This Season's Project.. 1928 Benjamin Hallock Gunning Scooter

Anthony Babich

Anthony Babich

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Well.. yet again I decided to roll up the sleeves and dig into another project this fall! This time a 1928 Benjamin Hallock Gunning Scooter from Centre Moriches-Long Island, NY. These popular boats called "Punties" were built in the 1920's & 1930's here on long island by Benjamin Hallock comprised of White Cedar planking with an Oak Runner down the middle. Most notably featured in our recent documentary "History of The Pattersquash Gun Club" and within the book: Duck Shooting Along The Atlantic Tidewater by Eugene V. Connett The boat spent its time located within a barn loft alongside another identical scooter for quite a few years. I came across the boat in October 2024 with plans to display at various show events. After some consideration and understanding these boats were spotted throughout Long Island, NY my thoughts were to bring the boat to "The Barn" upstate, NY where it would be stored until a restoration or show could present itself. After some thinking, I decided to put the boat back into service with some modifications mirrored to another vessel I came to admire from a documentary project I filmed in 2017 "On The Falling Tide". I decided to model this Hallock Scooter towards a boat I always admired a 14ft Wilbur Ketchum 1923. This boat owned by the Combs Family had been well preserved and restored in 2014. Since the sale of it last year to a new found friend here on the Island I admired the character, ease of use and performance of the boat with that traditional style. The decision was made to take the 16ft Hallock Scooter and make this a 12' boat complete with enclosed transom, epoxy bottom and new thatching rails out of oak. I wished to preserve the traditional style of the boat yet make her more agile, weather resistant and similar to the Ketchum design. Seeing as these boats both held similar lines, I jumped right in! Here's a few images of the Hallock Scooter upon pickup, the Wilbur Ketchum vessel and a few progress photos.. along the way. My plan is to use the boat this season as she will touch the waters of Great South Bay after nearly 30 years...this will be a towed boat with a transom for a 2.5 outboard possibly even the ole' Evinrude DuckTwin! We'll see..after surgery is complete.. more to come soon!

Upon Pickup:

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The 1923 Wilbur Ketchum Gunning Boat (Combs Family) Restored in 2014

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George Combs SR (1980's)

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The Scooter at 12' (Bottom Sanded to Cedar) Ready For Epoxy... (*Note "Centre" Moriches Stamp) Now Called Center Moriches, LI

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Top Deck View:
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More Coming Soon....
 
Anthony Babich said:
Well.. yet again I decided to roll up the sleeves and dig into another project this fall! This time a 1928 Benjamin Hallock Gunning Scooter from Centre Moriches-Long Island, NY. These popular boats called "Punties" were built in the 1920's & 1930's here on long island by Benjamin Hallock comprised of White Cedar planking with an Oak Runner down the middle. Most notably featured in our recent documentary "History of The Pattersquash Gun Club" and within the book: Duck Shooting Along The Atlantic Tidewater by Eugene V. Connett The boat spent its time located within a barn loft alongside another identical scooter for quite a few years. I came across the boat in October 2024 with plans to display at various show events. After some consideration and understanding these boats were spotted throughout Long Island, NY my thoughts were to bring the boat to "The Barn" upstate, NY where it would be stored until a restoration or show could present itself. After some thinking, I decided to put the boat back into service with some modifications mirrored to another vessel I came to admire from a documentary project I filmed in 2017 "On The Falling Tide". I decided to model this Hallock Scooter towards a boat I always admired a 14ft Wilbur Ketchum 1923. This boat owned by the Combs Family had been well preserved and restored in 2014. Since the sale of it last year to a new found friend here on the Island I admired the character, ease of use and performance of the boat with that traditional style. The decision was made to take the 16ft Hallock Scooter and make this a 12' boat complete with enclosed transom, epoxy bottom and new thatching rails out of oak. I wished to preserve the traditional style of the boat yet make her more agile, weather resistant and similar to the Ketchum design. Seeing as these boats both held similar lines, I jumped right in! Here's a few images of the Hallock Scooter upon pickup, the Wilbur Ketchum vessel and a few progress photos.. along the way. My plan is to use the boat this season as she will touch the waters of Great South Bay after nearly 30 years...this will be a towed boat with a transom for a 2.5 outboard possibly even the ole' Evinrude DuckTwin! We'll see..after surgery is complete.. more to come soon!

Upon Pickup:

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The 1923 Wilbur Ketchum Gunning Boat (Combs Family) Restored in 2014

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George Combs SR (1980's)

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The Scooter at 12' (Bottom Sanded to Cedar) Ready For Epoxy... (*Note "Centre" Moriches Stamp) Now Called Center Moriches, LI

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Top Deck View:
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More Coming Soon....
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Happy Hallowe'en, Anthony~

I hope you are all dressed up in your Old School Boatbuilder costume....

Great project! Of course, I have as few questions - and comments!

I am wondering how you determined the actual year of the build? Family stories? Invoice? Someday I may try to track down a record of my Hallock Scooter - as it was built for the US Coast Guard. I envision the document residing somewhere in a cavernous warehouse - somewhere near DC....not far from the Lost Ark....

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I especially appreciated your photos that show the shape of her bottom sections - the big difference between Great South Bay Scooters v. Seaford Skiffs and Barnegat Bay Sneakboxes being the U-shape of the Scooter. Although the bilges are "slack" (softly rounded), the frames along the centerline of the vessel - usually between a pair of ice runners - are flat. Your interior shots show this nicely.

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The bottom sections of Seaford Skiffs and Barnegats are close to a true arc or radius - though many are more complex.

My "comment" is about the terminology - in my Cap'n Fussbudget role. As you see from my drawings - from On the Falling Tide - a Puntie in my world is a cross-planked vessel - the hull sections flat side-to-side. Many thousands of rowboats, flatties and sharpies were built this way all across North America. On the other hand, Scooter planks run lengthwise and show the U-shape. the Scooter is a much more sophisticated boat - more challenging and time-consuming to build. Connett - in Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater - uses the terms inconsistently. I think Dick Richardson, however, would agree with me that Scooters and Punties are 2 different species. I have owned both.

I also enjoyed your photo of the sanded bottom - and your belt sander. Many woodworkers and boatbuilders would never think of using this machine on a contoured surface. As you have evidently experienced, IF kept moving and in experienced hands with a subtle touch, a belt sander is much like the traditional long board and is very useful on hulls and decks. And, it can avoid the "dishing" that can result from orbital sanders.

Here is the bottom of the bow sanded on my Hallock Scooter. - the TED SANFORD. Note the White Oak keel and the White Cedar planking. Also - note that I did not have to remove all of the glass. My Dad put most of that skin on in 1954 - with polyester resin! That new bow piece (I never have found a good term for it) is Cypress.

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All the best!

SJS
 
Steve Sanford said:
I am wondering how you determined the actual year of the build? Family stories? Invoice? Someday I may try to track down a record of my Hallock Scooter - as it was built for the US Coast Guard.
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Hey Steve,
So this was the same scooter you saw at this years March show event. I reached out to our current living archive Dick Richardson and based upon information from the previous owner and a family member also a LIDCA member Smith, the consensus was this was 1 of 3 boats built for the Smith Family. Located within the boat are the stamped REG. SMITH oars seen below there’s also REG engraved on the underside of the cockpit towards the bow along with a decoy from Smith’s gunning rig. Apparently in 1928 there was quite a few of these boats built as Dick Mentioned for the Coast Guard. That contract provided a few boats to spill over towards the members of the club to have for hunting. Dick advised quite a few were made during that year. Within the boat were also the cork life-jackets.
The boat was purchased by Rodger Davis along with another identical to it where a transom was added in the 60’s.
I currently have REG SMITH restored personal gunning coffin box acquired from his relative in Center Moriches and one of the decoys apparently gunned from the boat sold to me by Frank Z
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Anthony~

That is great information about the Hallock Scooters. I had always guessed that mine was built in the 1920s or 30s.

Also - it's is great to see that the Accessions Dept. in the A. Babich Waterfowling Museum has been very busy!

One other note: I lived in East Moriches very briefly in 1978. Among other things, I learned that the locals referred to Center Moriches as simply "Center".

BTW: One of my ancestors - Capt. Bartlett Hinds Sandford - ran coastal schooners around the time of the American Revolution out of Orchard Neck in Center Moriches. He took goods from Eastern LI into NYC. At one time, he owned a goods chunk of Center Moriches. (None of the wealth ever trickled down to present generations.....)

All the best,

SJS
 
This is another really great looking boat. I wish I was a woodworker like you guys, but I so enjoy seeing what everyone is doing and learning about the hiostory and lineage of these boats, where they are from, who built them, who owned them.

I envision the document residing somewhere in a cavernous warehouse - somewhere near DC....not far from the Lost Ark....

I hadn't even gotten to the end of the sentence and immediately thought about the ark! Great comment! I also have the book and seeing this reminded me it was time to get it out and read it again. Eugene Connett did so much great work putting boat histories and things like that together and getting them published.
 
We are making some progress! Taking advantage of the nice weather here after some rain, The original oak keel was in decent shape, sanded & re-installed with stainless hardware. The bottom was also sealed up with epoxy and flipped after 3 coats of Lock-Stock & Barrell #28. The original oak thatch rails were removed with a combination of brass bolts, screws and what seemed like rivets towards the bow section. It was an interesting combination..

Went with new oak thatch rails that will be installed at the bow, stern & port / stbd also made a few spacers out of the oak, a painstakingly tedious process to stain each one on all sides... a pair of fresh oak runners will also be installed along the sides with stainless hardware followed by handles at the stern & one at bow. I also acquired a bow Mooring Bitt off a 1956 sailboat I plan on installing. The top-deck was sanded down and a coat of #28 was applied along with Sikkens wood preservative for a nice natural look around the cockpit combings. I plan on adding a few more coats of this with sealant. My plan is to also epoxy the bow nose for frequent wear.

A transom will also be added to this boat custom built by the very own Steve Sanford.. photos to follow soon this week!

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