South Bay Scooter?

Wow, that took me a second to figure out. Based on that first pic, I thought the engine well was the cockpit, then I saw the transom.....What's all that aft deck for? It comes into perspective a bit with the other pictures.
 
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Paul,
Yeah..not sure? Maybe for stability and concealment? I imagine if the boat was totally grassed up the engine would disappear.
 
I know with that engine placement, the boat would run pretty flat and not up on plane, but it's just the whacky angle of the top pic, the scale is weird. It looks like theres like 4' forward of that well and like 10' behind it, I get it now. I'd still like to see it run though...
 
That is a very cool boat.
I would be worried about tilting the motor though!
 
To me it kind of looks like someone wanted to scull with a trolling motor... Having said that it is quite unique and I'd love to hear more about it.
 
Boats with motor wells were fairly common in the past. A family friend had one many years ago which they used to shad fish near the Windsor Locks dam/rapids on the CT River, an area loaded with rocks. The position of the well keeps the stern from dropping under power, thereby decreasing the depth of water needed to run the motor. In some models there is a tunnel behind the prop, the prop and skeg being partially shielded by the boat bottom forward. I've seen a couple with the motor wells forward of midship, the owners claim they steer "funny" but quite well when you get used to it. Pretty sure there is at least one commercial glass boat manufacturer making such hulls today.
 
Good morning Zane et al~


Indeed that is a Great South Bay Scooter. The motor well was an afterthought as Scooters were built to be rowed or sailed.


This vessel was built by either Benjamin Hallock (of Center Moriches) or his successor Oliver Howell - more likely the latter because of the square transom. Hallock typically built his Scooters with fantails. I have seen a number of such Scooters with either motor brackets (usually projecting off the starboard side) or motor wells. A 3-horse would have been the likely power plant.




Great South Bay Scooters were typically between 14 and 17 feet LOA. Their length provides both buoyancy (with decoys usually in a stool rack on the afterdeck) as well as much better "run" when rowing or poling.


The 2 lifting handles on the bow and stern suggest to me that this vessel was hunted at the Pattersquash Gunner's Ass'n on Bellport Bay. Back in the day, they hauled their Scooters and Punties up on the saltmarsh bog to hide when rigged. This photo is from Eugene Connett's "Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater".



View attachment Connett - Puntie and Scooter rigged on West Bog.jpg



In the early days, the gunning boats at Pattersquash had no motors. In the morning, they were usually towed out en masse by the watchman in a power boat.



View attachment P25.jpg



The earliest "tow boats" were inboards.



View attachment P26.jpg



Later on, a modest Garvey with a modest (30 - 40 hp) outboard was sufficient.

View attachment P15.jpg


Each gunner rowed or poled his way home at the end of the hunt. Poling is locally known as "shoving" - and the "pole" was a "shovin' oar" with a flattened blade on its lower end.



View attachment P09.jpg



As outboards became more reliable - and gunners got older - the Pattersquash Board of Governors allowed mechanical propulsion. Although early motors were limited in horsepower, I will be gunning there (as a guest) next month in a TDB powered by a 70-horse Yamaha.....and we'll watch the tides very carefully.



All the best,


SJS


View attachment JCW14.jpg
 
One is the fishing guys I work with says that a very common design for net boats on the outer banks. Have the motor there allowed the boat to go in the shallows (like mentioned) and then they would troll a net out in a loop without fear of the net or line getting tangled in the prop then come back to shore to hook the net to a tractor and haul the fish in. He said he believed this method is now banned
 
The motor well is large. Back then 2-5hp was common, clammer here were not going a great distance, so speed wasn't necessary.
We used 3-5hp till the 80-90s for ducking and fire lighting. Got a little money and got a used 9.9 then a 15. Still use a 15 on my southbay boat and a 9.9 on my whaler.
 
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