Thanks for letting me join/new acquisition duck boat id?

N

Nathan Hill

New member
Glad to be apart of this forum, I love waterfowl hunting and have a 80's fin and feather "kayak" style fiberglass boat and just acquired another fiberglass boat that strongly resembles a herters duck/goose but with enough differences that I don't think it is.
I have looked everywhere for one that matches this boat and can't find anything exactly like it.
So if any of you could help my identify the boat I would like to know what it actually is.
It's 13', fiberglass, built in seats, single rib molded in keel, but the hangle on the bow is top mounted (not the herters bow piece) dual rear handles (not like the herters end caps) mounted to the transom.
It has a hull number crudely scribed into the inside face of the transom, from what I can make out CGI (111?)2J486, the 3 1's are a lighter scribe and at one point had resin dripped over them but that gets it to the proper length of numbers.
All other identifying markings are gone except a old clear backed sticker on the left side of the bow with cat tails and weyauwega in like stick formed letters.
Sorry for the long post but am very interested in finding any info on the boat and cannot wait to finish some gel/fiberglass repairs and fish/hunt out of this.
Thank you.
I included a picture from last season of my fin and feather and use my layout blind seat back as the seat, works great! I just paddle it like a kayak and filled the original trolling motor shaft hole and now have a side mount trolling motor instead of cutting one down and solid mounting into where it belonged.
View attachment IMG_20200414_145651219_HDR.jpgView attachment IMG_20200415_175300038_HDR.jpgView attachment IMG_20200415_175247706_HDR.jpgView attachment Screenshot_20191104-080138.png
 
Welcome aboard!

Cool looking boat, hope you can find out some more information.
 
Carstens Bluebill, made in Minnesota

Some say they?re tippy. I?ve used one a few times and it was a nice boat. I?ve had my eyes open for one.

Where ya from?
 
From everything I've seen on the bluebill it has 2 ribs down the center and the transom isn't flat plated, it has a small "deck" behind the cockpit then an indent where the motor attaches?
It has alot of the design of a bluebill mixed with the transom and keel of a herters...
I've also now found muddy waters makes or made the mud hen? Similar aspects but with a different floor and seat style. The exterior gelcoat is all matching as far as it was molded like this and without holes being patched where the herters would have had the decorated molded handles and oar locks, and where the bluebill would have had a different transom set up.
The scratched in hull id having 86 at the end would lead to believe it's an 80's boat but even my electric feather being 80's had a stamped id and my old race hovercrafts from the 80's had stamped in gel hull numbers.
I haven't had it on the water yet as it's actually still snowing today but it has to be better then my Walmart sit on top kayak I previously used for hunting the last 4 or so seasons so can't wait to take it out!
I'm from New Hampshire, Concord area, mostly pond/Marsh/some river hunt.
I also have a 80's arrow glass 15' trihull center console style boat I'm rebuilding for use on bigger lakes and the occasional seacoast hunts that are not straight to the marsh style.
Thanks for the insight, just have searched for something just like it and can't find a perfect match, everything is different in a way that doesn't make sense for it to be the same boat.
 
Thanks, I'm in end of winter garage clean up or I would already be tearing into the gelcoat cracks and previous glass repairs, my electric feather had some severely water logged floatation foam inside the floor so that is currently cut open and all new foam and added supports installed, now need to reglass the entire floor, also pending severe garage clean out! Haha
 
Thanks! So they must have made them sometime in the 80's, that explains the weyauwega sticker on the bow!
Thank you very much
 
That shape matchs perfectly the herters boats. Herters originally had aluminum reinforcing ribs and trim though and no center seat. I was given one about 15 years ago that was derelict on a gunning club island I frequented. It was rough shape but buddy of mine installed new transom and reglassed so he could make a plug from it. I had previously removed all the old aluminum hardware. I registered it and ran a 8hp on it. Nice little duck boat that would float on a dime but that canoe style bow wasn,t exactly made for rough water, was great though to convert to a layout for calmer waters. I didn,t think hull was particulary tippy for its size. After running it a few years I sold it. Buddy made and sold a few of the boats then sold mold. I,m wondering if company that manufactured yours pulled mold from a herters?
 
I sent an email to the company that matches the hull id abbreviation, they are still in business so we will see what they say.
My electric feather I have floats and paddles good just more of a solo boat with very few decoys because of space so can't wait to get this in the water and see how it goes, a hunting buddy of mine has a herters and with his 30lb thrust trolling motor he has had 2 guys and gear in his boat and dragged me along side in my little sun dolphin kayak loaded with my gear so it should work out good for just me and gear.
Thanks for the input!
 
So I got an email back from the company that made my boat! Unfortunately all specs and info got lost with the passing of what I would assume to be an old owner or partner in the company.
So thanks for the assistance, I have confirmed the original maker of the boat.
My brother in-law stopped by to grab something yesterday and his friend is the one that has the herters I've hunted with and said mine is significantly lighter and said he actually likes mine more then the herters.
How heavy is a herters duck-goose? My boat is probably in the 110-125 lb range, I can load it pretty easy into my truck. Our friends he has a boat trailer for his herters.
Are they that heavy?
Getting more anxious to get mine cleaned up and on the water now.
Thanks again everyone
 
Nathan~


As per the 1966 catalog, the Herter's Duck and Goose Boat weighed 120 pounds.



Other specs:


LOA 13 feet
Beam 47 inches
Depth 13.5 inches

Transom width 40 inches
Transom depth 13.5 inches
Max hp 7.5 hp


Price...... $179......


I will check earlier catalogs to see when they first appeared.


Also, when I can figure out how to scan on my new printer, I will post the pages (pp 252-253).



All the best,


SJS







 
Thank you, I figure mine weighs about the same, wonder why his is so heavy then, don't think there's any foam to water log like my fin and feather did, that thing was a beast with all the wet foam inside the floor!
 
Nathan~


Herter's had foam in 1959-60 - but just air chambers by '66. Price - and weight - stayed the same over that time.


BTW: No 'glass vessels yet in 1955 - still all wood.


SJS

 
The Boat on the right looks like a "Snow Boat".
We were a dealer for those at one time.
They were manufactured by T & K Fiberglass up in Caro, Michigan.
I think John Snow originally designed the boat but not sure about that.
Lou
 
Weyauwega is just down the road from me Nathan. I'm happy to make a run if there's anything I could help with by going in person. Feel free to PM me.

Jim
 
Wow! That is awesome, thank you so much for that, love knowing they made a few other models too.
Makes alot of sense why at first I thought it may have been a herters until I saw the handles and realized it was styled after the herters.
 
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