old duck boats out of reach

Rick L

Rick L

Well-known member
some times I get a little jealous of you guys on the other end of the great lakes - I poke around different area's sales ad sites

and it seems to be that the Wisconsin and areas around there have the greatest old duck boats for sale

like this one

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you greedy hunters out there kept them all for yourselves didn't you lol

i keep trying to think of how to get one here- postage and handling would be a killer

i do enjoy seeing them when someone digs one out and shows it on the board, if you have restored one of the old ones and have not posted it- please do
 
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Good morning, Rick~

As it turns out, I will be looking at a few vintage gunning boats later this week. Stay tuned for more info.....

All the best,

SJS
 
Rick - For many years all you had to do was go to the old Westlake, Ohio show, and they would be there for sale. Wonderful marsh boats. I always wanted a wooden one, but have had a fiberglass one since 1984. Duck Killin' Machines are what they are.

Christopher Columbus Smith (Chris-Craft) got into the boat business in 1874, selling double end duck boats. He made mighty fine decoys also. Both have been on my "If I ever hit the Powerball" list.
 
Looks like a Shell Lake boat. Nice condition. I reconditioned one that had already been glassed over. Neat to learn how they were built and the effort that went into each. I am told there were metal molds in which steamed wood was laid and nails would bend against the mold to fasten wood tightly. Then canvas/lead paint over that. One boat yard in Stillwater, MN for sure built theirs this way. Very similar to the Shell Lake model pictured above.

Good stuff.

Vince - Agreed the Christopher Columbus Smith Dekes are cool. I'd argue the small double end boats have been valuable to Duck Hunters for a long time.
 
Derek

Yes I thought it looked like a shell lake as well. I have only seen them in pictures and do not remember one with oar locks

The build process sounds similar to a canoe. Which makes sense. I have restored a 1928 wood and canvas Old Town sailing canoe that was in rough shape. It was a fun project.

This boat has everything going for it but location

I would need to send another project or two down the road to make room even if I could justify a 26 hour round trip. Lol


Still fun to look
 
I saw that boat on Craigslist. It's about an hour away. When I was growing up my grandparents had a house trailer on a lake in WI that was a big waterfowl hunting lake on the Fox River. I remember plenty of old wooden duck boats sitting in the weeds getting rotten. I also remember the wooden decoys stored under some of the cottages.
 
I used to have a boat exactly like that
a 6" diameter oak branch off of a nearby tree, smashed it into pieces right next to the shed
they are great boats, could hunt/drift two guys and gear
 
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