# 1999 Wigeon Duck Boat Classic - Project - Need Input!



## PGolz (Feb 19, 2020)

Awesome little boat and even cooler tags! Not sure where to tell you to start with the casting decks but eager to see the final product. Good luck!


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## T Bone (Jul 24, 2014)

Awesome boat and story! I went to school in Tallahassee and stayed around for several years after. We killed many a ducks out of a Wigeon on Jackson, Iomonia, and Miccosukee as well as caught countless fish on the local rivers and down at the coast. 

Glad you still have the boat and will pass it down one day. Can't wait to see the work you plan on doing.


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

The casting decks...

The Wigeon Classic model has a cap riveted on that gives it a flat cap profile above the convex hull profile. You can see that it creates a rounded, not flat, front "deck". I don't want to half azz it and just glass a deck on top of the cap.











Ideally, I want to create a deck layout like the newer Bayou 15 model. The Deluxe Duck Boat model can also have a larger deck as well. Both of these models look to have a little more freeboard midship than the hull portion of the Classic model that I have, less convex curve to them. I actually believe that they are a different hull together based on the response Cody gave me about the Bayou 15. I think the Classic has a little narrower transom. But I'm still using them for inspiration. These are pictures I've pulled from Cody's website and Instagram.






































I'm thinking that in order to accomplish this, before I start any decking ideas, I need to:
1. pull the cap off
2. modify, raise the sides of the boat to be a flatter sheer line / profile

Raising the sides of the boat will be the most complicated part of this project...Looking at the last picture here of the Deluxe model, I'm thinking the best approach will be to core the sides of the boat. Mine is not cored now. I think I could use a light foam core and cut it to the profile I want to create. Then epoxy the foam core to the existing hull sides. Then I could grind an angle back the outer hull side to tie in to, and start glassing in the core, over the top, and down the new inside of the boat. In the end, coring the sides will also give me a good substrate for mounting rod holders to.

Anybody done anything like this before and can link me to a thread?


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

T Bone said:


> Awesome boat and story! I went to school in Tallahassee and stayed around for several years after. We killed many a ducks out of a Wigeon on Jackson, Iomonia, and Miccosukee as well as caught countless fish on the local rivers and down at the coast.
> 
> Glad you still have the boat and will pass it down one day. Can't wait to see the work you plan on doing.


Used to be some pretty good ringnecks and woodies to shoot on Jackson. I always hunted the south end from the Crowder Rd landing, but we always fished from Miller Landing.

Kind of funny, we have a +/- 1988 Honda 10.0 4 stroke tiller. It sat for the longest time, and after a its hibernation my dad pulled it out and fired it up, while making a bone headed move and putting 2 stroke mixed gas through it. Had it fully serviced and revived. I ran that Honda like a freaking go-devil duck hunting. It went probably 2-3 years without peeing, no oil changes, no service at all and still kept on going. It's still going today on another boat we have. Hands down the most indestructible outboard I've ever seen.


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## K3anderson (Jan 23, 2013)

I think if it were me I would put something like a nail in the bow and on the side of the transom, then along the entire edge of of one side. Then take a piece of string and run it along all the nails to get a level line from the bow to the stern. Then I would take some core strips gorilla glued lengthwise down the side and trace a line from the string to get it level. You could also just use a piece of lexan doing the same thing and make a template and cut two pieces of core (one for each side). Now do regular glass to join the core to the sides and you have something to fit the deck over.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

With all you are going to try to do I believe it would be easier to build a new boat and keep the one your dad built for you.

You could add a removeable deck front and back that would keep the boat in tact.

Hate to see you destroy such a memorable item.


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## fishwhistle (May 26, 2020)

I'd almost consider:
A. leaving as is and getting another boat. 1 for fishing 1 for ducks. That's a piece of local history with sentimental value that I personally wouldn't want to alter too much
B. cut off the cap and leave an open casting deck on the floor, you're not going to lose much height because the freeboard on these old school widgeon's are so low
C. reach out the metal fab here in Tally to dream up a custom designed glorified casting platform that can simply bolt on/off the front as you need it. They've done good by me while designing a custom light bar/blind stand/casting platform for my Gheenoe LT25 that I hunt/fish with
D. I wouldn't consider a livewell, it causes too much weigh distribution problems on small skiffs. A couple dozen deeks, a dog, a buddy, gear, and an extra 50+#'s of water is more than enough to make a widgeon a sketchy ride in the dark

All points above are just my opinions, it's a sweet and capable boat as it sits


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

It is a sweet little boat, even as it sits.

I can't tell you the last time I shot ducks out of a boat, hell I gave all my decoys to a buddy. No need to keep a dedicated duck boat. I'd rather modify this boat to make it meet the needs than to keep it as is and have it sit unused for more years to come.

If you've ever spent a lot of time in one of these boats, at the coast at least, the bottom of the hull flexes very noticeably in any sort of light chop. At least mine does, like a trampoline. At a bare minimum I will remove the seats and livewell box, add a stringer and false floor added to stiffen up the floor flex for running at the coast 100% of the time. It's a very possible option that I could just stop there, leave the cap situation as is and open up the center of the boat like a skiff. Then do two aluminum removable casting platforms or 2 small coolers as casting platform and poling platform.


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## fishwhistle (May 26, 2020)

I've hunted off a widgeon on micc and iamonia, never on the coast. For the reason you stated I don't think its their designed purpose to leave protected water and deal with chop. Stringers and a false floor will help that.

I guess my line of thought comes from old customgheenoe.com forums, just because you can doesn't mean you should. Small boats are going to be small boats at the end of the day, you can trick it out but it can substantially change the characteristics of the boat. I have a couple of gheenoe buddy's that regret some of the glass work and mods they've done to them because weight of the glasswork.

Not trying to talk you away from modifications, I'd simply argue you have to put more thought into these small boat mods than the regular flats boat because of the hull size and weight limit


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## T Bone (Jul 24, 2014)

We hunted the coast a fair amount in ours too and remember that floor flex.


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

Weight is certainly important. Definitely intend to spend the money on light composite and foam cores.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

If it was a waterlogged mess, I’d be among the first to cheer as you fired up your Sawzall, but it is in great shape. I am another vote for leaving it alone. Removable decks are fine, but don’t try to pretend that it is anything other than a little duck boat. Keep the small motor and leave the floor alone. It should be rated to 10 HP based on the dimensions (I know guys run bigger mudmotors on them, but that is apples to oranges), so it is only built to go 10 HP fast; don’t make it go faster. If you add the weight of stringers and a raised sole, you‘ll make it less functional for what it is made to do while never actually getting what you want.

Nate


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

9.9 4 stroke barely adequate. Mine wouldn't actually plane out until I put a fin on the lower unit. Then it would plane out and did about 18 wide open once I was able to get it up out of the hole. 15 is not overkill at all


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

She made the trek over I-10 and up I-95 yesterday with no issues and is at her new home in SC.

Just for sake of the discussion, decided to take a picture of the ol' indestructible Honda. It's back on a little river skiff and staying down there. Have a lead on a nice used 2020 Yamaha 9.9 I'm going to pursue.


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

Picked up a motor. 2013 Mercury 20 HP short shaft. It's going to be a little heavy but for *$500 with a clean title, fuel tank, and racor mount with new filter, *I couldn't pass it up. Starts up fairly easy, runs fine, shifts fine, just a little ugly from living on a dingy on the back of a big sailing catamaran. Will replace a few rusty parts, undo some of the past jerry rigging, get it up to speed on services, and run it. Should be an easy one to re-sell or trade out of if I decide I need to end up going back lighter in the future.


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

I appreciate everyone's input and ideas that have been discussed. There are some good thoughts here. I've been pondering over some of them, and believe I have a new approach to making this boat more flats oriented. Let me know what y'all think.
1. I'm going to leave the cap alone.
2. Still going to nix the built in seats and "livewell" to open up the boat.
3. Have an aluminum welder build a couple removable custom shaped casting platforms that'll nest into the bow and stern contoured to the inner shape of the cap.
4. This is another question spot. Will I want a grab bar, and would I want it centered or off on the starboard side?
5. Soft cooler or a small 20-30 quart hard cooler to use as the passengers seat? Hard cooler would obviously be removable.
6. Instead of a full blown false floor, I can glass in some blocks for hardware mounting spots for tie downs on casting platform, grab bar, cooler, etc.


Picture of "livewell" to nix. I call it a "livewell" because it's just a hole in the hull with a plug, so it doesn't circulate anything and bait doesn't last long.




















Bow and stern removable aluminum casting platform ideas.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

You could glass in a couple layers of 1708 and some hull stiffeners instead of a floor.

The rest is a personal choice but one thing I would certainly get rid of are those shoes.


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## andyb (Nov 4, 2015)

When you buy off the 50% rack you take what you can get. They won't last 6 months before I tear them up, hence the 50% rack


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## John Stark (9 mo ago)

andyb said:


> This is a 1999 Wigeon Classic. Long story short, we're from Tallahassee and my dad chose this as my first boat way back then for the stability and it ran well enough with a 9.9. This was the best Christmas present ever at age 11. I used this boat everywhere from our farm ponds, to Lakes Jackson, Carr, Iomonia, and Miccosukee; Ochlockonee, Wakulla, St Marks, and Wascissa Rivers; St Marks Lighthouse, Wakulla Beach, Alligator Point, St Teresa, and Carrabelle. Took it with me to Clemson one year and used it on Lake Hartwell.
> 
> Needless to say, this is not a boat I could ever sell. So why not do some modifying and keep using it instead of let it sit? For years I've been imagining this boat with casting decks and a flats style layout. Long before the newer Bayou 15 model was an idea. I now want to bring it up to and use in Charleston, and am going to make the plunge to finally do the work.
> 
> ...


Nice boat for the shallow water


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## Jake S (May 22, 2020)

Gonna be slick!


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

For what your looking for you could make those platforms out of wood and epoxy. Not gonna save to much weight except in your wallet. Like the ideas and the little boat.


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## Nate38 (4 mo ago)

Nice!


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