jode hillman
Well-known member
I've been a happy Roy boat owner for going on 15 years. Both high and low boxes suit the majority of my hunting and fishing needs.However I have built plenty of boats in the past, including several Devlin designs. When I saw Rich Ambile advertising his recently built Scaup for sale it tempted me. Needing a bigger boat to take the wife and kids along, I decided to snap it up.
Rich was upfront with me. He told me the woodworking was solid. But the glass work has gotten the better of him. I made three hour trip to North Jersey to check it out. Rich lives in an awesome spot. Literally on a dirt road on the top of a mountain! Not the place you would expect to find a sneak box.
He's a great guy and showed me around the boat and what needed being done. The deck glass needed replacing. It's a big job for one guy and Hard , Especially if you don't have a warm heated area to pull it in and work on it.
My friend Adam and I hitched up the boat and beefy trailer and made the long trek back to the South Jersey low lands.
The first order of business was to give her a shot and see how seaworthy she was. I slapped my 30 horse Yamaha on the back and took her for a cruise on the local creek. Wow. It jumped on a plane quickly and ran close to 30 miles an hour with nary a wobble or a porpoise!
From there it was a four-man job to carry her off of the trailer and move her into the workshop for Re glassing the decks and other work.( Notching the transom corners for Motor clearance etc.)
I gave myself a week to get it done and back on the bunks. My son, daughter, and neighbor all lent a hand in helping get her stripped,re glassed and up to snuff.
The first few trips were toting thirty 110s to catch muskrats. The large cockpit of the scaup and the open layout made this task a breeze.
Perch fishing, clamminh, and soon to be crabbing are all tasks I feel this boat will handle admirably.
I found a junked 30 hp Yamaha with electric start, so I bit the bullet, bought it and added e start to my good running motor.
While it will not Replace the concealability of my roy boxes. It will add a larger boat to the fleet that will allow me more versatility in the areas I am able to hunt. Especially in the realms of bigger water.
I appreciate your work Rich, and I will take good care of her from here on out.
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Rich was upfront with me. He told me the woodworking was solid. But the glass work has gotten the better of him. I made three hour trip to North Jersey to check it out. Rich lives in an awesome spot. Literally on a dirt road on the top of a mountain! Not the place you would expect to find a sneak box.
He's a great guy and showed me around the boat and what needed being done. The deck glass needed replacing. It's a big job for one guy and Hard , Especially if you don't have a warm heated area to pull it in and work on it.
My friend Adam and I hitched up the boat and beefy trailer and made the long trek back to the South Jersey low lands.
The first order of business was to give her a shot and see how seaworthy she was. I slapped my 30 horse Yamaha on the back and took her for a cruise on the local creek. Wow. It jumped on a plane quickly and ran close to 30 miles an hour with nary a wobble or a porpoise!
From there it was a four-man job to carry her off of the trailer and move her into the workshop for Re glassing the decks and other work.( Notching the transom corners for Motor clearance etc.)
I gave myself a week to get it done and back on the bunks. My son, daughter, and neighbor all lent a hand in helping get her stripped,re glassed and up to snuff.
The first few trips were toting thirty 110s to catch muskrats. The large cockpit of the scaup and the open layout made this task a breeze.
Perch fishing, clamminh, and soon to be crabbing are all tasks I feel this boat will handle admirably.
I found a junked 30 hp Yamaha with electric start, so I bit the bullet, bought it and added e start to my good running motor.
While it will not Replace the concealability of my roy boxes. It will add a larger boat to the fleet that will allow me more versatility in the areas I am able to hunt. Especially in the realms of bigger water.
I appreciate your work Rich, and I will take good care of her from here on out.
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View attachment 0C62319A-01C3-4428-AC43-003DA928E540.jpeg
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View attachment 8C066254-E7E1-4FF9-9DE6-2E16E2C7154F.jpeg
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