Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Well, I just returned from another trip to Long Island - working on Cassiopeia's pilothouse, attending the 34th SSWA DuckboatShow & Waterfowl Festival, preparing for the March 1 When the Broadbill was King on Great South Bay historical display, visiting with many old friends and making many new ones. And, I returned here to dairy country with a few new keepsakes: an Al McCormick Broadbill decoy, a cast iron battery decoy - a present to myself to celebrate my 50th year of waterfowling - and, of course, another old duckboat in need of attention.
This Scooter was built by Olin Smith in the 1940s. He worked at either the Southard or Frost boatyards in Babylon - something to try to nail down on future visits. The boat was stored inside for the last 15 or so years. Built originally for open bay gunning, the current owner had: removed the ice runners, added a motor mount, and added thatch rails. The Battleship Grey paint peeking through the Dead Grass Tan belies this evolution. My finding the boat was classic word-of-mouth - my penchant for resurrecting down-at-the-heels gunning vessels reached the right ears and so the Smith Scooter - built on Long Island's South Shore, stored on the North Shore - will undergo it's next life stage in the hills of Washington County. My plan is to put her back into fighting trim - maybe later this winter - and find her a new home back on big waters.
Here is how I saw her for the first time yesterday - I was thrilled to see her classic shape:
She rode the 240 miles north very happily on my duckboat trailer - and arrived with enough light for the requisite photos, inspections and measurements of "intake" at Pencil Brook Boatworks:
Hers is a real "whaleback" profile - the high-crowned decks and low chines to hide in a light chop on Great South Bay.
Here are the sections from the stern:
I suspect the bow has had a long and "interesting" history. I am surprised to find the only hardware - the ring - so far up the foredeck. The oak bow has been sheathed with galvanized flashing. The steel fastenings will be removed - but I believe the oak stem/breasthook/bowpiece is still sound.
This backrest is unusually elaborate. It looks comfortable and I suspect it can double as a rowing seat.
The whole vessel is lightly built. I am anxious to learn the planking thicknesses.
This chock once supported the bottom end of pipe oarlock stanchions. The holes through the decks have been plugged but I will probably restore them.
Here is the framing beneath the stern deck.
Even the oak coamings used very thin boards.
This brass piece secures the forward end of the cockpit hatch.
Here is the hatch in place. It is framed both above and below. I am guessing that the outside (upper) frames were added when the original frames inside straightened out and no longer let the hatch shed water. ....not sure what I will do with this - but I would like to incorporate the "locking" hardware in any future hatch.
The 'glass is in pretty good shape - with just a few tears over some seams - but will probably be removed. The original decks were covered in canvas and I will consider that technology as the restoration proceeds.
These thatch rails - plastic half-round stock - were added when it was used as a grassboat for the owner's 2 young sons.
The oak rubrails are largely decomposed or missing altogether.
I took just the basic dimensions:
LOA 13' 9 3/4"
BEAM 3'11"
DEPTH of cockpit (forward end) 16 3/8"
DRAFT (estimated) 3"
The next step is to get a new tarp to cover her up until I can give her more attention - probably in February. In the meantime, I have another week or so on the pilothouse, decoys to carve, ducks and geese to hunt, et cetera.....
All the best,
SJS
This Scooter was built by Olin Smith in the 1940s. He worked at either the Southard or Frost boatyards in Babylon - something to try to nail down on future visits. The boat was stored inside for the last 15 or so years. Built originally for open bay gunning, the current owner had: removed the ice runners, added a motor mount, and added thatch rails. The Battleship Grey paint peeking through the Dead Grass Tan belies this evolution. My finding the boat was classic word-of-mouth - my penchant for resurrecting down-at-the-heels gunning vessels reached the right ears and so the Smith Scooter - built on Long Island's South Shore, stored on the North Shore - will undergo it's next life stage in the hills of Washington County. My plan is to put her back into fighting trim - maybe later this winter - and find her a new home back on big waters.
Here is how I saw her for the first time yesterday - I was thrilled to see her classic shape:
She rode the 240 miles north very happily on my duckboat trailer - and arrived with enough light for the requisite photos, inspections and measurements of "intake" at Pencil Brook Boatworks:
Hers is a real "whaleback" profile - the high-crowned decks and low chines to hide in a light chop on Great South Bay.
Here are the sections from the stern:
I suspect the bow has had a long and "interesting" history. I am surprised to find the only hardware - the ring - so far up the foredeck. The oak bow has been sheathed with galvanized flashing. The steel fastenings will be removed - but I believe the oak stem/breasthook/bowpiece is still sound.
This backrest is unusually elaborate. It looks comfortable and I suspect it can double as a rowing seat.
The whole vessel is lightly built. I am anxious to learn the planking thicknesses.
This chock once supported the bottom end of pipe oarlock stanchions. The holes through the decks have been plugged but I will probably restore them.
Here is the framing beneath the stern deck.
Even the oak coamings used very thin boards.
This brass piece secures the forward end of the cockpit hatch.
Here is the hatch in place. It is framed both above and below. I am guessing that the outside (upper) frames were added when the original frames inside straightened out and no longer let the hatch shed water. ....not sure what I will do with this - but I would like to incorporate the "locking" hardware in any future hatch.
The 'glass is in pretty good shape - with just a few tears over some seams - but will probably be removed. The original decks were covered in canvas and I will consider that technology as the restoration proceeds.
These thatch rails - plastic half-round stock - were added when it was used as a grassboat for the owner's 2 young sons.
The oak rubrails are largely decomposed or missing altogether.
I took just the basic dimensions:
LOA 13' 9 3/4"
BEAM 3'11"
DEPTH of cockpit (forward end) 16 3/8"
DRAFT (estimated) 3"
The next step is to get a new tarp to cover her up until I can give her more attention - probably in February. In the meantime, I have another week or so on the pilothouse, decoys to carve, ducks and geese to hunt, et cetera.....
All the best,
SJS
