Over at Keep Turning Left Dylan often waxes lyrical on the joys of sailing a duck punt. Its something that can be sailed in inches for water due to the fact it relies on the shape of the hull and hard chines to stop sideways slippage.
Well, I've come across a duck punt on steroids: The Bolger Birdwatcher.
Its an amazing 25ft duck punt with an all-Perspex cabin. There's currently one for sale on eBay, it'll be interesting to see how well it sells. They must be pretty rare in the UK.
The design is interesting in that it has a full length slot in the roof and an offset mast to allow you to walk the length of the boat. Most people use a tonneau or make up wooden hatches that eventually cover the whole cabin roof.
Because the windows are all along the cabin sides, there is excellent visibility and you can sail the Birdwatcher under cover when it's raining. The rudder and centre board both fold up so you can sail it in very shallow water. It would be an interesting video to see a 25ft boat meadow sailing like Dylan's duck punt video.
An interesting concept, but whether anyone wants a cruising duck punt is an interesting question. Certainly on the Solent there aren't enough opportunities for shoal-draught sailing, but on the East Coast it could be a popular and handy boat.
UPDATE:
The birdwatcher has been relisted on eBay due to it not attaining the reserve on the first attempt. It only got up to £31! I guess that's indicative of it being a relatively unknown boat, but mainly because it's home made out of plywood and doesn't look it's best on the eBay listing. Maybe if they'd wiped the dust off it to make it look a bit more looked after it might be a bit more appealing. It might get almost £60!
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