duckboats.net is 10 (now 20). Can you believe it?

Eric Patterson

Moderator
Staff member
Hard to believe it but this month in 1998 I launched duckboats.net with the intent of photo-documenting the construction of Devlin's Scaup which I had Sam Devlin design for me. Wow, 10 years goes by fast. I'm not sure what I should put in this post for fear of leaving someone or something out. I guess I'll just jot down some of the history behind this site that has created countless friendships and memories and encourage others to chime in with their memories and thoughts.

When I started the site Jeff Smith was teaching me the craft of building Devlin duckboats. He proved to be an outstanding teacher and became one of my closest friends. When I told him I was putting the build on the net he figured I might get an odd google hit every now and then. We were blown away by the reception. Emails flooded in with people asking questions about sneakboxes. After several months of this I decided to add a forum to the site. Timing was on my side as SPAV was unraveling at the seams as folks like Benny and Hoozier Jim had turned that site into a bar room brawl. Serious waterfowlers thirsting for hands-on information flocked to duckboats.net and within a matter of months we had an incredible amount of daily traffic. 500 posts a day was normal. We opened up Reader's Rigs pages and Carver's Corner where folks could submit their info and these were a huge success. The section on building the Scaup took off like a rocket and to this day it is still one of the most heavily traveled sections on this site.

As time went on the site continued to grow in content and in recognition. We were featured in DU magazine and other publications. There was a core of active participants that were not only active on the forum, but were recognized for their contributions to waterfowling and it's many related areas such as decoy carving, waterfowl biology, retriever training, guiding, outdoor writing, boat building, etc. etc. We had arrived at the point where no matter what the question was somebody was more than just a casually acquainted with the subject, but was an authority or widely recognized for their skills and education in that area.

duckboats.net has always had the policy that anyone could openly tell others of their waterfowling products and services free of charge. In exchange we encouraged those folks to participate and lend their expertise. Case in point. I met Mark Rongers and hunted with him and the rest of the MLB at Pool 9 on the MS River. Steve Sutton, Jeff Jacobs, Tod Osier, Pete McMiller, and others joined us that week. It was about this time Mark had visions of running his own waterfowl supply company and had just started selling dark cork for decoys. A hunt at pool 9 led to friendships that set Mark at ease to tell everyone at duckboats.net the items he was bringing to market. To this very day duckboats.net has very close ties to the Mighty Layout Boys and it's because of the sincerity, support, and unending friendship Mark has given us from day one. There are others too, such as Lou Tisch from Lock, Stock and Barrell, and Ira McCauley from MoMarsh. duckboats.net has a proud history of strong mutually supportive friendships with the folks who have made this site their internet home.

From the very beginning it was stated we'd resist banner and paid advertisers as long as the viewers could pay the bills. I've never been left in a financial pinch. The list of financial contributors and donors is longer that anyone probably realizes and far longer than my memory. There have been some big contributions made by those who didn't want to be mentioned by name. They did it for no other motivation than giving back to the site that had benefited them. I have always respected those wish not for recognition, but who give out of appreciation. Without everyone's financial support we couldn't have made it these 10 years and I see no end in sight.

About the mid point of this site's history I was struggling with some family issues and really hit a brick wall when it came to keeping up with day-to-day events, diverse personalities,and the technical and financial backend. One an occasion or two I pulled the plug out of frustration and on the last time meant for it to be the end. Fortunately Steve Sutton understood the events surrounding this and knew what help I needed to keep it going. If Steve had not stepped in at that time and rolled up his sleeves, taking a huge daily burden off me, I wouldn't be sitting here now talking about the huge successes we had. The existence of this site today is a direct result of Steve's foresight and willingness to volunteer his time and talents. If you didn't know about this keep it in mind as you read and interact with Steve. Nobody is more argumentative than Steve, and he'll admit to that too, but also nobody gives more over the long haul than Steve. He's a pleasure to co-manage this site with.

With help from Steve and Chris Stearns we emerged from the "dark days" of the site and rolled out a new format. SPAM and cumbersome static html was replaced with the format we enjoy today and from the admin point-of-view was like leaping from the stone ages to modern times. A jump we needed to take and the time vested paid big dividends.

I think I'll finish this long winded jaunt and say I'm not completely surprised this site is still going strong after 10 years. We've got great members. Some of the original members are still here in addition to all the newcomers (relatively speaking that is) and the spirit this site has makes it the best place on the net for socializing, giving and getting help from fellow waterfowlers. Ten years and so many things have changed in and around us, but the purpose and benefits persist and are as strong as ever.

I thank you for all your support over the years and look forward to another 10.

Eric Patterson
 
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Wow,
Makes sense. John is 9 and I was ripping the house apart to get it ready for the new family member. Could not get enough of the early site and so I built a KARA in the basement as the project was roaring on above.
Have met and spent time with many friends from the page and look forward to meeting many more in the next ten years.
Thanks for all the back end hard work to keep it going.
 
Happy Birthday DHBP. When I fire up the computer, it's check e-mail, MLB, DHBP.
"Nothing ever gets done unless it's done by a fanatic." Thanks Eric and Steve.
 
Dear brother Eric,

Congratulations, my friend! I smile as I type this, but to look back on this wonderful website you created, I can only imagine all the good will, friendships, and knowledge that has been shared.

God Bless you, your lovely family, and this great website!

Your friend,

Mark
 
I didn't realize that you were the Scaup guy ... that's cool.

I joined mid-way after all the early hubbub and strong boat-building activity.

Congratulations.
 
Once again I'd like to thank you and Steve for this site.

It never fails to amaze me what questions you can ask here and get an answer to. Way beyond a boat page!

Happy Tenth.

Thanks,
Eric
 
I found this site about 7 years ago while I was actively looking to purchase a new duck boat. I was primarily looking at aluminum Jon type boats and at the time didn’t know any better. I was enlightened by this site and built my own boat shortly after. Thanks Eric for starting this site and for all the others that contribute so much.

Happy Birthday Duckboats.net!!


Joe Lane
 
Congratulations Eric for starting and maintaining the site. I've been here a long time and have made some great friends with the promise to meet more in the coming months. I come here everyday at least once and usually many times. I appreciate the information and enjoy the "NDR" points of view.

You have a great site here Eric. It is the only duck hunting site I frequent.

Thanks Steve for keeping it going and for putting up with all the crap you do.

Here's to 10 more years!!! Cheers!!!

Mark W
 
Thanks Eric and Steve. You are to be congratulated, Eric, for making it happen and Steve, for helping to keep it happening. I have made a lot of friends here and enjoyed the posts, banter and education for almost 8 years and as I look around the www, its pretty clear that this site has become one of the most popular duck related sites on the 'net.

It sounds too simple maybe, but I really believe that an insistence on using real names helps to eliminate the anonymity (and accountability) factor that somehow seems to let some people think they can say anything to anybody and get away with it on many other sites. Just my opinion but its one of the few fundamentals that are unique to this site and sets it apart from the others. Not that people hold back their opinions, but they at least back them up with their own good names...as they should.
 
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Thanks Eric and Steve. Happy Birthday Duckboats.net!!

My little duck boat is a direct result of finding this site 8+ years ago, and any future boat builds will be from direct contact here as well.

Best,
Brian F.
 
Eric,
you have created not just a website, but hundreds of friendships with that simple start. Thanks for all the hard work you put into maintaining the site over the years (and to all of those that have contributed to making this site what it is). It is hard to believe I built my first Kara 9 years ago! This site helped drag me back into duck hunting after several years of school and archery hunting. Here's to 10 more years.

Scott
 
Congrats Eric, Steve, and Duckboats.net. This is the first place I go when I'm on the net. Thanks for such a great site.
 
I can only imagine the headaches....and I'm sure I've been the source of a few. It's a great place to go and meet like minded folks.

Thanks to Steve too....and all the regulars and even the lurkers that occasionally jump in to comment on something.
 
Thanks for the site Eric!!! I do not know how long I have been coming here, but I have enjoyed reading the post very much. Like many I have formed life long friendships as a result of this site. Thanks again to you and Steve for keeping it going. Shawn
 
Eric, congratulations on 10 years of what has become the main site along with MLB that I check every day. Lets hope the site continues to grow and remain successful.

Bill V
 
Doesn't seem like 10 years. DHBP was the first forum I ever posted to. Actually, it was the first computer thingy that I ever hit "send" on. About 5 minutes later, my fears were realized when an internet axe murderer sent me an email....I was scared to death to open it so I deleted it...a couple days later he emailed me again. It was under the pseudonym of "Elaine Rongers" and I thought it was some kid screwing with me on his mom's email. He knew my home area better than I did and knew some names I knew. I met Mark Rongers not long afterwards and he has become a lifelong friend. There was very few members of the forum at that time but one...Gary Potter...asked where I was from. When he found out I was from Michigan, I think he was happy that a fellow Michigander had joined up. Gary grew up in the UP but was now living in Washington. Gary tried out for the Red Wings as goalie so we emailed back and forth a lot about them..and a ton of other "friend" stuff. I used to email him the score, period by period and what was happening on the ice during games as he was at work...pretty funny reading his excited responses. I wish that I had been able to meet him face to face before his death. He was a Viet Nam vet, a gunner on a river boat and had been blown up..making him the winner of the "let's compare scars" here. Paul Gery was/is named the Spot nosed skunk and everyone picked on him...nothings changed. Pete McMiller was the first member that I met face to face when he swung in to my house on his way to Lake Erie..another friendship I cherish.I have met and hunted with a bunch of guys here and they are all great people. This site changed the way I hunted and looked at hunting...made me respect the resource more and made me intolerant of those that would be less than ethical. Kudos to Eric for having the vision to start it and Kudos to Steve who had the vision to keep it going. Reminds me of the words of Woodrow Call, "Man of vision? Yep..hell of a vision".
 
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