Help: Scull boat plans for hunting

I was wondering if anyone here has built a 15' Devlin Sculldugery or 15' Glen L? These are the two plans I'm looking at right now but I'm open to others if anyone can share or sell me some. I recently hunted out of an all-fiberglass scull this size that was very similar to a Bankes Predator. I really liked it and want something similar. Scull boats would be near impossible to purchase where I'm at and Bankes is not currently producing those boats so, I plan to build one.

I will more than likely build this out of plywood and glass it since I've never built a plug/mold. I would rather have an all-fiberglass boat but I can make do with wood core.

I do have some questions about the building procedure but I guess I can save that for another area on the forums and another post. I want to make sure I have plans that are close to what I want.

I appreciate any help. Thanks

 

Welcome to the Forum JK.

For reference, here is a link to Sam Devlin's 15' Sculldugery - Sculldugery 15 https://devlinboat.com/sculldugery-15/

JK, are you happy with sculling with one oar over the transom, as described in the link above, to sneak up on the ducks?

Here is a link to the 13'10" Bankes Predator scull boat - Bankes Boats Predator Scull Boat * Sculling Boat https://www.bankesboats.com/predator.htm

Re the Glen-L boat, is this the boat that you are referring to?
15' Honker - duckboat-boatdesign https://www.boatdesigns.com/15-Honker-duckboat/products/476/

 

Sculling duck boat for plywood construction https://www.glen-l.com/designs/special/scullboat.html
here is the link for the Glen-L that I’m referring too.
I want to scull with one oar “through” the transom. Do you know if the glen or decline are like that?
Thanks

 

Usually when sculling with one oar there is a notch in the transom to suit the diameter of the oar - and that is about it really.
Are you proficient at sculling with one oar? There is a definite 'knack' to it.

 

The boats I’ve seen have a flange with a neoprene boot in the transom that the oar goes through. Making it sit lower than a notch at the top of the transom. I’m not proficient yet but I’ll have a good teacher.

 

JKA a sculling boat necessarily has a somewhat different set of design features. A sculling boat has the operator positioned closer to the back of the boat than an ordinary fishing boat or row boat. That is why the center of buoyancy is deliberately designed farther aft. The usual row boat has the rocker curve at its lowest point somewhere near the center. Racer type boats often have the lowest part of the bottom a bit forward of the middle.
The Scull boat needs more than the usual lateral resistance in the after part of the boat. There is a considerable side to side thrust that is generated by the oar. The skeg is then rather large to prevent the boat from zig- zagging

The lighter the boat, the better in terms of propulsion effort. On the other hand, if this is to be a quiet boat for sneaking up on ducks, you need some heavy bottom ply to help dampen the sound. One of the references from Bajansailor shows a boat with a three quarter inch bottom for that very reason. But that makes the boat heavier than desirable. We often talk about the SOR (statement of requirements). Choose a design that best suits your own personal requirements.

One of the boats in the referenced links is rather narrow and it has a "trapeze" bottom. It is a narrow flat bottom with large beveled chines. That is generally an advantage because the boat will have less wetted surface than a vee bottom and much less than a full flat bottom. The least wetted surface the better for manual powered boats. Look for these general characteristics when you select a design.

The best scullers I have ever seen are in the Bahamas where they use little Abaco dingies, and similar ones, to go all over the place and at amazing speeds as well. I envy the impressive skill of those folks.

Here's wishing you good luck with your project. Keep us informed about your progress.

 

Messabout,
Which boat were you referring to with the “trapeze” bottom? (Sorry, I’m a beginner and not the best with terms) And do you think that would be a decent design for what I’m looking for? (Light, easy to scull) I could make the bottom with 1/2” ply and 1/4” sides to somewhat compromise weight and a quieter bottom.
Thanks for your reply

 

The Glen-L one appears to have such a bottom. Advertisers do not often show a section view of their design. I do not accuse them of hiding the configuration. (a section view is as if you sawed the boat into slices..... like bread slices. Now you can see what the actual shape of the hull is like.

The so called trapeze configurations is not the end all-do all shape. But it is a very good compromise for plywood construction.

Draw a horizontal line on your scratch pad. Imagine that the line represents ...maybe 24 inches of length. At the end of the line draw another line that angles upward and outward, away from the end of the horizontal line. it is....perhaps an angle of something like 35 degrees from the vertical.....That would be 7 inches sideways and 5 inches upward. Do that at both ends of the line. Now you have a sort of flat sided dish shape. The waterline will be up from the bottom...maybe 4 inches. At the top of the angled line draw a vertical line that represents the flat side of the boat. For a sneak box type boat it needs not to be very long.......maybe the top of the side is at about 13 or 14 inches above the bottom. You have drawn a so called Trapeze section. A boat of that sort might sink into the water about four inches or so ...depending on the weight of the boat, sculler person, gear, and his Labrador retriever, Chesapeake retriever, best friend ( or other water dog) and the length of the boat. If this is to be only a fishing boat, not a duck boat, then the retriever dog is optional.

Just for fun explore the internet for a Barnegat Bay Sneak Box.. It is the ultimate duck boat type, developed over many years to do the job for hunters . It typically has a rounded bottom section, like a rocking chair. The deck was also shaped like an inverted rocking chair. A melon seed like boat. A section view would resemble the human eye. Light, easy to drag over the mud flats, quiet, and large enough to accommodate the hunter lying down and exercising his admirable patience while waiting near his decoys. Some of them were equipped with a small sail, depending on the distance to the ducks. Most of them were in the twelve foot range so as to keep them more portable.

 

Thanks. From what I’ve heard from you and others, the Glen L is probably my choice out of the two. However, the glen has braces under the deck and I would rather not have those so that a second person could hunt with me and be able to slide their legs/feet easily under the deck. The scull I hunted in had open floor space under the deck and was a nice setup. I haven’t found any plans for one like this. I think it’s more of a “west coast “ scull. Maybe I could alter a set of plans to fit my wants.

 

Hope you find what you want. I just got lucky and found a 16ft two person fiberglass and am restoring it to hunt from. Almost there, this is where it is now