The thing I have loved about Duck Works is how friendly and helpful the staff have been. Once we needed to replace a dysfunctional nav light before the Seventy48, and they sent it overnight without charging us extra. That shop will be missed.
Thank you for sharing this sad and not so sad information of what is transpiring at Duckworks and more importantly with Chuck. There appears to be a flicker of light out there on the horizon. I am looking forward to a bright future of what remains of Duckworks. Thank you Chuck.
It's true, as one of the captions mentions, Chuck is infectious, so much so that we drove about 3000kl to join in on the fun at Mike & Jackie Monies small boat meet in Oklahoma, a visit to Harper Texas to see Duckworks headquarters and visit with Chuck and Saundra, along with a great bunch of designers and then on to Port Aransas, on the Gulf Coast for the first annual ply-WOODEN Boat Festival in 2014! Duckworks Magazine has inspired many, including myself!!! Thanks for all you all have done and will do, your efforts are very much appreciated!!! AllthebestRoy & Dianne Schreyer from Canada!
Everything that is in this story is in a small part, in me. Eight or ten years ago my mind started opening up - changing from glass to wood. Small Craft advisor, it's advertisors, and youtubes about the EC, T200 and TSCA chapter cruises created a want and need to do these things. And through all those inputs I have grown and experienced much, thank you. The thought that all this declining change may continue saddens me. I'm hoping that in ten years we all will still be involved and able to help one another. Special thanks to the passions that have kept all this in motion and may it's continued evolution amaze us all.
As with the loss of some of the best small sailboat builders (Potters and Montgomery for example), the loss of Duckworks is sad and concerning about "corporate" America vs us small guys.
Thanks for the detailed reply. I don't doubt a word of it. My dad ran a small business for 35 years so this is not a surprise to me or even an education. My candy coat comment had much more to do with Duckworks than SCA. Just saying that I'm not that comforted that they'll still be selling plans.
William - No, there’s little comfort in the demise of Duckworks as a source for all-things, or most things Small Boat. It’s a serious blow to all of us, but we should be proud of Chuck for stepping up to continue the selling of plans, since he was the one who arranged with each one of those many designers to represent their designs and help distribute them to eager home boat builders. It was a terrific service, and what drew so many of us to Duckworks the first time. And recapturing the plans segment of Duckworks wasn’t free, so Chuck’s taking a risk but we believe virtually all of the designers are sticking with him….so we hope it works as his deeper-into-retirement enterprise. It won’t be Duckworks, but it’ll be Chuck and some great plans, carrying on.
William - We may be digital, but we’re alive and kicking—which wouldn’t have been the case if we’d continued with the print edition. (And thanks for being one of our Paid Subscribers, William. Much appreciated!)
I get that and appreciate anything at this point but let's not candy coat anything. The digital has some advantages but it's like having a freezer of TV dinners instead of homecooked meals. I think digital technology is essentially responsible for the demise of the print edition. So many choices for your eyeballs now.
William - Digital is the off-road that’s available to struggling publications—especially smaller magazines with narrow specialties—when printing and distribution costs go through the roof, renewal rates flatten or fall off, and the publication is losing money. The un-sugarcoated truth is that most print publications didn’t start to fail because of direct competition from digital, or more forums or blogs or sources of information clogging a particular special-interest lane. When printing options narrow or close, growing and welcoming platforms like Substack—built for writers and publishers—allow publications like SCA a chance to share FAR more content than we ever could in print—and faster. (To take the Duckworks story as an example, after slowly gathering information for a week, I was able to write copy and gather the adjoining photos on Friday, and publish the story Saturday morning—maybe two months sooner than if we’d tried to cover the topic in print). So yes, there are awful and scary aspects to the digital world we now inhabit, but Small Craft Advisor is still here, changed in appearance and maybe feeling more like a TV dinner than a home-cooked meal. But we’re still a publication, needing the support of subscribers like yourself, doing what we can to inform and sometimes entertain fellow lovers of small boats. - Marty)
The thing I have loved about Duck Works is how friendly and helpful the staff have been. Once we needed to replace a dysfunctional nav light before the Seventy48, and they sent it overnight without charging us extra. That shop will be missed.
Thank you for sharing this sad and not so sad information of what is transpiring at Duckworks and more importantly with Chuck. There appears to be a flicker of light out there on the horizon. I am looking forward to a bright future of what remains of Duckworks. Thank you Chuck.
With the demise of Duckworks as a chandlery, maybe SCA could provide a directory for hard to find parts and materials as well as for kits.
It's true, as one of the captions mentions, Chuck is infectious, so much so that we drove about 3000kl to join in on the fun at Mike & Jackie Monies small boat meet in Oklahoma, a visit to Harper Texas to see Duckworks headquarters and visit with Chuck and Saundra, along with a great bunch of designers and then on to Port Aransas, on the Gulf Coast for the first annual ply-WOODEN Boat Festival in 2014! Duckworks Magazine has inspired many, including myself!!! Thanks for all you all have done and will do, your efforts are very much appreciated!!! AllthebestRoy & Dianne Schreyer from Canada!
Everything that is in this story is in a small part, in me. Eight or ten years ago my mind started opening up - changing from glass to wood. Small Craft advisor, it's advertisors, and youtubes about the EC, T200 and TSCA chapter cruises created a want and need to do these things. And through all those inputs I have grown and experienced much, thank you. The thought that all this declining change may continue saddens me. I'm hoping that in ten years we all will still be involved and able to help one another. Special thanks to the passions that have kept all this in motion and may it's continued evolution amaze us all.
Tant pis as our French cousins would say. Duckworks was fab. Thanks for the service, Duckworkers
As with the loss of some of the best small sailboat builders (Potters and Montgomery for example), the loss of Duckworks is sad and concerning about "corporate" America vs us small guys.
Duckworths and Small Craft Advisor have been a big part of my small boat sailing experience for 20 years. I am supremely grateful to all involved
Thanks for the detailed reply. I don't doubt a word of it. My dad ran a small business for 35 years so this is not a surprise to me or even an education. My candy coat comment had much more to do with Duckworks than SCA. Just saying that I'm not that comforted that they'll still be selling plans.
William - No, there’s little comfort in the demise of Duckworks as a source for all-things, or most things Small Boat. It’s a serious blow to all of us, but we should be proud of Chuck for stepping up to continue the selling of plans, since he was the one who arranged with each one of those many designers to represent their designs and help distribute them to eager home boat builders. It was a terrific service, and what drew so many of us to Duckworks the first time. And recapturing the plans segment of Duckworks wasn’t free, so Chuck’s taking a risk but we believe virtually all of the designers are sticking with him….so we hope it works as his deeper-into-retirement enterprise. It won’t be Duckworks, but it’ll be Chuck and some great plans, carrying on.
Whooptie doo. I can plans. This is more bad news like SCA going digital only.
William - We may be digital, but we’re alive and kicking—which wouldn’t have been the case if we’d continued with the print edition. (And thanks for being one of our Paid Subscribers, William. Much appreciated!)
I get that and appreciate anything at this point but let's not candy coat anything. The digital has some advantages but it's like having a freezer of TV dinners instead of homecooked meals. I think digital technology is essentially responsible for the demise of the print edition. So many choices for your eyeballs now.
William - Digital is the off-road that’s available to struggling publications—especially smaller magazines with narrow specialties—when printing and distribution costs go through the roof, renewal rates flatten or fall off, and the publication is losing money. The un-sugarcoated truth is that most print publications didn’t start to fail because of direct competition from digital, or more forums or blogs or sources of information clogging a particular special-interest lane. When printing options narrow or close, growing and welcoming platforms like Substack—built for writers and publishers—allow publications like SCA a chance to share FAR more content than we ever could in print—and faster. (To take the Duckworks story as an example, after slowly gathering information for a week, I was able to write copy and gather the adjoining photos on Friday, and publish the story Saturday morning—maybe two months sooner than if we’d tried to cover the topic in print). So yes, there are awful and scary aspects to the digital world we now inhabit, but Small Craft Advisor is still here, changed in appearance and maybe feeling more like a TV dinner than a home-cooked meal. But we’re still a publication, needing the support of subscribers like yourself, doing what we can to inform and sometimes entertain fellow lovers of small boats. - Marty)