Duck Boat Tours

[Benny B]

Terrible tragedy in Missouri... at first I thought that this is one reason everyone should learn to swim at an early age, but as the story unfolded, I don't think (lack of) swimming ability played much of a role here, if anything at all. 

As a child, I may have been on a half-dozen Duck rides in the Dells but have never seen duck tours operated in other states.  But I saw the pictures of the Missouri duck that went down, and they look completely different than the ones I remember in the Dells.  The thing that jumped out at me was that the Missouri version has a "hard top" roof and what looks like plexi-glass sides on them... if I recall correctly, the Dells version simply has a canopy on top but the sides are open-air.  Though I was much younger, I never felt like the ones in the Dells were particularly dangerous, but seeing the pictures of these ducks in Missouri, I don't know that I'd feel comfortable being in a floating aquarium.

Curious if someone has been on both the Dells version and another version outside of the Dells and what your impressions are.  Wife and I were thinking about taking the kids up to the Dells next month before school started, and a duck tour was near the top of the list.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

we did the Dells duck boat tour last summer.  They are re-purposed military duck boats, so definitely different than what was being operated in MO.  I had no concerns on the Dells tour. 

I know that the storm came up quick in Branson, but I don't think I would want to be out on the lake in even questionable weather in one of those.

[warriorchick]

we did the Dells duck boat tour last summer.  They are re-purposed military duck boats, so definitely different than what was being operated in MO.  I had no concerns on the Dells tour. 

I know that the storm came up quick in Branson, but I don't think I would want to be out on the lake in even questionable weather in one of those.

From what I understand, things were looking pretty bad before the boat even left shore. I read an interview of a guy who had bought tickets in advance and asked for a refund when he saw the conditions.

[rocket surgeon]

when it comes to boating, weather should be kinda important, eyn'a?  same for pilots? don't these guys watch the weather?  hell, i do before i go out for a round of golf.

  then there are a number design flaws -

   https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/how-the-mighty-have-fallen-hillary-clinton-shows-up-in-apparent-hospital-gown-to-bash-trump/

  i also heard somewhere that the exhaust system is not very good in rough waters

[GGGG]

when it comes to boating, weather should be kinda important, eyn'a?  same for pilots? don't these guys watch the weather?  hell, i do before i go out for a round of golf.

  then there are a number design flaws -

   https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/how-the-mighty-have-fallen-hillary-clinton-shows-up-in-apparent-hospital-gown-to-bash-trump/

  i also heard somewhere that the exhaust system is not very good in rough waters

WTF are you linking to?

[mueron]

WTF are you linking to?

Hahaha this is some of that REAL NEWS we've been lacking lately. None of that FAKE NEWS like NBC or ABC or CNN

[Dr. Blackheart]

Hahaha this is some of that REAL NEWS we've been lacking lately. None of that FAKE NEWS like NBC or ABC or CNN

Classic

[ATL MU Warrior]

Hahaha this is some of that REAL NEWS we've been lacking lately. None of that FAKE NEWS like NBC or ABC or CNN

This country is unnatural carnal knowledgeed

[TSmith34, Inc.]

when it comes to boating, weather should be kinda important, eyn'a?  same for pilots? don't these guys watch the weather?  hell, i do before i go out for a round of golf.

  then there are a number design flaws -

   https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/how-the-mighty-have-fallen-hillary-clinton-shows-up-in-apparent-hospital-gown-to-bash-trump/

  i also heard somewhere that the exhaust system is not very good in rough waters

What a buffoon

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I can't tell if Rocket mistakenly linked that.....or if this is a brillant ruse to sneak politics in under the guise of an "oops"

[rocket surgeon]

WTF are you linking to?

that was an honest to goodness error-seriously-sorry-was having an email war with my brother...in madison in between responding to scoop.  i meant to link to -

https://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article215304760.html

i assumed i put up that link and then i got called off suddenly to a family issue (mom is trying to take care of dad who had the stroke last january and now she is putting her self in more harms way)  and this is my first look back-i apologize

[rocket surgeon]

I can't tell if Rocket mistakenly linked that.....or if this is a brillant ruse to sneak politics in under the guise of an "oops"

  thank you tamu, for the benefit of doubt.  it's refreshing there still are some of you around here as opposed to those who claim they go to church every week just so they can say they went to church this week   

[GGGG]

  thank you tamu, for the benefit of doubt.  it's refreshing there still are some of you around here as opposed to those who claim they go to church every week just so they can say they went to church this week   

Of course it was a mistake. I just found it hilarious that at one point you had the need to actually copy that link.

[dgies9156]

Brother Rocket, at one time or another we all have made mistakes like that.

Ironically, the mis-posted article had a point. In today's world, style can be more important than substance. Whoever let Hillary Clinton appear in public in that outfit either was a GOP plant or had about the same level of style as Jean Lenti-Ponsetto has knowledge of a well-run basketball program.

On the topic, never been on a duck boat but now have a new-found aversion to doing it. Also ultimately believe that boaters and marine providers need to carefully check weather. Years ago when we did Zodiac tours off the Kauai coast, we were cancelled three times due to weather or high surf. One thing is for sure: you don't do repeat business if all of your customers are motion sick, or worse.

[mu_hilltopper]

This country is unnatural carnal knowledgeed

Everything is going to be unimaginably worse and is never going to get any better.

[rocket surgeon]

Of course it was a mistake. I just found it hilarious that at one point you had the need to actually copy that link.

  i was sending it to my lil brother-good thing it wasn't something really really nasty.  here's a little secret sully, some people have different viewpoints than you-gasp-gasp-gasp

[TSmith34, Inc.]

  i was sending it to my lil brother-good thing it wasn't something really really nasty.  here's a little secret sully, some people have different viewpoints than you-gasp-gasp-gasp

Especially when their viewpoints are only informed by one point of view.

[GGGG]

  i was sending it to my lil brother-good thing it wasn't something really really nasty.  here's a little secret sully, some people have different viewpoints than you-gasp-gasp-gasp

I'm fine with different viewpoints.  I'm laughing that someone who knows how to type would actually use that as a source.  (Which might explain your lack of capitalization.)

[HouWarrior]

we did the Dells duck boat tour last summer.  They are re-purposed military duck boats, so definitely different than what was being operated in MO.  I had no concerns on the Dells tour. 

I know that the storm came up quick in Branson, but I don't think I would want to be out on the lake in even questionable weather in one of those.

Decades ago we regularly vacationed in Eureka Springs AK, near the White River, (about 40-50 miles south of Branson) .....and we went on many Duck boat rides.

My understanding all duck boats are  WW2 survivors, and no one made them since...very antiquated boats that have been modified and limped along for decades for vacationers' pleasure...maybe an idea/technology whose time should be retired ...70 years later. In WW2, duck boats were designed and used mostly for traversing the many rivers of Europe, and for some coastal landing work...they were not for scenic extended pleasure rides on lakes/rivers....while seated just a few inches above the water line

Ours in Eureka were totally open air...not even a canopy. Those nowadays with  canopies, roofs and windows are add ons to extend usage and hours through rainy weather....more passenger income...but a really stupid idea....which is here the key problem...the windows and roofs merely trapped people inside.

That weather could come in quickly...as happened here... seems typical for the Ozarks...an old worn down mountain chain resembling the Smoky mountains, or parts of Appalachia....weather is behind the mountains one minute and crashes in quickly on arrival at the well watered valleys below....we started a sunny clear 4 hour canoe trip down the White River....then got swamped twice by big winds and t-storms that arrived over a 15 minute window....never saw it coming

BTW the White River bears a bluff of about 20 simple A frame vacation rental homes....nothing special to see......BUT....they are famous because of the investors....it is named Whitewater....the Clintons invested ....and this later spurred Ken Starr's Whitewater probe...which started there but went well beyond an investment in some A frame cottages along a river

[ATL MU Warrior]

Everything is going to be unimaginably worse and is never going to get any better.

That's the spirit!

[Babybluejeans]

Like Keefe plagiarizing a neo nazi white supremacist word-for-word and passing it off as his own composition served as the perfect microcosm of 2017, rocket's accidentally-revealed source of "news" (about HRC no less!) is sparkling perfect 2018.

Thanks y'all.

[D'Lo Brown]

https://www.mediamatters.org/shows-and-publications/western-journal

Copy/pastebait

[Mutaman]

Like Keefe plagiarizing a neo nazi white supremacist word-for-word and passing it off as his own composition served as the perfect microcosm of 2017, rocket's accidentally-revealed source of "news" (about HRC no less!) is sparkling perfect 2018.

Thanks y'all.

Bingo. Only one post from Keefe since, but to be fair, he has been "exceedingly busy".

[GGGG]

Bingo. Only one post from Keefe since, but to be fair, he has been "exceedingly busy".

He was back as The Baby David or something like that.

[tower912]

I have done the Duck boats in the Dells.   I would do them again.    But I would pay attention to the weather. 

[Dr. Blackheart]

I am still trying to get over the image of Hillary Clinton in a housecoat on a Duck.  Some things should not be seen in public.

That said, I am close friends with the WI Dells Ducks owners' daughter.  Hot!

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I am still trying to get over the image of Hillary Clinton in a housecoat on a Duck.  Some things should not be seen in public.

That said, I am close friends with the WI Dells Ducks owners' daughter.  Hot!

Photos or B.S.  (The Duck Dynasty, not Housecoat Hillary!)

[warriorchick]

I am still trying to get over the image of Hillary Clinton in a housecoat on a Duck.  Some things should not be seen in public.

That said, I am close friends with the WI Dells Ducks owners' daughter.  Hot!

So you are in the Friend Zone with a hot girl who can get you free Duck Boat rides.  I am sure the other guys on this board are super jealous.   

[GGGG]

So you are in the Friend Zone with a hot girl who can get you free Duck Boat rides.  I am sure the other guys on this board are super jealous.   

At this stage of my life, I'm just happy when a hot girl talks to me.  (That includes my wife BTW.)

[🏀]

The Dells Duck Boats should have more booze.

[tower912]

At this stage of my life, I'm just happy when a hot girl talks to me.  (That includes my wife BTW.)

At this point in my life, I am glad that Emily from card services wants to talk to me.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

At this point in my life, I am glad that Emily from card services wants to talk to me.

[tower912]

Yes, but she is REALLY into me.  She calls me more often than my wife does.  And never because she is angry.

[Benny B]

Yes, but she is REALLY into me.  She calls me more often than my wife does.  And never because she is angry.

Does she ever ask you for cool ranch doritos?

[TSmith34, Inc.]

That was a great commercial

[mr.MUskie]

At this point in my life, I am glad that Emily from card services wants to talk to me.

Does she have an Indian accent?

[mr.MUskie]

we did the Dells duck boat tour last summer.  They are re-purposed military duck boats, so definitely different than what was being operated in MO.  I had no concerns on the Dells tour. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/07/26/self-taught-businessman-with-no-engineering-credentials-designed-missouri-duck-boat-records-say/?noredirect=on

[Mr. Sand-Knit]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/07/26/self-taught-businessman-with-no-engineering-credentials-designed-missouri-duck-boat-records-say/?noredirect=on

The Branson duck boats were not the vintage 1942-1945 GM manufactured DUKW amphibious landing craft.  They were a modern knockoff.  The duck boats in the Dells are the originals.  As has been discussed the major fatal flaw of the Branson design is they are built similar to a school bus and as soon as it went down, lifejackets or not the passengers were encased inside and in dark deep water had seconds to determine a way out of an unfamilar enclosure.
The dells ducks have a canopy with approx 4 feet of an opening from the gunnel to the canopy making it simple to splil out.
Lastly the air intake and exhaust of the original DUKW military design is very high up on the vehicle, in fact probably the biggest complaint of the boats in the Dells is the belching diesel exhaust.   Intakes and exhaust of the Branson boats was lowered but high waves flooded the engine and most impotantly power to the bilge pumps and we know the rest.  Horrible tragedy.

[Benny B]

The Branson duck boats were not the vintage 1942-1945 GM manufactured DUKW amphibious landing craft.  They were a modern knockoff.  The duck boats in the Dells are the originals.  As has been discussed the major fatal flaw of the Branson design is they are built similar to a school bus and as soon as it went down, lifejackets or not the passengers were encased inside and in dark deep water had seconds to determine a way out of an unfamilar enclosure.
The dells ducks have a canopy with approx 4 feet of an opening from the gunnel to the canopy making it simple to splil out.
Lastly the air intake and exhaust of the original DUKW military design is very high up on the vehicle, in fact probably the biggest complaint of the boats in the Dells is the belching diesel exhaust.   Intakes and exhaust of the Branson boats was lowered but high waves flooded the engine and most impotantly power to the bilge pumps and we know the rest.  Horrible tragedy.

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/c4/8b/19/original-wisconsin-ducks.jpg

It seems the canopy is indeed basically a tarp, not to mention has plenty of escape routes if it sunk.

It would appear that the two companies in the Dells are the only operators using the original design exclusively.  I guess when you’ve been in business since the end of the war without any serious injuries (let alone zero fatalities) there’s no need to fix (or modify) what isn’t broke. 

At the risk of being banned again for mentioning that war that obliterated the 3d reich, I’m not sure if the lesson here is that US Army engineering during WWII was nothing short of genius or that it doesn’t take a genius to know not to modify a WWII engineered vehicle.