Since we are on the topic of sculling?

CAnderson

CAnderson

Well-known member
I have been considering a scull boat in the next year or two. Something a little more unique and old school. I know there are some closet scullers here on the board and a few newer guys that have been giving it a try as well. I am looking for a 2 man float so that I can give this a try with my son.

I saw Dave Sikorski had his Merrymeeting style scull for sale a little while ago. Then Chris Finch just posted the story of his sculling success in his new to him boat, which I believe was a Whitney style float (Seacoast gunning float). Are those two boats pretty much my only options for a 2 man boat?

I am looking for something that I can row with oars and then lay down and take over with the sculling oar. I am not really looking for something to put a motor on.

My son will soon be old enough to run his own boat after taking his boater's safety certificate. I am hoping that we could possibly downsize our current rig and maybe get into two BBSBs and then have a scull boat, plus the kayaks for other fun spots. That is why we need a fleet of boats I guess. To hunt all different types of water in different styles.

Anyway, please share with me what you can about what specific floats I should be looking at/for to enjoy this sport with my growing son.

I am not opposed to building one either. I have looked into the plans for the Merrymeeting style float as well as the Scullduggery and Scullduggery II.

I read some advise that suggested it might be better to try some boats before you get into building one on your own. The suggestion was based on having an understanding of the craft before you step into building one. The advise seemed to have some merit.

Thanks in advance.

Chad
 
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Lou Tisch at Lock Stock and Barrell has some available on his site. They are the Brant line of boats.
 
Scott-

Thanks for all of the photos.

I like the lines of the first Merrymeetingboat, but they look quite a bit different than the plans offered by Sandy Point for their Merrymeeting. I believe the Sandy Point lines look a little more like Lou's at Lock, Stock and Barrel.

I really like the stealthy qualities of the Domeyer's "Heine" scull and the Bankes' Predator scull. Both seem to be based off of a Humbolt Bay Design. Either would be probably really sweet to own and scull, but putting two guys in one boat would be a no go. The price of the Domeyer will be closer to $3,500 with shipping to the east coast.

I really like the weight of the Domeyer. It would certainly make it a nice light car topper and there wouldn't be a need for a ramp or a trailer. If money wasn't a problem, I would probably just buy two of these and have my son learn how to scull too. Well, maybe not.

The Devlin looks to be a good boat. I like the lines of it, although it is somewhat of a higher profile. Does it sit much higher than the Merrymeeting style float from LSB?
 
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Float designs a fun and historic because of how regional they are. The west coast boats are fast and stealthy because they were in competition with other boats for the same flocks and the birds were sculled on more frequently then here in the northeast. I also believe the merrymeetings were frequently used with decoys and also by guides making the larger boat desirable for carrying the decoys and providing a spacious area for the possibly homophobic sport. The raised front on the coaming helps with long necked geese and wiggly sports.

To answer your question on the Devlin, I know it has a larger front profile than a traditional Merrymeeting but having never seen one of Lou's sculls in person I can only assume his is close to the traditional. I think the real issue to figure out what your hunting style is going to be and then determine which style float fits best. A merrymeeting is a trailer boat that isn't going to be carried far but it's comfortable. I use mine to hunt with the current, river or tidal and then run back under power. I've used it on fairly big waters, LI Sound, the mouth of the CT is a favorite when the tides are right, 2,3 miles across and close to 5 miles long. Let the current do the work, use the oar to line up on the ducks, old man sculling ;^) Add big chunks of Ice floating down with you and it's heaven. I call my Great Bay float a car topper and carry it on wheeled Kayak racks. When I was 10 years younger I carried it into ponds a couple of hundred yards in but not any more. It takes the 3.5 Nisan ob nicely. A pair of these would be nice:

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And then you can start looking at oars, make or buy and oh so many designs and the biggest question FSU or FSD????:

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View attachment Gregs 4 oars.jpg

Scott
 
I have a Sea coast gunning float which is based off a Whitney hull. I like having a bigger boat especially for comfort and safety. I had never been in a scull before mine so I'm no expert but I'm sure the Whitney and mmb float take a lot more effort than a domeyer bankes float. I was a little tired after my first trip.

I wish I had a kicker motor and when I buy my next scull it will surely have one. I wanted a brant 2x but couldn't find a used one and couldn't spend the $. That boat is just well thought out and I like the lines.

The act of sculling and getting proficient at it is a whole nother thing. It took a half hour to figure out how it actually works then many hours of oar time to get rythem cadence exactly where I have to be laying down. Hunt with fat friends too the boat behaves better with weight.
 
heres my float:
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this is what she looked like when i brought her home (notice massive transom on rear) my plan is much smaller
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Chris- Thanks for posting the photos of your float. I like the clean rounded lines of your float. It looks very sleek and stealth-like. I understand those floats are on the heavier side.
 
Scott-

Thanks for the additional photos and information. The Great Bay float looks really light weight. A pair of those would be pretty neat. The name Great Bay. . . does that come from a Great Bay further north than me in NJ? We have a Great Bay here on the coast, figure it is a different one then ours.

Oars are an interesting thing indeed. What is FSU and FSD?
 
Regional styles . . . .

Even on Merrymeeting Bay, the floats were said to vary from one end of the bay to the other. My boat was made down in Bath, which is actually below the mouth of the Bay, and it looks a little out of place in the Cathance River where most everyone hunts a design that's a little different. My boat makes for a better "blind" for 2 hunters over decoys, but it's a little higher profile for a full-on scull hunt. It's also a little beamier. I think it was made intending to hunt the bigger water in the lower Kennebec where there's more wind and waves than we see up in the Bay, but I'm just guessing.

A lot of MMB sculls get used a lot on narrow tidal creek through the rice for jump shooting, with one man sculling in the stern and the other shooting from the bow. My boat's a little too big for the narrowest creeks.

On the other hand, I'm pretty comfortable going around the point into 2 foot whitecaps when the wind's blowing hard from the NE. On those days I have the spot the birds like pretty much to myself, because the smaller, lower boats aren't quite as comfortable in a chop.
 
The great bay is in new Hampshire and is pretty much where my boat came from. Don't start fsu/ fsd I don't know how I scull all I know is the oar needs to be just right in my hand to make the float behave properly. It is heavy. My first spot we carried her in, it was not fun but I'll only be young once. it's a cruise for you to ct but if you end up coming up I'll let you check out my float and we can get her on the water
 
FSU/FSD refers to "flat side up" or "flat side down" Sculling oars are curved on one surface and flat on the other. Like a cross section of an aircraft wing. If you want to start a pissing match just declare that one way is better than the other :)!

Best,

Chris
 
Great points and photos everyone. I just wanted to add that a heavy float does have some advantages. I have a Delashmutt one man and a Seacoast. The Seacoast is almost twice as tall as the one man. Once you get the Seacoast moving, it has an incredible glide. Stroke, stroke, gliiiiiiiiide. I haven't noticed the height of the Seacoast to be a disadvantage because of that glide. The boat is gliding toward the birds without any apparent movement (to the birds). It doesn't take much chop to make the lighter one man hop, bounce or roll creating noise and movement that puts the birds off. In contrast, the Seacoast would knife right through that same chop silently. The Seacoast also rows great with the sweeping oars in part due to the weight. The hull of the Seacoast is also designed to be rowed. It is my understanding that some versions of the MMB floats were made with flatter stern sections so that they performed better under power. Something to keep in mind if you intend to row.
 
The West Coast style of scullboats are generally refered to as HBSB's (Humboldt Bay Scull Boats). They are fair weather boats. You have to constantly monitor the wind. It takes very little chop, or a power boat wake to fill up the cockpit. There are two-man HBSB's but you have to be really chummy with your gunner. You lay side by side or head in lap. Most west coast scullers try to find two man boats so they can carry more gear. They are pure stealth and are perfect for blue bird days.

I have both a HBSB, and one of Lou's Brant II's. For a beginner sculler, a East Coast style of boat is definately safer, and more forgiving. I started with a Brant, then moved up to a HBSB. Two different boats for different conditions.

I end up using my Brant II more often as I can carry a bunch of decoys and a dog, or a hunting partner. Its real nice being able to have a real motor not just a electric tolling motor.. If the weather picks up the Brant II has a spray skirt, much like the BBSB's. And of course I also scull it. I'll motor around till I see birds, beach the boat, stash the motor, break out the oar, and start stalking. I made a hard cover for the front cockpit, so I can stash everything under cover, including the dog. Throw some grass on the boat and you're suddenly a big wad of grass and sticks floating around. It's my exploration boat, as in that I can carry enough gear to spend the night if need's must. I can also cover a lot more water.

My HBSB is for quick, blue bird day hunts, or target hunts where I'm chasing a specific bird. I drive from bay to bay and lake to lake and glass for birds. I have a spotting scope on the pickup window. You drive spot, stalk, quick and fast, pull the boat off the pickup, drag it to the water and your sculling. The bigger boats you need a ramp, or a big buddy. You don't want to try to drag a Brant II around alone.-Seth
 
I have no idea what type of scull boat design we had as we grew up here on pool 14 on the Mississippi River. It was in our family from the 20's. It was rebuilt so many times I can't remember how many times. I remember my great grandfather talking about raising the live ducks for decoys. That boat seen its last days 2 years ago in a fire. It was a very sad day.

There was nothing like sculling out onto a flock of bluebills and just about when you were about to pull up on them, you notice a little further out is a nice little flock of greater Bluebills. You keep sculling and you split the first flock in half and they don't even know you are there. You get within 10 yards of the greaters and pull up on them and thats when they finally know you are there. Thats what sculling is all about!
 
You guys are getting me all cranked up to get a new float. I haven't done much of it, and not in 20+ years since our original was donated to the maritime museum in Mystic. For those of you who have been there, you might have seen it, it's an all-white canvas over cedar boat. I have no clue who built it, just that it was in the family since around WWI.

Question for Scott and Chris- Are you wearing your blaze orange when sculling? I thought I might ask before a picture gets posted.

Edit: A read of the current orange exemptions seem to make it ok to go camo. Happy day, common sense! The old ones said something to the effect of stationary and in conjunction with decoys, I thought sculling might not be exempt.
 
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You guys keep these stories up and I am going to be building another boat before I know it!

The history is interesting as well that everyone for sharing this is not a subject I know much about so I appreciate the chance to learn from all of you.
 
SJ,

Per CT reg.s, it's not required. From the guide: "[font=Verdana,Arial,Geneva]Waterfowl Hunters while hunting from boats, duck blinds, or other stationary positions."

Scott

ps: saw your edit after typing this, oh well ;^)


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Scott, my bad for not checking the current wording.

The more I think about it, the more I need another boat! I know Chris will be patrolling the lower river like a hungry shark, can't let him have all the fun. ;-)
 
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