zack boat information, plans and/or instructions

U

uncle mike pierce

Active member
Many years ago (as a teenager or young adult, I am 62 now!), I saw, in a Field and Stream or Outdoor Life magazine, pictures and descriptions of a duck boat termed the "Zack Boat", named I believe after its originator, Zack Taylor. It was made by cutting down the top half of a standard aluminum semi-V boat to the spray rail/stamped side stiffener, then decking it over. In the 1980's, I made a version of a "Zack Boat" based solely on what I remembered from the article. I utilized an old Semi-V that was given to me for free, 1/4" plywood, and scrap lumber. I gave it to my son to finish when he moved out after college. He used it for several years, then had it redone with Aluminum skin and supports replacing the wood decking when the wood decking and supports rotted while stored outside in humid southern weather. I looked in the duck boats.net under boats, specifications, and plans and couldn't find a reference to the "Zack Boat". It is a quick build, has a durable metal hull, can utilize a cheap, off brand, used/abused Semi-V for the base hull due to the stiffening effect of the deck and deck braces, and is relatively light.

Do any of you remember these hybrid boats? Did any of you build one or have a friend who made one?

Could any of you direct me to a place where I may be able to score that old article, or actual plans and instructions for making a "Zack Boat"?

I may try making one again for yuck and grins, and this time I'd like to do it off of the real instructions/plans as originally published.

Thanks!

Mike
 
thanks for getting me to that link of past threads.........great information.

My riff on a Zackbox was a bit different than any of the ones posted, but if I do another one, I'll probably blend all the ideas together into one dynamite little duck chaser!

Thanks again......

Mike
 
I believe there was a similar conversion that was in Wildfowl mag. some time back. Only it was done with a fiberglass hull. The deck supports framing was made so you could get low in the boat with flip boards and the deck and flip boards could be grassed. A shear clamp was also added to stiffen the hull.
 
There are a number of older, no longer made, fiberglass skiffs down here on the Gulf coast that i think would be perfect for conversion. Just dont think I can convince the better half that I need another boat!
 
If my memory bank is functioning correctly, I believe Zack published a book with all of his plans and stories. I saw it in a library about forty years ago.
 
Years ago I ran into a few guys from the Bellport, NY that cut down old hulls for duck boats. Made them into sneakboats. Think they called them powpow's??? Saw a few really well done. Inexpensive to construct, marinas giving away some hulls.
Any one have pictures from Bellport? Home of the South Bay Scooter.
 
If could convince her that you could have little cost, or zero cost, in an old boat that you could use all your current equipment on, motors and such, and do something for her in compensation, it may work.
 
I would have to buy a new motor and trailer, no chance right now!!!!!!
 
Check out Amazon, or the like, for Successful Waterfowling by Zack Taylor. (Stackpole Books).

He has plans for several in there, including the "Zackbox".

I built one of the ones depicted in the previously noted thread.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Jon
 
Get yourself Zack Taylor's "Successful Waterfowling", printed in 1974, and in it he has many different boat designs. I used his design - barge blind - that I built in 1975 and still use till this day. I have hunted out of it every season since then and that has been 38 years! The design was built on a 16' Lund and I have a 35hp Evinrude on it. I have decoy storage on the sides and in the bow, and I also mounted some heaters underneath for the cold weather in Nov and Dec when gunning for Whistlers, Butterballs, and Bluebills. Great setup!!!! John
 
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I go through these all the time. My first boat in the 70s was zacks pond box.
 
I built a Zack Box while living on the Hudson River about 130 miles inland from NY City. It was a great boat and almost all the 14' 7 16 foot boats in that part of the river set up for duck hunting were rigged with wooden frames covered with canvas or in some cases alum. sheets cut to fit the frames. They were mainly movable blinds. The Zack Box let me tuck in tidal guzzles and match the surrounding grass, much like the Barnegat Bay Sneak box does. It rode highr of course, but it was still easier to fool ducks who were shy of floating blinds after the first 3 days of duck season. When I moved to NJ I sold it to a neighbor up north. I built a Highlands Sneak Box in Highlands, NJ in 1977, and Gunned out of it until 1995. When I moved to Highlands, NJ I discovered 3 guys building sneakboxes behind the only landremat in town. They were members of the NJ Waterfowler's Association and I naturally joined NJWA and help them put a few boats together over the next few years.

You are going to enjoy building that boat. One tip, there is room for a lot under the deck, don;t put everything including the kitchen sink in it. Try to keep it as light as you can. An extra 150 pounds of "Stuff you believe may come in handy" will keep you stuck on the mud or sand bar waiting for the water to come back in.
 
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