Dave Archer
New member
“How many boats do you need,” asked the wife, gently reminding me of our new financial realities. I have been building river prams and duck boats all my life, but retirement has brought new challenges to a beloved pastime. Factor in four shoulder operations, and I now know that the 16-foot, welded, aluminum duck boat that I built is too heavy with its 35hp Mud Buddy. Worse than the weight is that it is a flat-bottom river sled, and when it gets stuck in the mud, I am in trouble. With our plans to move back to Montana, the wife then asked me if I could sell the bass skiff and duck boat and find one boat for fishing and hunting.
It was a good suggestion, and an opportunity at 66 to build one last boat. (I just finished a 14-foot scull boat from a one-off, male plug, and last year I finished a layout boat similar to the Mighty Layout Boys boat.) I followed the links from Devlin’s site to Eric Patterson’s wonderful article on building a Scaup. In the past, I have designed my own boats, but this time I will buy Devlin’s plans for the Scaup, as the safety and the aesthetics of the design really appeal to me. Besides, building a plug is expensive and time consuming.
If any one reading this is a Scaup owner, I hope that you can answer some of my questions.
Question 1: In the past I had a near drowning incident from a boating mistake that I made. I will not elaborate because it was very stupid. I was 60 and I learned that cold water and an old, weaker body will more than likely lead to my death if I am ever stupid again. I like the idea of all the floatation chambers, and I like Eric’s post thoughts of adding floatation under the floor. Can this boat really handle 2 to 3 foot waves? Would raising the cockpit height be prudent? (What is the height from the waterline to the cockpit combing?)
Question 2: I once built a 14-foot duck boat with a whale-back upper piece. I had metal brackets with oar locks extending from the cockpit out to the edge of the sheer line. If the outboard failed, would the Scaup fully loaded be too heavy to row if I added a similar bracket? I am thinking not so much of making progress but in keeping the boat into the wind and waves should I lose power. (Yes, I now have more than a healthy respect for the elements and the possibility of bad luck in bad weather.)
Question 3: I have a 24-volt Minncota trolling motor. I was thinking of modifying the deck so that it would have a flat section on the top to mount this trolling motor during the summer when I fish for bass and trout. For those of you who cross open, icy water, what do you do for a back-up motor?
Question 4: Gator-Trax boats has a model with a lower stern deck behind the raised cockpit combing. The motor is attached with a raised motor mount piece at the end of the stern on this lower deck. The lower back deck allows a hunter to have a landing platform, just above the waterline, which allows him to bring his dog on board with little lifting. Given my weak shoulders, I am really concerned about getting my dog in the boat. Now, imagine the recessed motor well on the Scaup. Couldn’t the back end be dropped flat so that I would have a place on either side that I could get my dog on board easier. Eric Patterson said that the recessed well pushed water up into the boat, which necessitated adding a shim to raise the motor. Perhaps this lowered deck would roll water off rather than pushing it up.
I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or comments, and yes, I am open to criticism or challenge on the modified deck change. I hope to hear from you Scaup owners and builders because I fell in love with this boat after seeing Eric’s how-to article.
Sincerely,
David Archer
Klamath Falls, Oregon
It was a good suggestion, and an opportunity at 66 to build one last boat. (I just finished a 14-foot scull boat from a one-off, male plug, and last year I finished a layout boat similar to the Mighty Layout Boys boat.) I followed the links from Devlin’s site to Eric Patterson’s wonderful article on building a Scaup. In the past, I have designed my own boats, but this time I will buy Devlin’s plans for the Scaup, as the safety and the aesthetics of the design really appeal to me. Besides, building a plug is expensive and time consuming.
If any one reading this is a Scaup owner, I hope that you can answer some of my questions.
Question 1: In the past I had a near drowning incident from a boating mistake that I made. I will not elaborate because it was very stupid. I was 60 and I learned that cold water and an old, weaker body will more than likely lead to my death if I am ever stupid again. I like the idea of all the floatation chambers, and I like Eric’s post thoughts of adding floatation under the floor. Can this boat really handle 2 to 3 foot waves? Would raising the cockpit height be prudent? (What is the height from the waterline to the cockpit combing?)
Question 2: I once built a 14-foot duck boat with a whale-back upper piece. I had metal brackets with oar locks extending from the cockpit out to the edge of the sheer line. If the outboard failed, would the Scaup fully loaded be too heavy to row if I added a similar bracket? I am thinking not so much of making progress but in keeping the boat into the wind and waves should I lose power. (Yes, I now have more than a healthy respect for the elements and the possibility of bad luck in bad weather.)
Question 3: I have a 24-volt Minncota trolling motor. I was thinking of modifying the deck so that it would have a flat section on the top to mount this trolling motor during the summer when I fish for bass and trout. For those of you who cross open, icy water, what do you do for a back-up motor?
Question 4: Gator-Trax boats has a model with a lower stern deck behind the raised cockpit combing. The motor is attached with a raised motor mount piece at the end of the stern on this lower deck. The lower back deck allows a hunter to have a landing platform, just above the waterline, which allows him to bring his dog on board with little lifting. Given my weak shoulders, I am really concerned about getting my dog in the boat. Now, imagine the recessed motor well on the Scaup. Couldn’t the back end be dropped flat so that I would have a place on either side that I could get my dog on board easier. Eric Patterson said that the recessed well pushed water up into the boat, which necessitated adding a shim to raise the motor. Perhaps this lowered deck would roll water off rather than pushing it up.
I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or comments, and yes, I am open to criticism or challenge on the modified deck change. I hope to hear from you Scaup owners and builders because I fell in love with this boat after seeing Eric’s how-to article.
Sincerely,
David Archer
Klamath Falls, Oregon
