My Summer Project

Brad Strobel

Brad Strobel

New member
Hey guys,

I need another project like a hole in the head but I couldn't pass this one up. I bought this skiff a couple weeks back here in central Wisconsin. I'd like to learn a bit more about it before I start working on breathing life into it again. The top is piece work but the bottom and sides are plywood with glass at the seams. It's 12' long. The details make me think this was either commercially made but I'm not sure. Two prop nuts screwed to ribs in center of the floor at either end of the cockpit suggest it originally had a removable floor. The guy I bought it from says its from 1910-1920 and was found washed up on the shores of Green Bay and stored in a barn ever since. It's a neat story but I'm thinking it's got to be a few decades newer than that. The wood looks surprisingly good and I hope with a new glass over plywood bottom, and a ton of TLC it'll be prowling the backwaters with a dozen corkers again. Any help on ID would be greatly appreciated.


View attachment Skiff1.jpg
 
Where abouts in WI if you don't mind me asking. Not looking for a boat, just curious where you were at. WE have a place in CheTek if you know where that is.

Mark
 

That's a mighty fine lookin' Marshboat.

The shape of the cockpit, leads me to believe the gunner poled it into place after setting up, and then placed a backboard and laid back to shoot. A very well thought out design indeed.



Off the top of my head, fist impression. May well be a collaboration of two different builders of dissimilar styles. When one talks of decoys it's termed a "marriage" (for better, or worse). Very functional, but it makes one think...

Another thought. If indeed it was a found boat, still in the wet. Did only the well made original deck survive?


After the TLC, it will serve you very well as a Duck Killin' Machine, but eleven corkers, not a dozen. [;)] Per - The Old Duck Hunters.

Please post some photos after she is ready to go.



Best regards
Vince
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I really like the look of those decked canoes...building one of those may be a project a few years down the stream.

I also wondered about the collaboration or "marriage" of styles but instead of two builders I wondered if it marked the transition between the all strip build boats and widely available plywood. There isn't a scarf in the plywood anywhere so this was a full 12' sheet. I wonder where I could find that today (an fear what the cost would be). Today a cleaned the shop...tomorrow is all rain. Sounds like a good day to start cleaning up the top. I'll post a few pictures as I go. Hopefully I can do her justice.

Good call on 11 blocks Vince. The folklore and history is half the fun of waterfowling.

Brad
Nekoosa, WI
 
Finishing it with the pattern of the deck visible would make it a real treat to use. One of the non glass woven fabrics that leave a nice rough surface would be sweet. Otherwise glass over ply for function.
 
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