Ducker Plans for Strip Building?

Nate Hoyt

Nate Hoyt

Member
Has anyone ever pulled measurements from an Alumnacraft Ducker to make plans for homebuilders? I am craving a new project and a strip built Ducker would scratch the itch, but I don't have one available to reverse engineer myself. I have a 14' pirogue that is good for me and a dog, but I need a bigger boat for poling two 250# dudes, an 80# dog and dekes/gear/guns. I'd have to stretch a Ducker for my purposes, but I'm not too bothered by that prospect. An big stitch and glue pirogue would be easier, but I want to try some other build techniques.

Nate
 
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RM Anderson said:
Nate,
Devlin Poleboat would be my first choice but you would need more forms for a stripper.
RM
Click to expand...
RM,

Thanks. I've looked at the Poleboat 13 repeatedly because it is the only duckboat plan I've found that is specifically called a poleboat. It is a pretty thing, but it is a vee-bottom. That is an absolutely deal breaker for me. A flat bottom is the textbook choice for my purposes, but I'll make the bottom a shallow arc to stiffen the bottom with minimal reinforcement if I have to draw it out myself.

I am unsurprised no one has tried to copy a Ducker in wood. It is too unrefined to attract the wood strip crowd and too complex to attract the stitch and glue crowd; no problem though. The cool thing about a small displacement hull when you prioritize capacity over performance is that you can reverse engineer them by SWAG without sweating the material specs as much as with a powered hull. The desired end product ends up being more barge than elegant paddle craft. 6 mm. thick wood and epoxy is reasonably light and stronger than necessary when the flat spans are narrow or bound to a curve and not subject to the forces of a planing hull.

Nate
 
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