Pete,I take it that you checked out Roger's site.Did you read the voyage of the fellow that borrower Roger's 15' Dory and rowed from Maine to Nova Scotia.
A very nice Boat.
Donald,I can't believe you sold one of thoes Dorys that Roger builds.I contacted Roger in January and asked if anyone had comissioned him to build a
Melonseed that would be used for duck hunting ,and the answer was NO.I feel that the reasons this boat fell out of favor among hunters is the difficulty and cost of construction, and when outboard power became available,the underslung stern (45deg) didnt lend itself to hanging one on effectively.You may have seen a previous pic I posted with my new 12ga DE Haan SxS.I sent the pic to Roger,but received no comment.Here is what I would do to make the Melonseed a dual purpose boat.Take a Yacht finished
melonseed,and when needed for hunting,remove the sail rig and rudder,have a dark grey/camo poly cotton or cordura fitted cover made that would come down to the waterline,cover the deck and have a sprayshield/blind sewn on.Now you have a suitable rowing duck boat that converts back and forth in minutes.You could make a decoy rack that would go over the cover and/or use decoy bags bungeed on the stern deck.Roger installs eye straps about 8" forward of the stern on each quater.He would probably install another pair about a foot further forward.I wouldn't use the sail when hunting as it would be stored in the cockpit.It's too nice for that.Letme know how your negotiations go.
Another fine builder of wooden Melonseeds is <www.brushcreekyachts.com>,Marvin Spencer in Plymouth NC.Nice site with Video.He can meet any modification,I'm Sure.
