Finished my duckboat

CGeminski

CGeminski

Well-known member
Well, here is the final product after over 120 hrs of work! I started with nothing more than a bare hull....

The boat was completed sanded down inside & out then painted with base coat of FME #28 from Lou Tisch of Lock, Stock & Barrel... GREAT PAINT! I then purchased a stencil from Cabelas & some spray Parkers duckboat paint. First camo layer was using a bark pattern in flat black, next was a cattail pattern with Parkers Cattail Brown, last was the same cattail pattern using Parkers Autumn Gold.

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You can see the new trailer with the white post guides on's. These have LED lights on top (red/amber) and were purchased from Cabelas. Very easy to install and give your boat a lot of visibility when on the trailer. Also note the spare tire...

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Here is a side view of the completed boat

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Here is the boat as originally purchased
 
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Here is the bow light

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This is an LED battery operated (4AA) bowlight from Cabelas. The mounting hardware that comes with the light is junk, but the actual light is great. I built a custom mount using some wood and a bungee cord. Basically, the cord loops around the bow cleat, then I pull the mount forward stretching the bungee. The other end of the cleat projects into the mount... rock solid, simple and stable. It can be taken off or put on it about 2 seconds. No wires to corrode....

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Here is the stern light, also an LED from Cabelas. Same thing, mounting hardware was junk except for the mounting pole. I purchased a plastic pipe, 2 threaded pipe caps and an angle bracket to do this. The angle bracket mounted to my motor mount, bolted the pipe cap to that. The pole from Cabelas inserts into the pipe I purchased (needed stability & more length). The whole thing is solid as a rock and can be removed for travel in about 10 seconds.
 
Here are the custom back rests/seats I made...

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This backrest was made using two pieces of wood, some foam from an old dog bed my lab decided was a chew toy and some camo 1000 denier cordura material. I made the backrest only 8 inches wide so I could reach behind myself, to save on weight/materials/size. I cut the foam to fit one piece of wood, wrapped it in heavy duty plastic to waterproof it, then wrapped it in camo & stapeled it to the wood. The finishing piece of wood go screwed to the back and has small pieces of wood on the back so that it fits perfect as a seat or backrest and wont slide.

Here they are being used as seats
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Here they are being used as backrests
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Here is the inside of the bow...

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I put the gas tank in the bow to remove some weight from the stern. There are two shotgun slings which allow me to put my gun (in a case) in one and slide it all the way forward to the bow. The floorboards were built of cedar with brass screws and were painted with some non-skid additive
 
Here is a photo of the stern

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Here is a photo of the stern, showing the motor well boot which allows my gas line & electric start lines to go into the stern of my boat w/o having to go over the cockpit rail. I also used some black corrugated tubing & plastic zip ties to protect the lines... Also note the motor tiller handle extension, all purchased at West Marine.

I also protected myself from a "worst case scenario" but putting an eye bolt on my motor mount and attached a cable from that to my motor. This prevents the motor from taking a swim and ending up on the bottom.

Also notice the piece of wood aft of the trailer tire... I can stand on this to help get into the boat while it is on the trailer.
 
Here is a close up of the motor mount on the stern before and after

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BEFORE

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AFTER

Notice the hole I drilled to put the plug in and the leash it's on, this is where the plug stores during travel/boat storage. I put my plug in from outside the boat, much easier than crawling into the tight confines of the stern in the dark. I carry two extra plugs in my drybox just in case I lose this one.
 
Here is the center rail I made for the cockpit of my boat. It has 5 positions, one side is an open "U", the other side is a captive "O" so that the pole cant pop out. This rail can serve two purposes... The 2nd hunter in the boat leans his back rest against it on a 45 degree angle and when I hunt alone I can put it in the last position and use it as my backrest... this gives me a bunch of room behind me for a dog or decoys not in use.

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Chris,
boat looks good. I bet you are glad to have it ready to hunt.
Thanks for the detailed shots of the project. Some cool ideas for sure.

Thanks also for the photos of the LI event. Looks like you and the others had a nice bunch of boats. That double sunfish is cool. Those things are on every back fence around here.

What are the two duck boats in the background of your photo of your boat?
 
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