Ducker Project

Matt Vanderpan

Matt Vanderpan

Active member
I am the other new guy here on the site form ND. Since this is a duck boat site i'll share the story of my pride and joy, My Alumacraft Ducker. I dont know who actually owned it but I ended up with it. The boat floated (no pun intended) from house to house over 6-7 yrs. we hunted out of it a couple times but never really used it that much. It got beat on when we would have Fb parties and over the yrs it ended up in pretty bad shape. One of the original oars got lost some holes got poked in it and a few of the rivets broken. Well in the spring of 2006 I decided to look into what I had. I soon found out it was one of the most famous production duck boats in the upper midwest. One of my roommates and I took on the task of refurbishing it to make it pond worthy once again. I got a few nasty grams from individuals when I posted up pics of our progress online. I was told over and over how I was ruining a boat and that I killed the resale value by stripping it repainting it. The way I looked at it.... I wasnt going to sell it and I wanted to use it so..... We stripped it down to bare metal, pounded out some dents, replaced some rivets and gave her a fresh coat of paint. here is out project pics. enjoy!

Stripping paint
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Washing it off at the Carwash!!

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Prime coat

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First coat of paint

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Adding some grass camo to the sides

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Painted up and ready for H2O!!

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We made our stencil out of linoleum scraps and exacto knives. It is cheap if not free and very easy cut and bend around corners.
 
Is it common to have mallards and divers in the same area where you are? We usually have one or the other, depending on the turf. Nice job on the boat, good to see a classic still working.
Tom
 
Sweet boat Matt. I agree with your restoration..that boat was made to hunt. A "collector" purist might have an issue, but a "hunting purist" would restore and repaint...and maybe keep their eyes open for a nice Winchester Model 12 Heavy Duck to take along too.

Happy hunting!
 
Though my old boat is fiberglass, it to was in need of repair. You can't beat free! I salute you for using what's available and spending the extra money you saved from not buying a new boat on shells, and gas. Or maybe like Lee said super nice sawhorses.
 
Matt,

Good job on the ducker. I've tried several times though the years to get my hands on one. There has always been someone with more available funds then I've had at the time. Believe me you didn't de-value your boat by sprucing it up.

Take care,

Ed L.
 
Nice job on the Ducker. How stable is that boat? Do you hunt just one guy out of it? Or two?

Chuck
 
Now that you have ruined that one you should just leave it on the side of the road, I will provide the location if you decide to do that. Nice work, pure collectors just drive the price up and then their stuff just collects dust BOOO HIIISSS. I like Ed have never had the cash for one and now have built one to fill the nitch. Nice job and good hunting. BTW Welcome to the best duck site in the world.
 
Great job on the Ducker. They are the best little boat going. I have spent many years in one and they are a blast to hunt out of. HHG
 
Nice project Matt.I like the idea that it has built in stake holes forward and aft.A fine marsh boat,that should be still in production.Good Hunting.
 
It is a remarkably stable boat. I have stood in it many times and not once did it feel tippy. The boat works well for crip trips with the dog. If you sail a bird way out there and a blind retrieve by the dog isn't really feasible. A guy can row or paddle out to the bird have the dog hop out to get it and you dont have to worry about swampin the thing hauling the dog back in. It makes decoy transport simple. I dont know what the coast guard rating is but I am guessing we have had upwards of 800-1000 lbs in it before and had no problem navigating shallow water. 2 guys a dog or two blind bags, guns decoys we have filled it to the brim and has no problem staying afloat.

I dont have any pics of it in action as a decoy transport but it has been a back saver on some of the long hikes to the secret spots!!

On a side note.... the boat has fixed oar sockets that are way to big for the oar locks I have for the boat. Do any of you know of a place where I could get a sleeve or some sort of insert so I dont have wobbly oars when rowing.
 
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