Gator Boat Co. "Duckboat"

Robert Clifton

Robert Clifton

Member
New to the forum and it looks great! Down here in Groves,Tx.
Just received plans for this boat; has anybody had any experience
with these boats.
 
Duck

You are new here, as we all were at one point, so I'll explain. What Dave means is on this site we all use our real names. It makes it more personal and we all seem to like it. You'll also find on this site there is hardly any "keyboard heros" or arguements because of it. No one hides behind an anonomous name and hurls insults. We know there are other sites that use "handles" or whatever. On every other site in the world I'm cwa1104sab, but I'm Sab on here. I have spoken with guys on this site on the phone for hours when I was looking into plans for my boat that I'm building. It's just the way it is and we all seem to like it. So please, introduce yourself, and we'll all be happy to help you.

As far as your question, I thought about those plans but I decided they didnt fit my needs, big water but also very "cancelable" in Andrew's terms. They do not seem too difficult to build though.


Sab
 
Robert,

Hi, and welcome. The anwser to your question is "yes" several folks on this site have built one (but not me), and hopefully they will see your post and speak up. Also, you may consider looking at gatorboats.com forum- there are may extensive discussions about their duck boats on that forum.

-Bill
 
I built one. I love the boat. It handles pretty good and is extremly. They say that once you build a boat you then wish for something more. Maybe a modification that you didn't make, maybe something bigger/smaller, etc. When I started looking at plans I wasn't overly confident in my building skills. The Gator Duck Hunter plans looked to be a really easy for anyone type build. They are! While I have no regrets from building the boat after only one season I have had thoughts of selling it and building a Devlin Black Brant. Maybe its the itch to build again (that is really strong....maybe sail boat???) or maybe it is wishing I had a little more boat? Not sure and not sure of what I will do.
Don't let that distract you. For a first build or the 5th the Gator boat is a great duck hunting boat and will povide plenty of building pleasure. The guys one the gator forum are really great with providing help even to questions that have been asked 593 times in the last 2 years. There are also several great modifications that have been discovered in making the DH (as it's called on the Gator Forum) a better boat.

Good luck with your build, post up some pictures along the way over there, and on here.

Dave Walker
 
I dont aim to dissapoint but I dont know if they know how to check emails. I sent at least 10 trying to get plans for a bullfrog. I have given up on them.
 
Hello Robert!

I have not built a duckhunter, but for a reference, you may wish to see Brad Taylor's website for Toller Boatworks in Salisbury NC. Brad builds these boats and sells them, and they seem to be very popular. I have never read nor heard anyone write or say anything negative about these types of boats. I have heard that people have difficulty communicating with the company and getting plans, though.

Good luck with your project. Post Lots of pics for us, please!
 
I made one, things I would do different are:
Take the rocker out...it rides very bow high.
Take the taper(wrong word?) out of the back. maybe help it plane.
Make the cockpit bigger (mine is 24"x9'6) length is OK, but 24" is almost to narrow.

Brad Taylor from NC is the man on the DH.


Here is a link to the actual forum
http://www.gatorboats.com/forum/
 
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Robert, A DH II was my 3rd or 4th build. It is an easy build. Great little boat, hunted it 2 season and sold it to another duckhunter that tried for 2 years to by it from me.
If you remove any rocker, don't take it out of the front. You will end up going through waves instead of over them. It is NOT a big water boat.

Plenty of help over at the Gator site. Brad has probobly built as many as anyone. If you go to my web site you can see the DH II with rear rocker and my Heavy Ducker which has most of the rear rocker removed and some other modifcations. If I can help, just give me a shout.
 
Great site Howard; I work in a chemical plant and we have began a shutdown which is going to last 6 weeks(that means 7/12's). After this is complete I have decided with ya'lls input considered that the Gator duckboat is going to be my first build. I hope with everyone's help that I'll build a good safe boat. Thanks Guys!
 
Wow. I appreciate all of the compliments from many a person I've never met. I'll state what everyone else has, the boat is extremely stable and handles well. It is still a flat bottom design that will give a bouncy ride in rough water. There are a number of folks on the gatorboat forums that can (and will) answer your questions, myself included. I'm mod/admin over there but have nothing to do with the plans/shipping. I know Henry (gatorboats owner) is a little slow at answering emails and will make no excuses for him, I can say I am not aware of anyone who has every been slighted a set of plans. You can take a look at my website Tollerboatworks.com for some ideas, my build photo section is down right now and with the new addition to the family I just haven't had a chance to update. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Brad
 
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