Sculldugery 15 - honest opinions

C

Curtis

New member
Hello everyone. . . I'm new to the forum and hope to get a lot of needed information here! A little about me; I am an avid duck hunter and have been since I was a child hunting with my dad. I've owned 6 different boats over my 48 years. Most were for duck hunting; some were not. I've built one boat myself - the "Nymph" designed by H.H. Payson. I truly enjoyed building that boat. I used it to retrieve downed birds and collect my decoys. I sold it for $100 to a friend who was just starting in duck hunting. Long story short . . . I'd like to try the art of "sculling for ducks." I know some of you will say it is hard work, and some will not. To me, it is the ultimate combination of two of my interests . . . duck hunting and boat building.

So, to the point. . . I ordered Devlin's "Sculldugery 15" plans. I need honest input on this design, both positive and negative. Is it easy to build (I'm a novice)? Will it track well enough for a beginning sculler? Is there a better design out there that is also easy to build? I will hunt a small lake with it (I think it is 500 acres). The waves seldom get over a foot - 18 inches in the wind. Is the boat too high to the water for good concealment? Is it too low for rough water?

Please let me know what you think.
 
I have only a little experience with sculling. From what I've seen of the plans and from what others have said, I feel like the profile is too high for effective sculling (both hard to hide and would catch too much wind). If I wanted a scull there are a bunch of good sculls out there that could be picked up for a song and rebuilt - they show up all the time. There is a lot of turnover in the scull boat world. A lot of guys buy a boat to try it and then don't enjoy it like they think and sell the boat. Buying one doesn't scratch the building itch, I understand.
 
Tod,
Thanks. I appreciate your experience and input. Is there a lower profile build I could do? The merrymeeting seems to be an even higher ride in the water. . .
 
I don't think the merrymeeting has a higher profile, but I've only seen pics of one or 2 Sculldugeries. They do have a nice profile, but I feel like they are very high profile. I dont' know how they row, I haven't read a report, I don't think.
 
Curtis,
Google Scullers Forum and register. Great site run by guys who, almost all, exclusively scull for their birds.
Just as Duckboats, a very friendly group that are generous with their knowledge.

Best - Paul
 
Hi Curtis, welcome to the forum! I have the plans for the Scullduggery, the maximum height at the forward cockpit bulkhead, which is the tallest part of the boat, is about 18 1/4" finished. I'm not sure where exactly the waterline is when the boat is finished but I would guess that the height above the waterline would end up in the 15-16" range. I'm not sure where a traditional scull boat would sit but I feel like it would be possible to modify the Devlin plans to make the boat sit a bit lower.
 
Curtis, I found this old post:http://duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_printable;post=258340;guest=86230037 that has a bit of discussion about the Scullduggery. The guy who actually built one didn't think too highly of it for what that's worth.
 
Okay. Good to know. I'll read through it tonight when I get home. Does anyone have a suggestion for a low-profile build? I don't mind getting a used sculler, but I just enjoy the hobby part of building.
 
Cody, thanks for the insight. I ordered the sculldugery plans. I bet you're right. . . I think I could modify A LITTLE to lower it 2-3". I'll look at the plans when they come in to see. I might also get the merrymeeting plans and see how they look.
 
Curtis,
I haven?t been on here for sometime, but thought I might offer an opinion as a boatbuilder and a sculler..
In the last few minutes I looked at the plan and profile of the devlin design. It does resemble a scull boat, but looks flat on the bottom. In both directions fore aft and athwartship... means it will float high and not track , but rather be blown around, and no lift at the stern= drag.
Tod is right boats come up for sale, but my experience is they are not the best of the lot. They are usually the ones that underperform and so then get passed along again. Pm me. I love to talk boats and ducks. And happy to help on the learning curve associated w sculling.
Best,
Frank
 
Thanks Frank. . . I will PM you. Just a thought before I do. I agree the bottom appears ?flatter both aft and athwartship.? The boat obviously won?t have a large draft. Therefore, being more apt for many different issues such as effect of wind on the vessel, straight line of steer (I don?t know the exact term, but I?m referring to the ability of the boat to head straight when ?sculling? or under ?power?), as well as less stability when entering and exiting the boat. I?m a novice boat builder, but it appears the boat will be more Bouyant?

Again. . . I only have experience building one other boat, so I am certainly no expert. . .

I?ll message you . . .
 
Sorry, I?m tired from watching the election. Frank, you refer to the boat heading straight under ?power? as ?tracking.? I appreciate you!
 
I believe it refers to the boat tracking while being sculled, which is very important.
 
Since no one has posted any photos, I'll share but it's been some 16 / 17 years since I took these on a visit to AL, to hunt with Eric. I believe Dave built this boat and Steve had a scull that he had shipped in from the leftside (Washington/Oregon area.) I watched Dave take his first duck out of her. Can't say how'd she'd handle anything but a mill pond but that day she simply ghosted along. She is big and that may be a handicap in heavily sculled areas but it wasn't a problem that day.

Steve's on the oar:

View attachment Steve n Dave.jpg


View attachment sculD side.jpg



View attachment sculD from behind.jpg

It was a fun day with Steve & Dave and a great trip with Eric!
 
Scott,
Thanks! Yes, I?ve seen these pictures. They are basically the only ones I can find anywhere (including a lot of internet research). I like the smooth lines of the boat. It?s one of the reasons I ordered the plans. I talked with Frank Middleton and I?m still debating on which boat to build. I?ll be sculling a couple of small lakes in my area. If you have, or anyone else has, good pictures of either the Merrymeeting or the Sculldugery, I?d love to see them.

Curtis
 
Quite a few photos to give you as sense of hull shape from my first project--where the DHBP folks who actually know what they are doing gave me great advice and prevented me from ruining an old classic.

My boats is a ~1950 MMB sculler. Mine is a bigger boat than most, especially in beam. One old timer on the Bay told me there was a period when some guides were trying to increase their income by putting two hunters in a boat with one guide, and they built beamier boats to allow for two shooters in front of the sculler. Mine would be tight for two, but might have been designed for that. It's beamier than needed for one.

As with many other traditional hand-powered boats, hull shapes changed when outboard motors became popular. Some of the newer MMB-style boats have flatter bottoms like the Scullduggery. I can't speak to the impact this has on sculling, as I mostly use my boat for transport and as a floating blind, but I can testify that my boat rows beautifully, but is a dog with an outboard compared to some the more modern boats that go zooming past me. Hull speed with my 3.5 hp is just over 6 mph, and I can row it at close to that without breaking a sweat.


http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=127455;do=post_view;search_string=scull#p127455
 
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