# Ogeechee River boat?



## Artfuldodger (Dec 8, 2012)

I've always wanted to make one of these. Anybody ever make one? Racer Evans was a noted builder. 
The boats were narrow in the back and wide in the front. In my Dad's time everyone made Jon boats and ski boats too. We were looking at some 8mm footage on the Ocmulgee river and all the fishing boats on the sandbar were homemade.

I found a nice one on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/1200113...ecent&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery



Well I googled it and it brought me back to the GON forum. I read the book in the link below many years ago. That is where I got the idea to build one. 
http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=535056


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## wncslim (Dec 9, 2012)

That is so cool, I was raised on the NC coastal plains and we had a pond and a wooden boat similar, but without the larger front and without the curved bottom. We called them floating coffins, these seem much more stable, but we sculled around and that brought back great memories. Used to love the livewell in the middle of the boat, was almost as much fun as a kid to play with the fish already caught as catching new ones. I think ours were also built out of marine plywood and you needed the raised struts on the bottom to keep your feet dry. Thanks for sharing.


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## bigfishheads (Dec 9, 2012)

That is definitely purist fishing! beautiful boat


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## Maggie Dog (Dec 9, 2012)

Nice build.


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## BradMyers (Dec 17, 2012)

jrobbins said:


> I built one a a year ago or so for my dad and plan to start another one around the first of the year, if anyone cares to follow along with the build you are more than welcome, I will be posting pictures and specs as work progress.
> 
> If anyone is interested in building one along with me,  let me know and I will put together a materials list for you...
> 
> The boat in the links above is a picture of the one I built for dad.



Welcome to the forum. You have some mad wood working skills. Your boats are works of art, I'm especially partial to the pirogue's since that's what I grew up fishing outta. 

Looking forward to following your build.


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## FARMS100 (Mar 7, 2014)

I very much like the boat and would like to have a sketch and a material list. Please post  or e-mail me.
Have a great day     AL


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## BowArrow (Mar 12, 2014)

I have plans for a Racer Evans boat if anybody is interested.


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## BowArrow (Mar 13, 2014)

I will give your dad a copy of my plans. I believe you used them before.


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## TwoSeventy (Apr 3, 2014)

My dad had one of these boats, he fished the geechee a lot back in the 50s and 60s and I also fished with him as a young boy in this boat. We always called them Bishop Boats. From what I can recall they were built in Twin City Ga by a man with the last name Bishop. These boats are a true piece of craftsmanship. I have some old pictures of the boat.


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## carter (May 8, 2014)

If you have ever seen one of these fished up river , by a 65 year old man one hand on the paddle one hand pitching a bug , or two of them one paddling for an hour then switching up it's amazing !


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## The Longhunter (May 9, 2014)

There was a young man building them in Walthourville in the late 1970s.  I just can't remember his name, but sounded eastern European.  He built on for me, out of some 12 foot plywood he got from Ga. Pacific.  Even then, that was some spendy wood.


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## grinder48 (May 12, 2014)

Sides are plywood. I've seen boats Mr. Harden built with plank sides. Geech died way back, maybe early 90s. There was another builder in Augusta who built beautiful boats, Manuel Garcia. He died a few years ago. Mr. Garcia was somehow related to Mr. Harden.  I don't know his name but there was - even in "recent" years - a builder in Twin City GA.


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## grinder48 (May 12, 2014)

Mr. Robbins, I sent you a private message, please check it out when you have time.


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## TwoSeventy (May 13, 2014)

jrobbins said:


> Years ago when I was doing a little research to build the first one I found out there was three builders, Mr Bishop was one, Racer Evans was the one in our area that built a lot of them at his place in Clito and there was a Mr. Lamb that built them as well...I would like to see your picture sometime.  The bishop boat was a little different in the way the seat were done and I think they were built out of plywood



The pictures are at my moms house in Swainsboro. Next time im down there I will try to retrieve them for you.


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## TwoSeventy (May 13, 2014)

The seat on the Bishop Boat actually extended off the front of the live well.


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## GaFalconer (May 14, 2014)

Billy Bishop.  His sister, Betty Carolyn, was married to my great-uncle.  Thy are all dead now. Bishop is also photographed with one of his boats by Jack Leigh, and in his book, "The Ogeechee", and a short article about his boat building.


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## fishmonger (Jun 27, 2014)

I know of about a half dozen of these embedded in the mud banks or on the bottom of the Chattahoochee tailwater below Lanier. I have always wanted to rescue one just because they seem like such a simple throwback to a previous era. I wonder if the Chattachoochee boats are much different than the Ogeechee boats?

Your boats are beautiful.

FM


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## The Longhunter (Jun 30, 2014)

What you are showing is the livewell/seat arrangement I had on my boat.

The front of the seat was rounded so the fisherman could slide around to the other side.  Builder called it a "casting seat" -- it was the bomb for working a bank or pitching crickets.


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## Tacoma (Jul 7, 2014)

Looks fantastic... too bad we can't enlarge the pics to check it out better.


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## Tacoma (Jul 7, 2014)

What a fine boat...


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## Tacoma (Jul 13, 2014)

Beautiful...


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## Wycliff (Jul 13, 2014)

Looks great


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## Scrapy (Jul 16, 2014)

Mine is 13 feet long, 20 inches wide in the front and 8 inches deep. The back is 6 inches wide and 18 inches high where the motor hangs but drops to 12 inches deep at the back. Has about 16 inches of swayback along the length. This one was made in Bulloch County at a fiberglass plant in the 70s from a design. I did not know anything about Ogeechee River boats till I saw this thread. Not many were made. My son inherited it from his Greatgrandaddy. It's finest hour was when it served as an iced down beer cooler at my son's wedding. Wish I new how to post picks from a new c-5 smartphone.

The first modification I made to it was plug the two little holes in the livewell. With the livewell full of water it was as much as I could do to drag it up on the bank. Then it would take a half hour for the water to drain.
For  the front seat, this one has two built in planks extending well forward of the livewell. I figured that was there to balance the boat better for the weight of the fellow in front by sliding the seat forward of backward. By myself I would sit on the livewell and paddle. Then I extended the back seat. I didn't have but two inches of freeboad before I did that and still have to put the trolling motor battery all the way to the front to help balance it by myself in it. I also drilled some convenient holes in the lip that I run solid fiberglass rods though to jawb in the mud instead of an anchor. Much more precise and quieter like that.


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## Scrapy (Jul 16, 2014)

jrobbins said:


> My dad had one of those years ago, as a kid I remember riding with him to pick it up, we spent a lot of years fishing out of it before it wore out,  it was a good boat, just heavy as I remember...


Heavy is right. It almost is not a one man boat because of it. LOL And almost not a two man boat for another fellow my size. Ought to be perfect for me and my grandson when he can grunt and help load 'stead of just grunt. That's his Greatgreatgrandaddy's boat.


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## Tacoma (Jul 23, 2014)

What finish did you put on the boat?  Boat Soup?  Thanks


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## Marshall R (Aug 6, 2014)

Where is a video of it in the water?  I see the photos, but is there a video of it in motion?  


I am still curious.

Marshall


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## GLS (Aug 7, 2014)

Here's an original Bishop owned by a buddy:


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## GLS (Aug 9, 2014)

Boat is 75 miles from here.  Don't plan on going up there until dove season starts.  If I go sooner, will photo it. Gil


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## YakKen (Aug 9, 2014)

*River boats*

Nice boat, looking forward to following you next build.


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## FARMS100 (Dec 21, 2014)

*Plans for riverboat*

Jeff
i have sent you a e-mail. I very much would like
a copy of your plans for the ogeechee river boat.
I have built 3 boats the first was your designed blackberry 14 built 2 gave one to grandkids then
a flat iron skiff by j gardner 1940 design. 
Thanks
al


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