Would this be a Skull Boat?

N

NancyO

New member
Good morning!

I joined this site because it seemed like it may be the best place to find answer to my question. My uncle died a year ago and I'm the executor of his estate. It has been an interesting and daunting task to go through his property! He was a collector of many things, primarily duck decoys and duck calls, but also many other collectibles. I found this boat in his shop and have spent many hours on the internet trying to figure out exactly what it is. I only took two pictures and wish I would have taken more (his place and the boat are 6 hours from me). I've researched the name on the metal plate and there doesn't seem to be a manufacturer of boats by that name.

I'd be very interested to know if anyone has any information, or at least a good guess! Thank you!
 

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Nancy,
Welcome! I sure hope we can help.
What state is the boat located in? That will help, as historically, duck boat designs are fairly regional.
I think I know what this is, but I will wait to see if my suspicions are confirmed by others in the region I think this is from (Upper Midwest??).
 
Hi, thank you! Its currently located at his cabin property in Rainy River, Ontario. He's from Minnesota, where I'm located. I don't know whether he bought it in Minnesota and took it across the border, or whether he bought it in Canada. I guess some would consider both places the same thing!
 
Hi Nancy. Welcome. Your uncle's boat appears very old in its style of construction. It is not a scull boat but rather a sneak or marsh boat. They were paddled, oared or push poled through the marsh. The holes in the bow and stern are for putting poles through the boat and into the bottom of the marsh for stability while shooting or standing. That style was very popular in the Midwest and countless builders produced these in many fashions from the turn of the century into the 50s and 60s. Some merely paint as this boat appears to be or covered with canvas and waterproofed until later when fiberglass came along. The name is not familiar though. Good luck on your journey.
 
NancyO said:
Thank you everyone! Would anyone have a guess as to how old it is/approximate year?
Click to expand...
The script font goes back to the 17th century.

The surname Bettenhausen is of German origin, derived from the name of a place in Hesse and Württemberg. In the 19th century, the name was not widespread in the United States, but census records show that in 1880, there were 19 families with the surname Bettenhausen living in Illinois, which accounted for approximately 68% of the recorded families with that name in the U.S. at the time.

Bettenhausen family and racing
The name Bettenhausen is primarily associated with American auto racing. This is the most well-documented and historically significant connection found in the search results.
  • Tony Bettenhausen Sr. was a prominent National Championship race car driver in the 1940s and 1950s, winning the national title twice.
  • The Bettenhausen family's racing legacy continued for decades with his sons Gary, Merle, and Tony Jr. all becoming race car drivers.

Bettenhausen Automotive Group
The Bettenhausen name is also linked to a Chicagoland family-owned automotive group. This dealership has been in business for over 60 years. Although the Bettenhausen family was from the Illinois River Valley which has a long history of waterfowl hunting, research doesn't link the family to hunting. It's a good bet your boat could be from the 1930's or 1940's.
 
NancyO said:
Good morning!

I joined this site because it seemed like it may be the best place to find answer to my question. My uncle died a year ago and I'm the executor of his estate. It has been an interesting and daunting task to go through his property! He was a collector of many things, primarily duck decoys and duck calls, but also many other collectibles. I found this boat in his shop and have spent many hours on the internet trying to figure out exactly what it is. I only took two pictures and wish I would have taken more (his place and the boat are 6 hours from me). I've researched the name on the metal plate and there doesn't seem to be a manufacturer of boats by that name.

I'd be very interested to know if anyone has any information, or at least a good guess! Thank you!
Click to expand...
Nancy~

I do not know who built this nice little vessel - but I agree with others here that it is in the "family" of gunning boats usually called "midwestern duck skiffs".

WARNING: Names given to types of duckboats vary tremendously, are mostly local, and can easily be confused. Sometimes two very different vessels have the same or similar names. And, the names are not always passed down to - or adopted by - succeeding generations of waterfowl hunters. So - abandon all hope!!!!


Midwestern Duck Skiffs

These common duckboats (especially pre-WW II) were typically double-enders (pointed at both ends), decked over, had a long cockpit and often high coamings . The coamings were frequently curved (radiused via steaming the wood) both fore and aft.

Here is one that's up in my loft. The decks needs new canvas (or a modern synthetic?) but she is otherwise in fine shape. You can see a patch on the foredeck - which covers what was likely a tube for stabilizing the boat when hunting. A pole would be run through each of the tubes (one forward, one aft) and secured (jammed) into the marsh bottom. These poles were called "spuds". On this vessel, the tubes were removed at some point.


Double-ender - from above - maybe stern sm.JPG

Someone had done a very professional job of 'glassing the hull. It just needs fresh paint (not black!).

sm Kidney - Bottom 04.JPG
As was mentioned, these skiffs could be rowed, paddled or poled.
Pte Mouillee 11-5.jpg
This photo is from Raymond Camp's Hunters Encyclopedia.


sm Double-ender poled - Hunters Encyclopedia p. 915.jpg

There were many makers - including some very large factories. I am an "Atlantic Tidewater" fellow - so defer to others who grew up around these fine craft - in the Mississippi Flyway.

s-l400.jpg

I believe mine was built by Dan Kidney & Son - of West DePere, WI - near Green Bay. Here is a catalog:

https://woodencanoemuseum.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/Kidney circa 1920 red.pdf

The museum (above) has lots of good information and may be able go help you further.


Sculling Boats

Sculling (note the "c" - not a "k") boats are made for sneaking up on ducks and geese that are resting on the water. Gunners lay on their backs and operate a special curved "sculling oar" that fit through a hole in the ttransom. The hunter would pproach birds from downwind and try to scull up to within the range of a shotgun. The hunter would sit up to shoot sat the propitious moment. Some sculls were made for 2 gunners - with the forward gunner doing the shooting and the stern gunner providing the propulsion.

I restored this sculling boats several years ago. I was later informed it was a "Joppa Flats Gunning Float" - built by Pert Lowell & Sons. "Float" is a New England term sometimes used for duckboats. There is a 55 pound weight up in the "nose" to keep the bow down so it does not slap when approaching the birds.

sm Tierney Scull - on water in silhouette.jpg

What the ducks see....

sm Tierney Scull - gunning float.jpg

Here is the hole for the sculling oar. Oiled (or beeswax) leather was used to keep the seas out. The owner registered this boat only because he sometimes used an electric trolling motor. NYS requires registration of only those boats with power. (That dark patch at the bottom of the transom is simply where the grey paint had flaked off.

Intake - Transom.JPG


NOTE: Sculling boats are very different from sculls. The latter are made for competitive/recreational rowing. Seen here is a "single" painted by Thomas Eakins:

JG159564.webp

Hope this helps!

SJS
 
Greg~

I was assuming you would do that!

Headed out right now to prep a pre-WW II whaleback scooter for hauling north - a project boat going to a young hunter up in Ontario. Back to the web later tonight.....

All the best,

SJS
 
Did sKull boat give me away? So glad I joined, this is all so interesting and I’m glad you’re all willing to take the time. Sure wish I could ask my uncle the story of where he got it and when!
 
Hi Nancy, The boat has orgins in the upper midwest. Looking at the boat from the inside ,it looks to be a lapstrake hull where the planking on the outside overlaps each other like siding on a house. The decks were originally covered in canvas and a thick compound would have been applied to fill the weave. The hole in the deck was meant for a pole to be driven through and pushed into the mud so as to stabilize the skiff while shooting. The coaming (the oval cockpit surround) looks to have been built up as well as the oar locks mabe a factory special order or by the hunter/owner tailoring the skiff to the body of water he hunted
 
The OP's boat looks very similar to the Dan Kidney Green Bay Hunting Boat. The high coaming is the question, maybe that was an option offered by the factory. The floor supports are offset in the photos almost identical to what appears in the Kidney Catalogs. No way to be certain from the photos, next time Nancy visits the boat she should look carefully around the inside of the coaming for a manufacturers decal or plaque.

The name tag almost certainly identifies the boat owner. The Bettenhausen's were likely members of a duck club where the members stored their boats year round, so they were tagged for ID. There are still clubs that do that.
 
Hi Josh, we're practically neighbors except for that pesky border!

My next question is what does a person do with it? I thought about cleaning it up and displaying it in the cabin, or approaching the resorts around us to see if there is any interest in displaying it. I also saw on the internet that there are various museums in different towns that had/have boat companies. Its such a unique item, I'm a bit at a loss with this one!
 
Nancy,

A search shows there are two lodges in the Rainy River, ON area that offers guided waterfowl hunts.

Lodges offering guided hunts
Harris Hill Resort: Located in the Rainy River District, this resort offers waterfowl hunting opportunities.

Camp Narrows Lodge: Situated on nearby Rainy Lake, this lodge provides guided and unguided duck and Canada goose hunting packages, as well as combination hunting/fishing trips.

Perhaps they can offer some assistance in your quest with your uncle's boat or other waterfowling items.
 
NancyO said:
He was a collector of many things, primarily duck decoys and duck calls, but also many other collectibles.
Click to expand...
It's likely you could find some interest here in these items, if you are willing to part with them. Many here collect such items. (y)

Even if not, can we see pics??? 😁
 
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