Bankes / TDB / Duckwater ???

T

Tony N.

Member
I am going to upgrade boats and get on the wait list for one of the above mentioned. I had a TDB 14 Sea Class and sold it. I used to have a TDB 17' and sold it to help fund my graduate degree. Still kicking myself on that one. I have checked out the 19' Bankes and talked to Steve a few times at Duckwater. Was looking at 21'. The Bankes and TDB hide good if hunting marshes, backwaters, etc. That sloping front with bigger water will equal a wet ride or a white knuckle ride. I am leaning towards the Duckwater, but it is more in line with open water unless I am hunting rocky areas or high bankes. They don't hide quite as well in my personal opinion. Anyone hunted out of these frequently that could lend some thoughtful insight as to which one to consider? As mentoned I have had the TDB's and liked them. Went with a 1860 Sea Ark afterwards. Sold that a few years ago and went with a 19' Alumaweld Super-Vee. Not a duck boat, but works good for fishing and crabbing.
 
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Tony

Thats an extremely loaded topic with many opinions. The best thing for you to do is to see them first hand. Since you are in Washington State, I am happy to offer you a chance to come see my 19 foot Bankes. I can Probably arrange for you to inspect a friend's duck water 21?. Where are you in Washington.

Brad
 
The Duckwater is in Poulsbo and I am in Wahkiakum County. If you are interested I can try to put you in touch with the Duckwater owner and you can come on down. Although there is a guy up in your country with another crusader.
 
I believe Mike W. has a 19' Bankes down in Renton. Tim in Port A. has the 17' Bankes. Mike N. has a 23' Duckwater. I will see what I can get lined up. I may be heading down to Short farms next month, so I can try to get in contact with you at that time.

Thanks again.
 
Bankes actually handle a head sea quite well, particularly when compared to a TDB-17'. I own Boston Whalers and appreciate the ride of a foam filled hull over a standard stringer array build, particularly when it gets rough or in a mixed chop, which also gives the nod to a Bankes design. They just disperse the impact energy more evenly, making long runs tolerable and less threatening in head seas- nice advantage for a guy with a broken back and progressing osteoarthitis. I have worked as a fish biologist on the Great Lakes as well as salmon fished out of welded aluminum Alaskan troller style hulls; good boats but I still give the nod to a fiberglass hull, particularly when it gets bitter cold on open water and in high winds. I find the TDB an easier boat to hide in a marsh, simply because it has less beam. My main hunting partner has a Crusader and I have a TDB-17 classic. I don't know what your standard trolling speed is for fishing, but if you are trolling slow, the Bankes will be difficult to control at speeds below 2knots, as will the TDB. I have little experience with welded aluminum hulls trolling slower than 2.5-3knots. Open water birds seem to work-in better when all of these boats are set off to the side of the spread rather than perpendicular to the bird's flight paths as they work.
 
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Good information. We seem to get chop or bigger water frequently due to wind conditions or changing of the tides. We can see up to a 13' tidal exchange on the salt. Not quite like up in Alaska where it can be 23' plus.
 
I have only stuffed the bow with my TDB-17 once, but it was cold enough to generate ice build-up where I didn't want it. Bankes do offer a drier ride overall, but you will still get wet when things are snotty.
 
I don't have any of the boats you ask about but I do have a DW15 which is similar. I love the boat, pretty easy to hide except at high tide in marshes. The thing I learned this year is to consider where you are going to do most of your hunting and what your launches are like when asking this question. The DW15 weighs too much to be moved if there's no water. I've used a few launches where the prevailing winds turn the boat around pretty easily, especially when there's only one person, and scraped the fiberglass pretty good. Thankfully west epoxy is easy to use and patch even when it's duck season cold. Also plenty of rock hunting and dropping bodies off on break walls. When I can afford aluminum I will likely go with a duckwater solely because of some of these launches and utilization of rocky areas. If my fianc? had her way we wouldn't spend as much on a sea duck boat, but there's just more action with them in my experience. For us, as for everyone, there's no perfect boat, so it's a duckwater and a smaller 2 person marsh boat (or two BBSBs) in the future at this property.
 


How many people? Tender boat? Number of decoys?

I had a TDB14 Classic.. Great one man and a dog. I have hunted out of a TDB 17.. I liked it very much, Made a Devlin Scaup ... the same size and shape of deck... I have a 2008 Duckwater 21. All have a their own purpose. If I was going to have a layout on board... or if I was hunting 3 and a dog, I would want a 20 ish foot boat. I don't like to be stacked on top of other shooters... The Duckwater is much heavier than my 19'3" Honker... with only a little more space. Requires ALOT more hp, but that extra weight does make the ride nicer in rough water at speed.

Pictures are not in any particular order....
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Nice. Typically I would have 3-4 shooter with me. Decoy wise we run 70-100 decoys for brant. For sea ducks I usually run 6-10 dozen. If diver hunting on the Columbia we run 12-24 dozen decoys.
 
Phil,

Impressive build do you happen to have more images of that Devlin Scaup? Looks like some great work!

Thanks

-Anthony
 
Tony N. said:
Nice. Typically I would have 3-4 shooter with me. Decoy wise we run 70-100 decoys for brant. For sea ducks I usually run 6-10 dozen. If diver hunting on the Columbia we run 12-24 dozen decoys.
Click to expand...

I would personally be going with a 21foot boat or bigger... given what you are looking about..

Glass boats are warmer.. but, if you are near rocks.. I would Duckwater.. especially if you want bigger.
 
Anthony Babich said:
Phil,

Impressive build do you happen to have more images of that Devlin Scaup? Looks like some great work!

Thanks

-Anthony
Click to expand...

I built the Scaup in 2015. There are pics on here if you look.. I don't remember if those were back when we posted via Photobucket... or direct. but I have quite a few pics.. anything in particular you want to see? or just cure the off season itch?
 
Tony N. said:
Nice. Typically I would have 3-4 shooter with me. Decoy wise we run 70-100 decoys for brant. For sea ducks I usually run 6-10 dozen. If diver hunting on the Columbia we run 12-24 dozen decoys.
Click to expand...

Tony, based on these numbers, I would encourage you to focus on a 21' hull, which all the manufacturers you mention build.
 
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