Thread: Duck boats

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

years back I built "tetinytanic" 1 8x4 sheet of ply coversheet about 15mm thick and one off cut...made it with 12" high sides so she was 2' across,6'6'' long so had slope on front (thus need for offcut) square sided and square bummed meant it was as stable as shit,would float in 2-3" of water and could be run aground to shoot out of legally on opening weekend...plenty of shots fired out on water through rest of season never resulted in a dunking...funnyist even was when our longline of decoys in deep water started to get pulled under by our sack of rocks anchor...bro in law held off side of boat from his kayak and I pulled rope in over the other side...kept hauling up rope till got it close to boat and all dekes were recovered then cut main line.....what I hadnt realised is how much downward force anchor was applying....must have sprung back up about 8''..the only time she nearly went over...I could paddle as fast as a paddling duck...no less and no more,meaning woundie chases were a shoot as quick as I could affair.
the dogs loved it,great way to cart stuff.I sat in it in calm water till worked out point of balance then built back board in right place,put lid of rear compartment and called it done.....sealed it up with litres of paint,had 1x1'' batterns around inside of corners for extra strength and water sealing...more places for paint.....

That's brilliant - reminds me of the flat bottom punts units they used to have for hire at Taieri Mouth when I was growing up - I think thats kinda what they were like.
If you by any chance had a photo just to cement this that would be awesome. The ponds pretty small but the alluvial run-off from the quarry upstream has made it too deadly deep to wade in its soft bottom.