Duckboats and other questions

[Capt. Ahab]

Has anyone on this forum ever built a small one man low profile duck boat? I'm thinking about building a sneakbox style boat, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with those boats. I'm planning to build it out of plywood and then fiberglass it. I'm thinking it will be around 10'-12' and about 4' wide. If it works, I'm going to make it a simple flat bottom boat. I don't plan to put an engine on this boat. It will mostly likely be rowed or poled. As far as general questions go...

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a purely flat hull against a v-hull?

Should I put skegs on the bottom to help it track better when I'm rowing?

Thanks for any replies to this post.

[Tom Powers]

If you make it try not to make it to light. . . Heavier will give you more stability. Let me look at some of my old books and see if I can find something to work from. .

You want some flare at least on the sides as it will give you lift when you take a wave (i.e. boat wake).

On the bottom I don't know what to say other than look at the old designs. You are talking about a classic sportsman's boat. Where do you live? They at least have pictures of these boats at the Maritime Museum in Newport News. I am pretty sure that they have one or two in their small boat collection but it has been years since I have been there.


Tom

[Tom Powers]

Here is a link to a web page that you should be able to burn a few hours looking.

http://duckboats.net.nmsrv.com/specs/old.html

If you look at the old boats most were semi-V boats. My guess is it is so that they will track better when you row or skull them. Think about trying to row a 16 foot Carolina skiff. . yuck . . .

Tom

[Capt. Ahab]

Thanks for the help. Those links were great. Basically, I want to build the Glen-L design, but use a completely flat bottom for added stability. If I do the flat bottom, what kind of rowing performance will I lose?

[rrr]

Here is a solution that might be easier.

Get an old Boston Whaler. Just an old beat up one. You can find them on craigslist or ebay. Cut down the sides to however high you want them and go from there. Its quick and simple and it would probably be cheaper the buying wood and glassin it.


There are alot of junk boats out there with lost titles serial number etc. If you see one in someone's yard they will practically give it away. I would go to alot of "not so high class" marinas. they have a ton of junkers laying around.

Plus, you can get a whaler in working order for about 1,000. A junk one should cost you 300 MAX.




However, if you do decide to build your own, I would put a small keel on it. Say 2'' high and 5 feet long. Just so the boat tracks straight. Basically, your building a fiberglassed plywood box so it shouldn't be hard at all.

[Tom Powers]

I would think that with the width, the low angle on the bottom and the weight out at the sides of the boat because of the decks, coaming and gunnels that it ought to be pretty stable. From the look of the photos of the Glen-L boats they look like it is only about 4 or 5 inches difference between the keel and gunnel in the back. That is not that much for a boat that width.

You also have to consider that the cockpit will restrict you to the center of the boat for most of the time.

To boot those angles will make the boat tend to "self right" by that I mean that the further one side goes down the more lift because of the added width of the underwater part of the boat.

If you have a design that you really are interested in google around and see if you can find someone that has one that you can "test" the stability on by meeting them at a boat landing the next time they plan on going out.

With respect to rowing I have to get back on my classic boat design soap box. The boats that were designed before the 50's and certainly before the 40's were designed to be human powered boats. Every sneak box that I looked at had a semi-V type of bottom or a roundish bottom with maybe 25% of the middle of the bottom being flat.

You find that your desinged to row flat bottom boats like a pram have first strakes on the sides that are pretty steeply angled and half way wide such that a lot of it is in the water. Also the skeg is pretty deep.

If you want stable don't make it light weight, add another 1 inch to the width of the side strakes and put a nice thick layer of cloth and resin on the bottom. Maybe glass the inside of the bottom panels prior to assembly like Jim did on his skiff.

Also if you want it more stable consider making it a foot longer that extra foot will be in a part of the boat that carrys the most width.

Tom

PS From a hull shape stand point these remind me of a sunfish sailboat only the sunfish beam is 4' 1" and no where near as deep.

[done workin]

Boat plan details, Duck Skiff 15 (DS15), Skiffs up to 16'

Boat plan details, The Honker 15 (HK15), Hunting/Duck Boats

Check these out. Great site

[done workin]

Thanks Jim

I'm still trying to get to my first snood fest. I'll have to double check the date and make sure it's not the weekend of the boat show, or recreational basketball, as I need to go to scope out the Parker 21 Pilot House. There is a model VERY SIMILAR I may be choosing as my project boat in a year.

21', 8' 6" beam, boat and motor 2000 +/- pounds, 13" draft.

[Capt. Ahab]

Thanks for all the input. This will probably be a summer project, but it's never too early to start planning.

[done workin]

From Plans from Bateau.com.

Here is a link to the finished model built by one of the site members.

Bateau Photo Gallery - Last additions

Here's a link to a version of the CC. The builder modifed the transom area for easier boarding when tubing.

Bateau Photo Gallery - Sam's C21

Right now I am trying to work out some details with the designer (Great tech support) about modifying the transom deck of the CC so that I can include a larger console to include a head and also install a bracket.

Actually just got a response from him (1/2 hour from time of question, like I said great support) 90% of technical questions are responded to within 24 hours.