or alum. I too was very wary when I ventured into the wooden world but all of my fears have been allayed.

Plus, when people at the ramp say "where did you buy that boat..." it's a pretty neat feeling.

Go back a few pages and look through the boat subjects, you'll see lots of comments about certain Devlin designs. My two cents are all over the place. In fact I've added it up, I'm up to $46.94.

Choosing a boat is fun.
 
Delvin boats are well designed and lean towards the heavy rocker and wider beam witch makes them a safe boat also. the stich and gule process makes a lighter boat compared to the old frame style boats.

Andrew,
I though your two cents add up to more like $446.94 by now :)

I have to disagree with you on this point

quote :
" [font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]Seriously, wooden boats are lighter, as strong and far warmer than either fiberglass or alum."


I do agree they are warmer that is why I add wood floors but I disagree that they are stronger or lighter . But wooden boat can be built very light and are the most easiest for the majority of people to build and a great choice for the first time builder as they are more forgiving
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Eric,

No need to apoligize for all the questions that is what we love to do is answer ? about wooden duckboats . I have a canvas blind on my Cackler and hunt with 2 guys and a dog sometimes , a little tight but possible, I have to say , like Andrew pointed out i to was hesitant to get into the wood boat thing but i have never regreted it for a minute , I will say if you are going to get into a project as a boat use the BEST Material possible !Do not scimp on anything , 1st it is your life that depends on the boat and if you value anyones life that shares the hunt with you you can figure out the rest . I use my boat year round in some pretty nasty water at times , i have never once felt unsafe in the boat , i used the stitch and glue technique as well as Meranti Mahoganey plywood . The other thing is look at the water you will use it in if so build it a little on the heavy side better to be safe than sorry . Good luck keep the questions coming that is how we learn .


Dave
 
I'm also brand new to this site and debating between the crackler and snow goose. My hunting varies from day to day with a very wide range of conditions in Wisconsin. One day on the Mississippi, next day marsh skiing miles into the Horicon Marsh. Or layout hunting on the Petenwell flowage, Lake Winnebago, or Lake Michigan.

I saw that you can extend the crackler to 16 ft....This would be ideal for me. What is the true capacity of each of these boats? And what kind of load can you be excpected to carry? I guess my priorities would go like--draft, carry capacity, speed...

Thank you for the help...
 
Robert,

You're right about the .02 - but that's why Eric pays me the big bucks. I said "as strong" - and they are. They are lighter than fiberglass & alum when built as per Sam's specs. When I researched wooden boats I was surprised by this.

The TDB 14.7' weighs 600 lbs. My 16' long boat was supposed to weight about 300 lbs, but I think my boat weighs about 400 lbs empty. The Cackler @ 14.4' is designed to weigh 265 lbs.

A 15' Sea Ark aluminum boat weighs 300 lbs.

I'll concede that hitting a submerged rock at 20 knots will pretty much ruin your day no matter what the material.

Best, A.
 
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