Scaup - the next duckboat in my care....11/25/2019 update

Dave Diefenderfer

Dave Diefenderfer

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As most of you know, I have a few duckboats. A couple are complete and ready to hunt at a moments notice, and several are awaiting restoration, or even a design plan! With the exception of the bare Cackler hull that Dave Clark started, that I have had in storage for at least 5 years, awaiting my vision of how I want to complete it, all the rest are 1 man style boats.

I hunt with Brian Garman who is very generous, an always ready to hunt hunting partner who has the big boat that we typically hunt out of, and it can safely hunt 3. But I hate to always impose when I want to invite someone. Though I know he is most likely going to host anyway, I decided I "needed" a boat that would hunt 2. I mentally debated what that boat would be, and had sketched up some ideas, and spoke with Dave Clark about the hull I had. I had decided to cut it down some and make it into a garvey style, with flapper boards similar to the new boats he is making. When I did the budget on the build, the time, money, and outboard, I knew that was a multi-year build.

Then Troy posted up his Scaup....

Boat, motor, trailer, canvas blind, ready to hunt!

2 problems; 1. it was in Maine, I am in VA, 2. I didn't have a budget planned for it.

1st problem helped address the 2nd problem. Troy was heading to NC in late Summer, it gave me 2 months to scrap together the funds. I sold off a boat project, a pondbox, and a bunch of odds and ends decoys I had shelved since I have been making my own lately. Sold some weights, and some decoys that I have been making myself, and managed to completely finance the purchase and then some!

Troy and I met at a seedy Waffle House at dawn in August. I was able to meet yet another DHBP member, exchange some tales, choke down some breakfast, and receive my next duckboat.

First plan of action was to verify that the power was sufficient. I am not a Roy Boat go fast guy, but I also like to have power available, even if I don't always use it. The Scaup is rated for a 40hp, but this came with a 25hp Suzuki. First opportunity, we took it to the water to see how she ran.


View attachment 69788746_10221328363784869_2970889819934162944_n.jpg

In an empty hull, I could reach 26 mph, but she porpoised significantly, holding onto a bow line it was all I wanted to push her (I am used to my displacement hull BBSB).



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Satisfied that the 25hp would certainly be sufficient, at least for the first season, I will address the porpoising if required next off-season. The priority right now is to get her ready to hunt.

While she arrived nearly ready, having a canvas blind that I could have simply grassed and go, that is just not my personality. By nature, I have to put my fingerprints on any project. The coaming was the only item on the hull that needed to be addressed. It is oak, and was rotted in a couple places.



View attachment 026.JPG

The blind..... the canvas blind and frame that came with the hull was not ideal for setting decoys and easy in and out. It was snapped to the gunnels the full length of the hull, did not look like it would be easy to deal with in a pitching boat. Brian's boat has a Beavertail flip over that we find very convenient, and very versatile. It offers good concealment, and protection from the wind and rain. So I searched for one for the Scaup. The cockpit in this hull is 9ft, so the blind for the 14ft hulls seemed to be the best choice. I found a lightly used one locally for 2/3rds the price of new and bought it. In hindsight, the 16ft version would have been a better choice, and I have been careful not to modify this blind or it's mounts in anyway so that I might sell it off-season and get the 16ft. The difference is in the height only, as the distance between mounts is exactly the same between the 14ft and 16ft.

So after a several weeks of sketches and initial bracket fabrications efforts that would have raised the blind about 5 inches in the hunting position, we determined to K.I.S.S (Keep it simple stupid) that plan and accept that the blind will be a little short. Maybe not a little short for the taller guests, but for myself and Brian, just a little. A face mask, sitting still when birds are working and some grass standing up should work. Time will tell.



View attachment IMG_4014.JPG

Once that was worked out, it was time to get busy. Using PVC we replaced the coaming, added a rub rail, and created grassing rails. I wanted something to keep stuff from sliding off the side decks, and an attachment point for some grass in addition to the blind. Because the Beavertail is typically mounted on aluminum boats, they meet the gunnels, the Scaup has side decks that slope away, so there will be some gap. Mom's Canvas Service will be employed yet again! I will have here sew some long panels that I will install with snaps so that she does not need to sew directly to the blind, and again to preserve the blind from significant customization so I might sell it after the season.

Here is all the new PVC fitted.



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And here she is as of last evening, first coat of paint applied.



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I intend to get 3 coats on and let her cure while I focus on some decoy commitments and electrical work for the Scaup.....

More pictures to follow, when there is progress.
 
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Good morning, Dave~


Great project - congratulations!


I've used PVC "lumber" for coamings, rubrails and toe rails - but never for thatch rails. What dimensions are yours? and how wide are the gaps between spacers?


All the best,


JS

 
Absolutely love it when DHBP members get together and a boat stays in the family!

Keep the photos coming.
 
Steve, for the grassing/thatch rails, I used 3/4" thick material, ripped down to 1 1/4" wide. I routed all 4 edges, 3/8 radius on top edges, 1/4" on bottom edges. Spacers are 1/2" PVC too, 3" long, 7/8" wide (the unrounded surface on the bottoms), spaced with 10" of space between each spacer. At the ends, I drew the rails flush to the deck, and tapered and rounded them so that lines should not catch. PVC plumbers glue was used to affix the spacers to the rails. I then used thickened epoxy and screws to the deck.
 
Dave,
Everything that you have done looks good. I too am not happy with the blind that came with my BBIII. It sounds almost identical to what was on the Scaup when you got it. I have not addressed the blind issue yet, simply because I have another boat to use. I may go with a hard side blind with flapper boards for full height. That way I can lower the flappers for running and setting decoys. I've tried cloth blinds before and in freezing temps they present too many problems for my tastes.

What you have there looks like it will be a good modification and fit with a commercial blind to your hull. Happy hunting.
 
I'm with Carl and love it when a boat can stay in the "family". Dave, great project and thanks for sharing it here with all the details. I'm a bit surprised to hear of the porpoising. I don't recall a Scaup ever exhibiting that. Mine was rock steady. Maybe by simply moving weight forward you can correct it. If not you are more than capable to add wedges or torsion tabs like Tod did. You can search his posts for an excellent write-up a few years back.

Eric
 
Dave, the canvas blind looks like this:



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I thought long and hard about flapper boards, and that was my first inclination. The Scaup is very shallow, the flappers would have to be very tall, or articulate to fold down on the side decks and not extend far beyond the gunnels. A deeper boat would support flappers better. That is my thoughts if/when I address the Cackler hull out back in storage.

Of course, I could go lower by lowering the seat height, but I like standing to shoot, and need some back support and a right angle knee position to be comfortable.
 
Ah, so half the blind will be vertical and to get the additional height, flappers that fall back onto the blind. I have not studied the Roy High Boats. Reaching decoys and boarding is done how?
 
Dave~


Here's a similar approach - wooden blind with flapper board less than half the height. This blind sat on my Sneakbox RED~LEG so I could take my Dad (or other partner). The blind was lashed to the decks at each corner via a cleat and 1/4-inch nylon line to the thatch rails on the boat itself - took about 1 minute to install or remove.



View attachment SJS Sneakbox + Blind - flaps up - small.jpg



Front "flap" is see-through - bundles of thatch lashed to a framework. Rear flap was solid 1/4-inch plywood with bundles thatched to rows of decoy line. Rear flap sure kept the wind off our necks.



We usually sat with the front flap down and pulled it up once we saw birds working us. We sat on spackle buckets and could shoot either sitting or standing.



View attachment SJS Sneakbox + Blind - gunning flap down - lower - small.jpg



One benefit of "flappers" less than the wall height is that the ends of the thatch are protected when in the down position - as in when running or tending the rig.


BTW: "Sill height" of the walls above the floorboards is about 34 inches, if I recall correctly.


View attachment Measured drawings.jpg



All the best,


SJS

 
Dave the flappers on the roy boats are typically 100% glass on a piano hinge. Some boats also have aluminum or wood flappers depending. Mine are glass.

They fold and lay on the sides or deck of the boat, depending on the model, and do not extend past the spray rail. The ability to lower them flush helps with trailering, picking up decoys and getting in and out.

I think Dave Clark had similar styled ones on his latest garvey at the Tuckerton show

Flappers up

zJtAiFL.jpg


Flappers down

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I love how the flappers look grassed up, but struggle to see how to run bow and stern anchors, deploy long lines, and dozens of decoys with all that blind in the way? For small rigs up against a bank, I see it hunts well. We hunt a lot in open water, blind laws we must be 400 yards from a licensed blind, and that typically means open water. What am I not understanding from the images?
 
Craig, thanks for the pics, they tell the story well, along with Steve's. I have been following your videos too, very well done!
 
Dave~


Open water? Why just tow along a Whaleback Scooter (I happen to have a 1940s Olin Smith in the Pencil Brook Marina) - and maybe a tender, too.....


All the best,


SJS

 
Having run in to similar problems with an up right blind I built for a AA Blackjack heres what I did. Simply make up some 1/2" scd. 40 flappers in sections to flip down towards outside when you stand to shoot. I typically try to keep my top opening at about 30". But angle flappers in to get about 12" to cover black hole. Your top grassing loop can have a section of 3/4" scd.40 zip tied to it to act as a hinge point. Measure your flappers so bottom rests against it. My flappers are covered in 1"plastic poultry netting zip tied and grassed w/fast grass or raffia. Both bottom corners of flappers insert a piece of 3/4" webbing and use 2 part buckles that simply hook it to piece of conduit attached to grassing strap.When not in use simply stack on front deck and secure with bungee. All the fabric blinds I build for several duckboats incorporate this and it works well. I build my fabric blinds to roll down and store along each side of gunnel . Atop gunnel with your present boat as was the way mine rode on Blackjack.
 
I realize you are not asking me, but I always wipe down with a rag soaked in acetone. The acetone does a nice job of lightly etching the PVC.
 
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As Dave indicated, after epoxy was cured and faired, the entire hull was blasted with a leaf blower, followed by wipe down with copious amounts of Acetone and paper towels. Changing the towels often, but hanging them to dry fully before discarding. Don't want any fires!
 
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