Southbay duckboat restoration project

CGeminski

CGeminski

Well-known member
My uncle (Capt Rich Geminski on here) has been working on restoring a Southbay duckboat recently. We are hoping to do a few hunts together, and our season re-opens in a week, so I stopped by today to help him out at my fathers wood shop.

This is an original Southbay duckboat, hull number 176. As you can see, he started with a bare hull. He sanded it down and painted it with FME #28 from Lou Tisch, we then stenciled on some camo with Parker spray paints. He pretty much had to build everything from scratch, including the motor mount, grass flaps, flap hinge mounts and today we started cutting grass rails as well. There is still a lot to do including attaching bow & stern cleats, running lights, rigging the trailer with bunks & lights, mounting the motor and grassing the boat. Hopefully, when our season re-opens on Dec 3rd it will be ready for him to hunt.

Here are a few pictures from today's work on the boat:

View attachment southbay1.jpg
Here is the boat as it looked before we started working on it.

View attachment southbay2.jpg
After adding the grass flaps and motor mount, the boat was painted with FME #28

View attachment southbay3.jpg
Close up of the stern

View attachment southbay4.jpg
bow shot, showing the cockpit cover on

View attachment southbay6.jpg
Stenciling the camo paint on the hull
 
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The boat has been a fun project. You can see buy the pictures it is a project. Chris has great ideas on the boat and trailer. Custom painting was by Chris, I held the stencil. Chris also smokes some really good waterfowl.
Having a problem with the grass rails. The old system was ss steel bolts with washers and nuts to hold the grass rails [three man job], I'm too big to slide under the deck [old too]. What are they using on the new boats? Trying to make it simple to do by myself. Any ideas would be appreciated.
You can see my old boat in one of the first pics. Cockpit shrunk on me, needed a 2XL. Any one know where to get a really large flotation vest to go over heavy waterfowl coat?
 
I did a google search for "oversize life jackets"

http://www.amazon.com/MW-Adult-Universal-Oversize-Jacket/dp/B005DMJI0S

http://www.waterskiworld.com/life_vest/Vortex_4XL_5XL/vortex_4xl_5xl.html

and there are a ton more if you do that search....
 
Was the boat fiberglass over plywood? I read the early years were built with marine plywood before they went to all fiberglass.
 
No, this one is definitely fiberglass. You can see a rub rail at the waterline, this is where the top and bottom sections join after they come out of the fiberglass mold. The hull is extremely light, I can pick up the stern of the boat by myself without too much trouble.
 
Any one know where to get a really large flotation vest to go over heavy waterfowl coat?

Can't beat Sears: http://www.sears.com/kent-advantage-max-4-camo-fishing-vest-4xl/p-SPM5895386209P

I have the same vest, wear a size 54 jacket, and this vest goes over the heaviest clothes I wear chasing ducks on the ocean in late December. Comfy, too.
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Do any Southbay owners have any idea for bow & stern lights?Don't need them, I wear a headlamp and have a spotlight in hand. I never seen a southbay with running lights, I try to keep it simple with no batteries and junk like that. Boat looks good, too bad your gunna grass over that stencil job. My boat is Flat black and than grassed.
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I just looked at the US Coast Guard requirements online at:

http://www.uscgboating.org/fedreqs/default.html
Refer to page 27 and 28

Basically it says that for any vessel under 39ft in length, you must have a bow and stern light with red on the port bow, green on the starboard bow and a white light on the stern which is visible 360 degrees.
If your boat is less than 23ft and its maximum speed does not exceed 7 knots, then you may display a 360 degree visible white light and, if possible, red and green side lights.

So basically, if your Southbay is doing less than 7 knots, you can get away with a single 360 degree visible white light (a spotlight and headlamp are not 360 degree visible). If your Southbay does more than 7 knots, you need the 360 visible stern light and red and green bow lights.
 
Rich:
Great Job on the refinish. The side flaps seem to be wide. My South Bay Boat original side flaps are 7 1/2" in width. Width of the side flaps is important in the fact when you add razor grass it adds weight. The wider the side flaps & extra grass will add weight & will affect a quick opening on incoming birds. But I am sure you can handle it, otherwise you guys did a GREAT JOB on the old girl.
Have a Great Hunting Season with the boat.
 
Chris, if access for wires and mounted lights is an issue, then I would install some mounting locations to use the clamp on LED lights. Cheap and quick. They can be integrated into a bow handle and a block added to the outboard cowl perhaps? The LEDs work will in the portables from what I have read, no personal experience, but as they draw so little power the c cell or d cell batteries will last even in the cold.
 
Chris, if access for wires and mounted lights is an issue, then I would install some mounting locations to use the clamp on LED lights. Cheap and quick. They can be integrated into a bow handle and a block added to the outboard cowl perhaps? The LEDs work will in the portables from what I have read, no personal experience, but as they draw so little power the c cell or d cell batteries will last even in the cold.
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Dave... that's what I used for my bow & stern light for a boat similar to a Southbay. Just looking for ideas for my uncles boat...

View attachment bowlight.jpg
I purchased a LED battery operated bow light from Cabelas and made a custom wood mount to go over my bow cleat. I have had it two years, same batteries.

View attachment sternlight.jpg
Same thing with the stern light, made a custom mount
 
Chris, I knew I had seen a very slick set up! There you have it all figured out.... if there is no bow mount, I am sure you could create a yoke that would mount across the grassing rails to center a bow light.
 
Rich:
Great Job on the refinish. The side flaps seem to be wide. My South Bay Boat original side flaps are 7 1/2" in width. Width of the side flaps is important in the fact when you add razor grass it adds weight. The wider the side flaps & extra grass will add weight & will affect a quick opening on incoming birds. But I am sure you can handle it, otherwise you guys did a GREAT JOB on the old girl.
Have a Great Hunting Season with the boat.
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My flaps are actually 10" I made them taller so it blocks more wind and the grass will not wilt as much. Chris this portable running lights would be the best bet! I like how you mounted them.
 
Hi Chris. First off, that is a great looking boat. Having never seen or heard of them before, I'm curious about the bottom shape. Is it a planing hull? What size motors are usually used on these boats?

John Bourbon
 
Hi Chris. First off, that is a great looking boat. Having never seen or heard of them before, I'm curious about the bottom shape. Is it a planing hull? What size motors are usually used on these boats?

John Bourbon
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John, the boat is my uncles... Capt Rich Geminski here on duckboats.net. I am just making the post because he is not familiar with how to post images. Southbay duckboats are very popular here on Long Island and the surrounding areas. The bottom is fairly flat, so I would say its a planing hull. They are rated for up to 10hp, but I have seen guys put up to a 25hp on them. For more information on these boats, go to their website at www.duckboat.com
 
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