Nick Cameron
New member
Hey folks, new member here! I live in Bellingham, Wa and do most of my hunting in local ag fields and some of the smaller lakes. I've been hunting out of a little 11' sorenson the last 4 years but wanted something to get me out into the rivers and their estuaries. I have been combing these forums for a month or so and all of the Devlin builds made me curious about the Cackler. A quick and unoptimistic search into FB Marketplace showed, to my disbellief, a Devlin Cackler for sale in Oregon. I spoke to the seller and committed to make the drive the next morning. The boat appears to be made by Sam Devlin in 1992, according to the transom placard and registration. I have yet to find a HIN# for it. The boat looks to be in good shape overall but the transom, keelsons and potentially the gunwhales need some love. But, not knowing much about wooden/fiberglass boats, I thought reaching out to the community that inspired to purchase was my best bet.
After towing home, I decided to do a little digging. The glass was peeling off the upper portion of the transom so I took a razor blade and pulled all the glass off which was scary easy. I believe the previous owner added a transom extension to accommodate a long shaft motor. I removed the wood and I believe whats left is the transom as it was originally designed and built. Can anyone confirm a transom height of 17.5" for the Cackler? Also open to general comments and ideas about what needs to be done to bring this boat up to speed. Hoping to make these repairs and find a suitable outboard for it before the end of the season. Thanks!
After towing home, I decided to do a little digging. The glass was peeling off the upper portion of the transom so I took a razor blade and pulled all the glass off which was scary easy. I believe the previous owner added a transom extension to accommodate a long shaft motor. I removed the wood and I believe whats left is the transom as it was originally designed and built. Can anyone confirm a transom height of 17.5" for the Cackler? Also open to general comments and ideas about what needs to be done to bring this boat up to speed. Hoping to make these repairs and find a suitable outboard for it before the end of the season. Thanks!