by 1oldboldpilot » Tue Dec 27, 2022 2:29 pm
Bill Bowman (my father) built some of these boats in the 50s and 60s. He worked with a man named “Big”John Huffaker. Fantastic character and bigger than anyone I ever knew. Constantly chewing tobacco he would verbalize lofty aspirations to me and explicate instructions to my dad through a tobacco wade, with a voice that seemed to rattle furniture. A wrestler and lawyer, go figure?
I hunted with these men in these boats from four years old to my mid 20s. Virtually impossible to take on water when you roll it over as the sides are bowed. You would literally sit on the gunnel a few inches from the water, to paddle. Have been in 2 to 4 foot seas, the boat is totally stable. It will rock yeah, but never roll to the point where it takes on water. If the boat has a drawback it would be paddling in a strong crosswind. Kinda tough but not impossible.
The guy in the video is a very nice fellow out of Rabbit Hash Kentucky, but I don’t think he has a lot of experience in the Kentucky sneak boat? And the real secret to these boats is the hide board. It could be moved to the right or left side depending upon where the ducks were. The guy in front would look through a slot created by the hide board and with his hand direct the guy in back, right or left. You can’t paddle up on ducks poking your head over the gunnel to see where they are. I will try and include a picture, hide board right.
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