shell lake mallard queen I.D.

bob welsh

Well-known member
I picked this up tramping around Northern Wisconsin last week. Im almost positive its a shell lake and posibly mallard queen model. Tearing into it today.





 
Sweet boat Bob! You, my friend, have a real duck boat problem... I am currently down to 4 that my wife knows about. I'm afraid if I brought another one home, I'd need to get an apartment to go with it...
 
Sure looks like it. The Oar-Locks seem a little different than some of the ones I've seen.

Is it still canvas over the wood, or has it been glassed?

If so some of the original hardware, ect might have been replaced/redone.
 
Bob~

Being an Atlantic Tidewater guy, I have NO idea what it is - except that it's a beautiful gunning boat. Any idea of the vintage?

I look forward to your restoration.

SJS
 
My name is Bob Welsh and I am a duckboataholic. And most of you guys are enablers .The wife knows I have this one because she was with me. I dont think the oarlocks are original after removing . Its a midwest boat but the lines are out of this world.
 
Bob - Admission is the first step of repentence... Bringing a new one into the fold, surely you promised her you'd sell one. Moving anything??? :)

Your Enabler from Central Illinois...
 
Hi Bob,
Great project. Sure looks like the Mallard Queen to me. We did a renovation on one last year and I keep meaning to post pics of the work. The more you strip that down to the wood...the more it looks like the one we rebuilt.
Later partner,
Lou
 
Promises of selling a boat to get a new boat have long since been discovered for the sham that they are with my wife. I am assuming in other duckboat addicts lives its a similar situation..

Bob,
I found a boat very similar to that perhaps identical sitting in a customers backyard a couple of years ago and asked about it. She said it had been there a long time and I could have it. When I walked over to it the entire bottom had rotted away where it was in contact with the ground. It was quite heartbreaking. Glad to see yours in better condition.
 
One I redid a couple years back. It had been glassed over the canvas was long gone. It was in quite good shape. I got it from it's 2nd Owner. Still being used. I never killed a Duck from it. Too many Duckboats sort of thing, and I sold this one cheap...

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Lou I saw your old post and was hoping for pics. Ill be calling you soon for paint
Derek, those pics help me alot
Brandon, its so sad when you find a boat that you could have saved if only you had got to it sooner.
I tore into it more today. I have to make a new inner and outer stem for the bow for sure. I have the planking material lined up and hardware. Saw an old post by Craig Carter that did a fantastic restoration. A pro job,mine would be lucky to look that good. Anybody find the last date shell lake made their wood boats before fiberglass?
 
Bob,

If you send me your e-mail I can send you pictures of the Mallard Queen that I own in
original condition with the brass tag. Bob Speltz wrote a book on the Shell Lake boat
company in his Volume four book. I think you might be able to buy it on Amazon.

Tom
 
If it is the same boat as the one Derek showed, it was built in Stillwater MN. While Derek had his on display at Gamefair a couple years back, there were a couple of gents in their late 50's maybe early 60's that told me his grandfather was the owner of a boat company in Stillwater that was the builder of the boat. May be a Muller.
 
Ron - I remember that. The Guy's name was Mike Murray. He later emailed me, and His Boat was 12' 6", and mine 14'. His had a little bit of a swept out cut-away near the oar-locks on the combing to allow you to row without rubbing. In the end we determined for sure mine was not Muller Boat Works from Stillwater, but Shell Lake. I am now sure the ones pictured are Shell Lake Boats. Mine had been canvas too, but the first owner glassed it before selling it to the Guy I bought it from. I sold it not too long after the MN Game Fair. My research, and interest abruptly ended late Summer 2011, and I bugged out of MN well before Wintertime...

It was very interesting to hear Him tell how the Boats were made with steamed lumber, metal jig, and cinch-nails. Then canvas, and white lead paint to seal em up...
 
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