Going to build a BBSB and need convincing!

Brandon Yuchasz

Brandon Yuchasz

Well-known member


Yes another I am going to build a duck boat thread.
I started the building a boat process with a list of the places and types of hunting I wanted to accomplish with this new boat. Without boring you all with that list I did discover one thing. There isn’t one boat that will do it all well I need two boats.

The first boat needs to be able to hunt myself and my dog, row easily for ½ mile, hide in open water or short saw grass and be safe on big water.

The second boat has similar needs but has to be able to hunt two men and a dog or two. I considered for a time building the bigger two man boat and using it for both sets of needs but there are some distinct differences I want between the two that are incompatible. The biggest being that I want a displacement hull on the small one man boat I want to be able to row this boat easily to pick up decoys chase a sailing cripple on cross some big water without the weight or noise of a motor. The second boat will be powered with an outboard motor and therefore needs a planning hull. In addition I want to really make the one man boat hide well. Open water just me and my pup in the spread of decoys. I want to pull her up into the grass on the marsh with natural cover tucked in the rails. I want a small intimate boat for me and my pup as this is 80 percent of my hunting in a season. My children will grow in the years to come and the second boat will fit the need of taking them on the hunt. It will fit the need of the 20 percent of my season when I hunt out of state or with another person but for now. I can fill that need with my existing boat. It’s a large 18’ boat with a folding blind I will get by with my big boat when I have company or am taking out the kids. Dragging my 18’ boat around the country chasing ducks gets old its to heavy to take to Canada, Ohio and the other places I find myself during a duck season and that is the main reason for the two man boat in the future.

I think the best boat to fit my needs for a small one man boat is a BBSB.
I have searched the archives and pulled all sorts of useful information out of them. To all of you that contributed thank you. I have read about the majority of the BBSB built on the site and narrowed the search to the two I feel will suit my needs the best. I have loved the idea of the Zack Taylor widgeon ever since I read about it in his book but the idea of building my own boat rekindled my interest. I ordered his other book “customizing small boats” and read it cover to cover. I read and reread the section on the widgeon until I understood it completely and could visualize the building process. I am confident I could build this boat. In addition I looked over the plans available on the Devlin boats and although the met the needs for my future boat I don’t think they are what I want in the small boat. I found in the searches the references to the Mystic Sea Port plans for the Perrine sneak box. I ordered them and have been studying them most nights I feel I have a good understanding of how it would go together. This boat seems ideally suited to the uses I have in mind although its constructions seems more difficult then the widgeon. I am reading “Building Classic Small Craft” by John Gardner and although some of it I find difficult to follow I am slowly digesting it all. The last part of my education is coming from sites and books on strip building canoes. They seem to give a good understanding on basic boat building and the names of the pieces.
With all of that background now in place I can FINALLY get to the questions I have about these two boats.

When looking at pictures of Zack Taylor’s Widgeon in open water I can’t help but notice the sides of the boat. I feel the more or less dead rise on them would show in an open water hunt. In grass I don’t see this being a problem. In addition I am wondering if the hull design would have more resistance to the water and make rowing it more difficult then a traditional design of a BBSB. I do feel that I could round the curve of the upper deck on this boat easily taking away from the sides and giving the boat a better overall look. Thoughts on that?

The Perrine boat is a great design. Although I wonder with the fully curved hull if shadows could be a problem with it in open water. When looking at Perry’s boat of this design though it doesn’t appear shadows would show much at all. She is so small and low to the water that a grey paint appears like she would disappear into the waves. Is she really as small as she looks and does she really move through the water easily with ores? Obviously being such and old design she must be sea worthy. I guess I am looking for people who built this boat to share there experience all around on this build. I think I am trying to talk myself into this design but am scared or her a little. This will be my first boat build.

I am mechanically inclined have built homes, carve decoys, so the wood working isn’t too big of a concern. I will have limited tools. I have basic construction tools and a table saw. I have access to a full wood shop but would like to limit my use of it due to the fact that I have to borrow time in it and I would prefer not to bother him to much. The shop is a few miles away so I have to transport wood there do the work and bring it back. The construction will take place in an unheated garage during spring and summer months.

Living where I do I have access to rough cut white cedar at a very reasonable price. So I would most likely be using it for my material. Would wet (green) wood be best or dry? I plan to use laminated fir for the framing material. Marine grade plywood is harder to come by another strike against the Widgeon design. On the Perrine design would there be any advantage to converting it to a strip built design. I have to admit the planking has me worried. Strip built seems easier. I would retain the frame just looking to make the planking easier. Finally how much work does the sail add to the building of this boat? My children would love to sail her as would I but it seems to get much more difficult with this sale not to mention I may need more specialized woods to add the strength.

Any and all thoughts welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks,
Brandon
 
Don't know about the Perrine...but I'd buy a Zackbox from the MLB before I'd build one. There is usually one for sale in the classifieds here for pretty good prices too. I built a Devlin BB2 about ten years ago and love it for me and a dog or me and my grandson and a dog or me and another guy and a dog. I bought a MLB Zackbox..I think the proto type...a couple years ago and it is a boat I will keep. I use a motor on it and a short canoe paddle for deke pickup but know they row really well too. When using it for open water layout, remember that the bow will be anchored into the wind and you will be shooting over the stern..the birds (divers) won't be seeing and shadow under the bow since they will be coming from the back. I wouldn't round the sides down, that would give it less freeboard and it sits low already. It is a sweet little boat and the only reason I would build one over buying the fiberglass one is to make a real lightweight if I had to carry it somewhere by hand. The MLB boats are tough and take a hell of a beating without a hickup.
 
Brandon,since you have Zack Taylors book,go to the pic of the Skull boat with the manila rope strand veil hanging from the bow.I have started to make one for my MLB wigeon,which I intend to sneak,rather than layout.Ill be drifting in to the decoys from an upwind position.Like Lee said as a layout the bow will be upwind and not be a shadow problem.You can use 6mil plastic ,weighted on the corners to cover the boat in open water,layout.
 
Brandon" Do you want to build a true BBSB or a modified Boat they call a BBSB the widgon by zack taylor is modified to be built using ply wood. Not knowing is the hardest part of starting to build the perrine BBSB.once done you say that wasn't so hard.I am planing on building a melonseed,have all the sta,s cut out it going to take some time to complete her has I have a lot of decoys to carve this year but will have to do just a little at a time,it took 2yr,s to build the BBSB ,you can not use the plans from mistic to build the boat they have to be loffted up full size to build your frames. best,bill
 
Perry,
Is this the Perrine boat?
gforum.cgi

Maybe you can fill me in on what was involved with building off these plans from Mystic. They are to scale so it doesn't apear it will be all that difficult to transfer them to full size.

As for the widgeon vs a true bbsb the lines of the perrine boat are by far more attractive to me and I have to believe after looking at the hull of each boat the perrine boat will move through the water easier. I guess I should of said I know I can build the widgeon as of right now. I am mostly researching what it will take to build the other boat. If I can build the Perrine boat I will over the Zack Taylor boat.
 
Lee,
I considered buying the boat already built but I really want to do it myself just for the enjoyment. The plans are fairly straight forward but I am sure I would alter them slightly to fit my needs. I had read several posts about you having one of these boats and you always seemed to like it. Have you done much open water hunting with it? I would be using it on inland waters.

Joe,
I actually considered the scull trick as well. I would think for your application it would work very well as you will need to anchor bow downwind to drift into the decoys. I have talked to people that have done this and they leave the spray dodger up to hide behind as they drift.
 
Brandon: have charlie&titon send you the off sets that I did save 60/70 hr.,and to make you copies of construction photo,s. Bill
 
Brandon: the easiest BBSB to build is the one from field and stream plans by Harry MaGargee,it is built on a spline. The plans were taken off a true BBSB but made sheer sided for simplisity in building.
 
Charlie,
I have made a small bronze sculpture of a bbsb. and think it is time to build the real thing. If it is ok with Mr. Perry I would also like to see the construction pics and offsets.
I will pm my email incase it is ok.
thanks,
Kelly
 
Brandon-

One line in your post "needs to row easily for 1/2 mile or so" narrows down your options. If you're looking for basically a rowing and not a motor (planing) hull boat, then you definitely would be better suited with a Perrine style boat instead of the Zack Taylor. Right in his book he explains that he built that boat for use with a motor and that the original BBSB (Perrine) was for rowing or sailing.

I'm sure it's harder to build, but you'll be 100x happier with the finished product.

Keep us posted... good luck

Kirk Sherbine
 
I haven't done any open water hunting in my Zackbox but Mark Rongers,Greg Bires and Tom Reder (the original MLB'S) cut their layout teeth in a pair of them 30 some years ago. It is definately NOT a planing hull, you have to overpower it and weight the front end heavily to get it to plane( essentially getting the hull out of the water). I have yet to try oars on mine since I am lazy and I use it to get into very small places to hide and hunt. It is low to the water and if painted to match your water color..really disappears in a spread.I would say it is as good a bigwater layout as a lot of other purpose built boats plus it is great for marsh and shore hunting.
 
I have owned a MLB Zack Taylor's Wigeon at least 4 years and have done a lot of open water hunting on Green Bay. Normally, ducks will come in more to a low profile boat blind than a boat blind that looks like a haystack out on the water. I sit in a crazy creek chair with my back against the spray dodger. Had to lower the floor deck so my hat just short of the top of the spray dodger. Try to set up so I'm shooting right to left and my dog laying on my right side. This year I may train him to sit on the bow of the Wigeon because sometimes it may look like a Chinese fire drill when the shooting starts and the ducks are falling with the dog trying to get out of the boat. My BLM is just a young dog and he gets excited at times.
 
Ryan, I hunted mine about 5 times this year with my grandson along. I set up so I sit on the back deck and he sat inside. It was a bit cramped with 10 goose floaters but we had a blast.
 
Anybody know what the cockpit dimensions are on the wigeon,... or even better have a picture of themselves with a dog (or grandkid) in it along side them??
 
Thanks for the feedback so far.

Anyone have anymore information on the Harry MaGargee sneakbox? Are plans readily available?

The size of the boat is a consideration I would think. Although It seems like a 12 foot boat should have enough room for the pup and me to hide in.

As for the green vs dry cedar anyone have any thoughts on it? If it should be dry I want to be sure and start working on getting it onhand before its all sold. Green wont be a problem to get my hands on. They should have some that is partial dry but not totally as well.

Thanks for all the feedback so far everyone.

Has anyone been able to layout hunt in a widgeon with a dog or is there just not enough room. I would think I would have her up wind of me in the bow laying down and myself laying down as well.
 
I would use the cedar and build with strips or carvel. I don't think green or dry should make much of a difference. You would want a bit of moisture to make it easier to bend anyway. If carvel, you might have to steam and you would want green for sure. I am not expert; just have read John Gardner's book.

Using the local cedar would be cheaper than marine plywood and make a better looking boat.
 
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