Yes, another project! Kicked off the month of July with pulling out the ole' Scull boat from storage. This project all started from the idea of how to provide a unique hunting experience for our clients here on Long Island, NY as I spend some of my time during the season guiding trips on the island's north fork region.
I wanted to provide a unique experience that would encompass the traditional ways of waterfowling the marsh creeks where we provide this service yet at the same time be useful for open water hunts for my own use with family / friends.
In February of 2024 I came across a listing for this 1983 Merrymeeting Scull Boat, It was listed out of New Jersey for a reasonable price. The seller was the son of the original owner and advised me he grew up with his dad hunting this sole boat all across the eastern shore of New Jersey for both freshwater honey holes & saltwater marshes. After asking for a few additional images of the boat & learning about the long stories of it's life I decided to make the trip down before a work day.. and add it to the ever-growing addiction / collection LOL.
With a nice 2-1/2 hour ride on a Monday, I successfully made it to New Egypt, NJ where I met the son Chris. Immediately upon my arrival he began the many stores of this boat, its history and the memories that sparked his interest in the sport. After looking her over she seemed in good shape, in need of a few fiberglass repairs nothing major some from the eager boat ramp launch, some from over tightening the straps, and some just from the wear / tear of the seasons. Luckily for me the trailer was fairly new 2021.
The boat being 39 years old was mainly kept inside which was a nice element to its life, however the original paint could be seen bleeding thru what seemed like a dark green of some sort. Chris explained his father had painted the boat based on where they would hunt mostly with whatever paint was around.
After my arrival back to NY, I began researching the company / boat history. I found out it was actually called the Brant II by Lock-Stock & Barrel. Lou had designed the boat even better after its original Sculling design in the late 1970's. This style of gunning looked to be fading away with only a few left who actually sculled the boats. I know from working with The Duck Boat Company out of East Dennis, MA these boats are still made & provided with one selling just a few months ago in Louisiana.
So, first off I decided to fix the minor fiberglass repairs first, then sanded with a 60 grit, then researched for a color that would best fit my applications of this vessel. Keeping in mind I wanted to use this for both open water / back bay creek gunning I decided to use an Awlgrip Grey for the hull similar to another layout boat I did a few years back. The aerial drone footage of that boat proved the concealment color would be perfect. Additionally, I would be using grassed mesh netting for the topsides when using in that environment. These could be simply tucked inside a bin up in the bow when needed.
With all the other projects going on, I decided to keep this one as simple as possible so I kept the original grassing posts, hardware on the exterior and stern oar slot. My plans down the road will be to add a bow eye for towing, synthetic back-rests and a grass rail in the middle section.
With this type of boat there were many options for movement... I cleaned up the oars & hardware, also sanded down and painted the sculling oar.
Recently, this past weekend I had the opportunity to test out the features / performance of this boat. I tried multiple power options from a 6hp Outboard, Rowing Setup and of course the Sculling technique which takes a bit of getting used too.
For the weight distribution I added 50lbs of lead to the bow when maneuvering to get that 2nd person experience when motoring / rowing / sculling. The boat performed flawless and literally floats in inches of water. I was thoroughly impressed with this rig!
I also added a 6hp and noticed the performance was stern heavy but with the weight up the in the bow to counteract this along with an extension handle the boat handled nicely and allowed quick & stable maneuvering.
I was also thoroughly impressed with the way she tows! I was reluctant to use the original bow handle but after discussing with others who had done the same the boat towed very well, tested with / without the motor. The stern weight definately helps in handling.
As for now, approaching August the transition will be to season prep for Doves at the family farm in Maryland.
Excited to use this new piece of the fleet this season sharing the experience with clients and keeping alive this tradition for the next generation to enjoy & as always will keep the updates coming!
-Anthony
I wanted to provide a unique experience that would encompass the traditional ways of waterfowling the marsh creeks where we provide this service yet at the same time be useful for open water hunts for my own use with family / friends.
In February of 2024 I came across a listing for this 1983 Merrymeeting Scull Boat, It was listed out of New Jersey for a reasonable price. The seller was the son of the original owner and advised me he grew up with his dad hunting this sole boat all across the eastern shore of New Jersey for both freshwater honey holes & saltwater marshes. After asking for a few additional images of the boat & learning about the long stories of it's life I decided to make the trip down before a work day.. and add it to the ever-growing addiction / collection LOL.
With a nice 2-1/2 hour ride on a Monday, I successfully made it to New Egypt, NJ where I met the son Chris. Immediately upon my arrival he began the many stores of this boat, its history and the memories that sparked his interest in the sport. After looking her over she seemed in good shape, in need of a few fiberglass repairs nothing major some from the eager boat ramp launch, some from over tightening the straps, and some just from the wear / tear of the seasons. Luckily for me the trailer was fairly new 2021.
The boat being 39 years old was mainly kept inside which was a nice element to its life, however the original paint could be seen bleeding thru what seemed like a dark green of some sort. Chris explained his father had painted the boat based on where they would hunt mostly with whatever paint was around.
After my arrival back to NY, I began researching the company / boat history. I found out it was actually called the Brant II by Lock-Stock & Barrel. Lou had designed the boat even better after its original Sculling design in the late 1970's. This style of gunning looked to be fading away with only a few left who actually sculled the boats. I know from working with The Duck Boat Company out of East Dennis, MA these boats are still made & provided with one selling just a few months ago in Louisiana.
So, first off I decided to fix the minor fiberglass repairs first, then sanded with a 60 grit, then researched for a color that would best fit my applications of this vessel. Keeping in mind I wanted to use this for both open water / back bay creek gunning I decided to use an Awlgrip Grey for the hull similar to another layout boat I did a few years back. The aerial drone footage of that boat proved the concealment color would be perfect. Additionally, I would be using grassed mesh netting for the topsides when using in that environment. These could be simply tucked inside a bin up in the bow when needed.
With all the other projects going on, I decided to keep this one as simple as possible so I kept the original grassing posts, hardware on the exterior and stern oar slot. My plans down the road will be to add a bow eye for towing, synthetic back-rests and a grass rail in the middle section.
With this type of boat there were many options for movement... I cleaned up the oars & hardware, also sanded down and painted the sculling oar.
Recently, this past weekend I had the opportunity to test out the features / performance of this boat. I tried multiple power options from a 6hp Outboard, Rowing Setup and of course the Sculling technique which takes a bit of getting used too.
For the weight distribution I added 50lbs of lead to the bow when maneuvering to get that 2nd person experience when motoring / rowing / sculling. The boat performed flawless and literally floats in inches of water. I was thoroughly impressed with this rig!
I also added a 6hp and noticed the performance was stern heavy but with the weight up the in the bow to counteract this along with an extension handle the boat handled nicely and allowed quick & stable maneuvering.
I was also thoroughly impressed with the way she tows! I was reluctant to use the original bow handle but after discussing with others who had done the same the boat towed very well, tested with / without the motor. The stern weight definately helps in handling.
As for now, approaching August the transition will be to season prep for Doves at the family farm in Maryland.
Excited to use this new piece of the fleet this season sharing the experience with clients and keeping alive this tradition for the next generation to enjoy & as always will keep the updates coming!
-Anthony
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