Another South Bay Duckboat leaves the farm

Steve Sanford

Well-known member
Good morning, All~


The latest in an ever-growing string of South Bay Duckboats was hauled back to Long Island yesterday afternoon. This was not a full "spa treatment" - but it left here ready-to-hunt - at least once it gets fully thatched with Salt Hay.


The vessel was "as bought" by its new owner - structurally sound but with the usual signs of age and wear with which we are all familiar.



View attachment sm BEFORE 01B - FULL profile.JPG



The thatch rails were basically sound - but the ends needed work.


View attachment sm BEFORE 03 - Thatch rail end 2.JPG



The rails twist quite a bit in their final 3 or 4 feet - and rarely land well on the deck.


View attachment sm BEFORE 02 - Thatch rails end 1.JPG



The forward ends - even when new - project forward which a notch that can foul lines.




View attachment sm BEFORE 08 - forward thatch rail ends.JPG



Other rails - like this one on the spray shield - had dried and warped from lack of paint.


View attachment sm BEFORE 06 - Spray shield thatch rail.JPG



Here's the afterdeck rail. The vinyl edging on the hatch had rusted through and become brittle.



View attachment sm BEFORE 01 - Stern deck thatch rail.JPG



The motor board was sound - but its galvanized steel carriage bolts had almost rusted through where they passed through the hull.


View attachment sm BEFORE 11 - Motor Board.JPG



Here is one of the better ones on the bench.


View attachment sm SSB Motor Board - bolts before 1.jpg



Most just twisted off during "disassembly" (demoltion?).


View attachment sm SSB Motor Board - nuts before.JPG



The lower corners by the motor notch frequently get chopped by the prop.


View attachment sm BEFORE 13 - Hull patches 1.JPG



Now to get to work....


(continued in next post)


SJS











 
Now into the shop - with the stove making work nice and comfortable - and the chsain falls saving my old back.


View attachment sm BEFORE 16 - on hoists.JPG



Once settled onto the horses, removal commenced - beginning with the bow hardware.


View attachment sm BEFORE 07 - Bow hardware.JPG



The "work order" centered on new Flap Boards and a new Motor Board. I will not show the process in my usual step-by-step manner (except for the Flap Boards in a separate post) - so here are some AFTER shots.


The nose got a new brass ring - and a painter that can easily be removed and stowed in the cockpit off-season. As usual, the painter is just short enough so it cannot foul the prop if it goes overboard.



View attachment sm SSB 17 - Bow ring and painter.JPG



The forward ends of the lateral Thatch Rails got longer and thicker spacers so they would fair onto the deck. the Thatch Rails were removed - to be cleaned up, sealed and primed on the bench. Each screw hole was filled with thickened epoxy so new screws (#12s) would get a good bite.



View attachment sm SSB 08 - Bow details.JPG



The center Thatch Rail is all-new. There had been no cleats on the vessel. There is now one on the foredeck and one other the stern deck - either can safely lift the boat if needed - as they are backed up belowdecks with half-inch plywood and s/s fender washers.


View attachment sm SSB 18 - Foredeck details.JPG



The afterdeck also has an all-new center Thatch Rail. The eye-bolt takes a safety line (chain or cable) from the outboard.


View attachment sm SSB 11 - After deck thatch rail and hardware.JPG



The Motor Board is my usual - with standoffs through-bolted with larger (5/16") s/s carriage bolts - and bored for the owner's particular engine.


View attachment sm SSB 22 - Motor Board B.JPG



The Hatch got a new handle - fastened with s/s lags and fender washers from below.


View attachment sm SSB 21 - Hatch handle.JPG



New vinyl edging.


View attachment sm SSB 09 - Hatch edging.JPG



..continued....


SJS



 
The Spray Shield was removed to get its new Thatch Rail - laminated with 3 layers + spacers - all from Philippine Mahogany.


View attachment sm SSB 24 - Spray shield.JPG



The tails of the lateral Thatch Rails got large, beveled spacers epoxied on - to relieve much of the twist.



View attachment sm SSB 13 - Thatch rail aft end.JPG



New Flap Board mounts were machined from 2-inch Black Locust. The "off-cuts" from the beveled bottoms were used as backer boards belowdecks. The new hinges are heavy (hot-dipped) galvanized with brass pins. The Boards are half-inch AC plywood - which I faced with 4-oz 'glass cloth. The Thatch Rails are P-Mahogany with glued-on spacers.



View attachment sm SSB 16 - Flap board chocks.JPG



Each board got 2 Thatch Rails - and I re-purposed the nice bronze eye straps for shock cord "keepers".



View attachment sm SSB 28 - Flap board shock cords and keepers.JPG



Rubber bumpers - 2 on each side - protect the Coamings and the Hatch. I used panhead screws to attach the Rails from inside and the brass machine screws holding the hinges were ground flat after installation. Both measures are intended to minimize damage to skin (human and canine), clothing, decoys and other gear.



View attachment sm SSB 10 - Flap board bumper.JPG



Here are the Flap Boards down. Note how they are level when down.


View attachment sm SSB 14 - Flap boards down.JPG



This design feature allows for decoys to sit securely on them when setting out or picking up the rig (decoys - Herter's Model 63s - not included...)


View attachment sm SSB 19 - Stool on flap boards.JPG



In the up - gunning - position.



View attachment sm SSB 15 - Flap boards up.JPG




When trailering, the Flap Boards secure the Hatch.


View attachment sm SSB 30 - Shock cord keepers up.JPG



One more post.....


SJS







 
Just about ready for the road. All 3 tires got their allotment of air. I lubed each wheel, the jack stand, the winch - and replaced one Bearing Buddy. I always remove each wheel and clean and coat the lug nuts or bolts with Anti-Sieze. The starboard side wheel came off only with my impact wrench - and lots of complaining from it. Changing a flat by the side of the road would have been near-impossible. The trailer also got a new set of LED running lights.


I recommended to the owner that he replace the 8-inch wheels with new 12-inch or 13-inch galvanized wheels - for less wear at highway speeds and a bit more ground clearance.



(And, the registration numbers are new - and not really blurred....)





View attachment sm SSB 31 -Bow details.JPG



Here are a couple of AFTER portraits...


The new paint is Pettit 3303 - Dull Dead Grass.



View attachment sm SSB 27 - Portrait 5 BLURRED.JPG



...and the stern quarter.


View attachment sm SSB 23 - Portrait 3 from stern quarter.JPG



I look forward to seeing her all thatched up.


All the best,


SJS



 
Steve, great job as usual. Like the outboard safety eyebolt. Totally agree about the anti-seeze. One thing I do is put tubes in my tires. If I get a slow leak I can get some air in it, if I break the bead it will still remount.
 
Steve

I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about your restorations while refurbing my own sneakbox. Your work is inspiring.

Eric

p.s. My hard dodger is almost done. All that is left is to laminate a grass rail. I hope to start on that tomorrow.
 
All~


I just got some nice "in-use" photos of the South Bay that left here last month.


I'm happy to see the trailer lights working (owner came a day early and so I never completed running a separate ground wire to each light) - and a fine thatch job (nice long Salt Hay).


View attachment Shannon South Bay - on trailer.jpg



Here she is in her habitat - although not yet placed for gunning.



View attachment Snannon South Bay - on the bog.jpg



And the "proof is in the Broadbill" - to coin a phrase. It was the owner's first of this species, a perfect adult Hen.


View attachment Shannon South Bay - Hen Broadbill.jpg



All the best,


SJS

 
Paul~


Good eye!


Yes - that hinge is one of a pair that supported a hood that is the full length of the cockpit and open on one side only - so 2 could shoot over the port side. The owner will probably have some LI canvas guy sew up a new hood - but the frame is in good shape. The hinges had been mounted on the top of the coaming - which defeated much of the vermin-prevention efficacy of the cockpit hatch. So, I installed little "shelves" fore and aft - inside the cockpit - on which to re-mount the hinge bases. The entire hood could now stow beneath the hatch and the hatch could be sealed tight.


All the best,


SJS

 
Steve,

You are without a doubt a South Bay expert. I don't know why but every time I see pics of your rebuilds it creates a sense of comforting nostalgia. Such an interesting boat.
 
Steve Sanford said:
Paul~
Good eye!
Yes - that hinge is one of a pair that supported a hood that is the full length of the cockpit and open on one side only - so 2 could shoot over the port side. The owner will probably have some LI canvas guy sew up a new hood - but the frame is in good shape. The hinges had been mounted on the top of the coaming - which defeated much of the vermin-prevention efficacy of the cockpit hatch. So, I installed little "shelves" fore and aft - inside the cockpit - on which to re-mount the hinge bases. The entire hood could now stow beneath the hatch and the hatch could be sealed tight.
All the best,
SJS

With only the presence of the throttle handle, I had to envision that system ,very cool, I've toyed with that idea on my boat.
Another good one indeed.
Mc
 
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