Devlin Scaup 18

Tod thanks for the info. The Scaup 18 is a bit different than the 16. It's a self baling design. The sole plate is just above the water line and drain ports that extend through the aft bulkhead and transom. Thanks for your thoughts. Also, paying tax would stop me from building. I just know the wood supplier doesnt charge it if he delivers out if state but would have to if I took a trailer and picked up the materials. The delivery charge is about $150. To me that's a no brainer. I would have it delivered.

I see the Marranti is substantially cheaper and okoume but Boulter doesn't have it in 5x10 sheets. Makes sense to me the use okoume in 5x10 where I need it but then use Marranti everywhere else.
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I like a self bailer and would have built my snowgoose as such if I had to do it again. My concern with an 18 scaup as a self bailer is that is going to push the sole higher and give you even less concealment.

Sounds good on the plywood plan.
 
Remember Tod's words next December when it's 23 degrees out:
these boats, they are low and wet
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Spray has a tendency to roll back into the boat regardless of the design.

Have you been at the mouth of the CT River when the wind is blowing against an outgoing tide? In December? I heard a story once about some guys gunning in Maine with a guide. In a big Lund mind you. It got snotty. The guide handed the clients a rope and told them to pass it through the life jackets they were wearing. When asked why the guide responded "so the Coast Guard can find all of our bodies". A Scaup isn't a Lund when it comes to seaworthiness...

Sounds like you have your plans and now that you have skin in the game you are building it. Good luck with your build.
 
Remember Tod's words next December when it's 23 degrees out:
these boats, they are low and wet
Click to expand...


Spray has a tendency to roll back into the boat regardless of the design.

Have you been at the mouth of the CT River when the wind is blowing against an outgoing tide? In December? I heard a story once about some guys gunning in Maine with a guide. In a big Lund mind you. It got snotty. The guide handed the clients a rope and told them to pass it through the life jackets they were wearing. When asked why the guide responded "so the Coast Guard can find all of our bodies". A Scaup isn't a Lund when it comes to seaworthiness...

Sounds like you have your plans and now that you have skin in the game you are building it. Good luck with your build.
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Were it my life and me at the wheel/tiller, I'd bet on the 18' decked scaup over a 20' open Lund, especially if the 18' scaup was a self bailer (but as I said I have concerns if you could get the sole above waterline when the boat was loaded without compromising the huntability). Comfort on the other hand would fall strongly towards the Lund, the low sneakboxes have no where to stand and hold on to anything and they are literally at the calf level. So, three guys are going to be holding on to what and where? If sitting, they are going to be slashed to shit by spray. I always drive my snowgoose standing in the spray and you couldn't pay me to drive it sitting. In a lower boat, you woudl have to sit to be safe.
 
I'd bet on the 18' decked scaup over a 20' open Lund
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If he's got a substantial dodger in front of the cockpit. A 4" high combing sheds nothing if he spears a wave.
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A decked boat sheds a whole lot of wave if one breaks over the bow or side and open boat takes a whole lot. My comparison is based on direct side-by-side comparison of my snowgoose to an 18' Alaskan. I'd take my boat every time compared to the open 18 if it got bad, but I'd take a Lund 20'er over by boat. The comparison with the 18 Scaup being decked and a self bailer vs the 20 Lund, I'd take the Scaup.

I wouldn't ever bet on a dodger to turn a wave on that size boat. 1000D cordura is only so strong and you are talking thousands of pounds of water. I've heard more than one story of a TDB blind failing taking a wave.
 
Jim,
Clearly I have some thinking to do. The majority of my hunting would be inland lakes and maybe an occasional hunt at the shore, CT and Housi Rivers. I was first going to build a BBII. It just isn't big enough IMO. On ocassion there may be a 3rd adult. Mostly 2 adults, dog, and a kid.

Occasionally I get to hunt with a friend in his tdb 14 classic. It's a tight fit. I think I want more room than that. I am interested in checking out the cackler/snowgoose boats. Or maybe I should just stop the madness and buy and tdb 17 seaclass/classic.
 
Jim,
Clearly I have some thinking to do. The majority of my hunting would be inland lakes and maybe an occasional hunt at the shore, CT and Housi Rivers. I was first going to build a BBII. It just isn't big enough IMO. On ocassion there may be a 3rd adult. Mostly 2 adults, dog, and a kid.

Occasionally I get to hunt with a friend in his tdb 14 classic. It's a tight fit. I think I want more room than that. I am interested in checking out the cackler/snowgoose boats. Or maybe I should just stop the madness and buy and tdb 17 seaclass/classic.
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A BBII is too small for what you want, so is a snowgoose IMO. I don't like to hunt more than 2 guys and a dog from mine, so you intuition to go bigger is right.

You need to sit in one of these boats and compare - Devlin has a comparison chart. Come by and sit in mine, if the water is soft, I'll take you out on Lilli. I could be talked into a trip to the Sound even, especially if a clamming tide worked out.
 
Too many designs! I guess I really need about 3 boats to do it all! Obviously there are pros and cons to the different designs. I rode in Dave's cackler and liked it. The lower "sneak" designs certainly are wetter and less comfortable under power, but concealement is a concern too. The ultimate concern is going to be safety and the ability to handle the conditions. Anything more than 2 footers and I'm heading home. Todd, I would like to check you boat out some time if possible, as well as Daryl's. I haven't commited to a design yet and checking out several completed or under construction boats will be extremly helpful. Jason, maybe we should get together and try to check their boats out?
 
The TDB 17 is a niceboat. But if you want to build a boat(and spend a LOT less money) Turn a scaup/Cackler/Snowgoose in to a TDB. That is what I did with my 20' Honker. I am sure every one has seen these pictures.. but....

BTW- I don't understand why you wouldn't want a spash well rather than have a wave over the stern dump ALOT of water into the hull...

The top of my cockpit is 31" off the floor, but you can make it whatever height you want it... The TDB 14 is about 25"

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This part falls into the "none of my business" category probably, but is there a tight family relationship between you, the other adult, the kid, and the "occasional third adult"? Why is it up to YOU, to provide seating for 3 plus guys? Build a Cackler and have them build a Cackler. Building two together at the same time would probably shave 30% off of the build time and when you hunt together you just tie up end to end and it's almost like being in the same boat. I've had issues in the past where it's my boat, my truck, my decoys, my dog, and my "guest" for the day shows up with his gun and thermos and doesn't even offer to gas up the truck at the end of the day. But this is another subject for another thread, probably at the Refuge.
 
Been their done that Jim! Probably while I usually hunt alone...

That and I am just not a very likable fellow....
 
I have not been around much lately but I read the start of this thread with great interest and I was glad to see the advice that was given was taken to heart. Its difficult after studying plans and coming to a decision to have people openly question it. However, this forum is just for that and I for one and glad its here. I looked into the larger scaup and thanks to some advice from some people here I changed course and went with a Garvey styled boat. Mine turns out to be only 16 feet because its cockpit is large enough for my needs and the rest of the boat was designed around that.

I also own a BBIII and have been out in weather I would prefer to never see again in a boat of that size they can get you back safe but a larger decked boat is much safer and takes less "working of the waves" to get you home. The guys are spot on the low profile boat really limits how you hunt it unless you put a blind on it your going to be laying down in it. That is really the only way my BBIII gets hunted anymore is me laying down in it. This year its getting grassing rails and I am going to hunt it grassed up laying down with a back board. The Garvey is going to get a more traditional blind.

As for Epoxy I am a fan of the U.S. Composites its less expensive and now that I have built a couple boats I am very comfortable using the fast cure. I have both the fast and the medium on the shelf waiting for my builds this spring.
 
This is great advice you guys are giving me. It's greatly appreciated. I'm not so deep into this plan that I can't change gears. I'm not beholden to any design. I don't want a boat so big ad tall I stand out like a sore thumb on the inland lakes. I was thinking it the Scaup 18 was grasses up you could still sit in one the smaller fold out camp chairs. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't think that's much different than sitting on say a bucket.

The Scaup 18 does have a splash well in front of the motor. It doesnt have a motor well. Ive already talked to one of the guys at Devlin about modifying this somewhat. Because I plan to mount motor on a jack plate I don't need to have the splash well deck to come down low on the transom. This would keep less water from potentially breaking over the stern.

When I told Devlin about the jack plate idea they were very supportive of it. In fact they just finished mounting one on a cackler/ snowgoose or something.
 
This is great advice you guys are giving me. It's greatly appreciated. I'm not so deep into this plan that I can't change gears. I'm not beholden to any design. I don't want a boat so big ad tall I stand out like a sore thumb on the inland lakes. I was thinking it the Scaup 18 was grasses up you could still sit in one the smaller fold out camp chairs. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't think that's much different than sitting on say a bucket.

The Scaup 18 does have a splash well in front of the motor. It doesnt have a motor well. Ive already talked to one of the guys at Devlin about modifying this somewhat. Because I plan to mount motor on a jack plate I don't need to have the splash well deck to come down low on the transom. This would keep less water from potentially breaking over the stern.

When I told Devlin about the jack plate idea they were very supportive of it. In fact they just finished mounting one on a cackler/ snowgoose or something.
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You are getting a lot of good advise, we haven't had a good discussion in a while, so we are just happy to chat. Jack plate would be fine, one thing
I wish I had done was to expand the splashwell wide enough to fit a kicker in it. As it is I have my kicker stored in the boat and it goes on a bracket on the transom.
 
Too many designs! I guess I really need about 3 boats to do it all! Obviously there are pros and cons to the different designs. I rode in Dave's cackler and liked it. The lower "sneak" designs certainly are wetter and less comfortable under power, but concealement is a concern too. The ultimate concern is going to be safety and the ability to handle the conditions. Anything more than 2 footers and I'm heading home. Todd, I would like to check you boat out some time if possible, as well as Daryl's. I haven't commited to a design yet and checking out several completed or under construction boats will be extremly helpful. Jason, maybe we should get together and try to check their boats out?
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Boat is in the barn, my schedule is flexible so let me know. A run on the water is easy come spring, and woudln't be impossible now.
 
Wendell that's a good idea. Todd, thanks for the offer. I would like to look at it and maybe go for a ride in spring. I was hoping to start building in March or so but I may need to push that back. I'm in S+S I'll pm my number maybe we can talk. This really has been an awesome discussion.
 
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