Duckworth Boats

Here we get a good look at the guts of this machine. This is structural integrity at its finest. For the engineer-minded, this is the longitudinal box runners and floor support bracing. For the layman, it’s “holy crap, this thing is engineered to fly as well as float.” Whichever way you see it, it’s similar in design to the way Duckworth has been designing heavy gauge boats for 40 years—with some very important distinctions.  First and foremost, is the finite precision today’s technological tooling brings to the Duckworth factory floor. Virtually every piece used in the construction is CNC plasma-cut to precision tolerances. CNC plasma-cut parts require no skill saws, no grinding and no shaving to force pieces to fit. Boat builders designed it with customer input. Computers cut it. Skilled human hands welded it.  The result is a hull that forms together with absolute perfection. Placement of cross member supports are well positioned for floor support.
This 20’ model has a 42-gallon fuel tank, placed within the floor and forward. Calculations were performed to identify the tank position that will provide even weight distribution, rail-like tracking when trolling or back-trolling without the bow being blown around and minimal bow rise as the boat effortlessly rises out of the hole and on to plane. There will be a small amount of floatation foam used to insulate the fuel tank and aid in sound dampening.
Dual side trays run full length. These will allow for enough room to easily store 4 to 6 rods on each side. No shortage of effort was spent on selecting the right width of the lower trays. The combination of side angle, side height and tray width allows anglers to stand comfortably and securely upright with the ability to lean over the gunwale without feeling like your feet are going to slip out from under you.
Not visible in this shot is a nice clean channel along the floor that will make washing the blood and guts out of the boat a breeze. Debris should easily go straight to the back for easy clean up and clean out.

The locking electronics compartment is just what it needs to be. Simple and spacious. Big enough to display the newest 10.4” fishfinders and all other valuables that stay onboard. Nothing too fancy or bulky that will encroach into the floor or rod storage space. Through the use of weld-on hinges the door is easily removable and designed to fit nicely in the side tray.  Notice the cleats are welded internally beneath the gunwale. By removing from the topside, it’s just one less thing (actually, four less things) to snag nets or bang rods on. Of greater importance is the safety factor when pulling large anchors with a pulley/buoy system. Every year boaters get into serious trouble with anchor ropes inadvertently catching cleats at critical moments. If you haven’t had personal experience with this situation, it will only take one incident to realize the value of having cleats positioned inside the boat.

The Duckworth 20×7’s first look at the light of day after emerging from the paint booth after having the zolotone clear-coated and on its way to the rigging shop. A simple all-pleasing jet-black top stripe was selected for the first production model. This is a deceiving look, not yet having the side graphics and logos applied. More to come in the days ahead.

Keep this page bookmarked for more photos and more details as they emerge –and stay tuned next week for the first water trials. As we all know, the real proof of performance comes when the water hit aluminum.  Expectations are high.