Scott McCormick
Here I am enjoying a bowl full of hazelnut blend (an upscale blend of Prince Albert) while trying to carve my first rig of corks. I just hope my woodworking experience will spend up the learning curve.
Most of my duck hunting is done in the potholes and shallow lakes that dot southern and southwestern Minnesota. I built the boat with the idea of using it in the small sheltered waters as well as on the Mississippi River. Even though I don't hunt the larger deep bodies of water I think the boat would perform well in those conditions. My intentions were it would supplement my 14 foot jon and allow me to hunt more efficiently by myself. The idea was a smaller well-designed boat that was easily camouflaged would allow for safe and enjoyable hunting. The paint scheme is just a plan dull gray. The boat will also have a cover of camouflage tarp covered with cattails and grass that can be put into place once the dekes are out and I'm ready to settle down for the morning. This was done so that by changing the camouflaged covering I could hunt more than one area efficiently.
Looking from the stern to the bow of the Broadbill I constructed during the late summer and fall of 1998.
Three coats on the hull and it was time to apply some paint to the deck.
At this point I decided I would go ahead and put the oarlocks on. My original plan was to leave them off.
The maiden voyage was July 4, 1999 about nine months after completion. By my GPS the boat averaged 27.5 mph with the 15 horse Mercury. It turned out to be a very stable platform. I think I'm going to enjoy using it in the future.