by Roger P. Smith
LOA 15'31/2" BEAM 65"
No tomfoolery about this duckboat. The design has one purpose—taking duck hunters to deep water and bringing them back safely and comfortably in 15’ of sound, honest boat.
Take the high, flaring bows and handsome, sweeping sheer of the Maine-coast lobsterman; add the F broad, beamy lines of the well-known VanDyke skiff and the slightly wedged, easy-running bottom of the Amesbury dory; shake well and assemble in the best tradition of modern plywood construction—and you have a boat to warm the cockles of any duck shooter’s heart. Such a boat is Scaup. From the first of five half models to the last carefully drawn line in her plans, her designers have had nothing but late-fall and early-winter duck shooting in mind, and everything in her makeup has been finely tuned to this most rugged of sports. Let’s examine some of these conditions. It’s a time-honored conviction among wildfowlers that the best shooting invariably occurs when the weather’s not fit for man or beast. A good deepwater duckboat, therefore, must be first and foremost a good heavy-weather performer. Where better to find this kind of ability than in the true Down East lobstermen—boats that traditionally ply the choppy, reef-strewn waters of northern New England summer and winter alike? Scaup has the high bows to turn away choppy seas, a fine forefoot for easy entry and generous flair for good lift. Should conditions sharpen to such a degree that reduced speed is indicated, Scaup should not wallow or bobble helplessly, for her lines show great stability and sea-kindllness. Furthermore, with locker space for
everything “and everything in its place,” as the saying goes, her trim can be well established with little chance for the load to shift at the least opportune moment. Speaking of load, Scaup was designed to be a workhorse. She will carry up to 100 of the special folding decoys we regularly use; ship all of our guns, gear and box lunches and stow her own canvas cover, tools, oars, anchors, lines and so on and still leave every inch of cockpit and seat space free and clear. Stowage space under the deck completely protects all of your shooting gear, extra clothing and so forth from spray and provides for two Cruise-A-Day gas tanks. Gas lines are carried aft through the amidship bulkheads and can be locked in the after seat lockers to prevent unauthorized use of the boat.
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