Custom Chincoteague Scow

1963 Chincoteague Scow built by Louie Hancock for Delbert “Cigar” Daisey

Revision Date: 250714

We are proud to present a unique opportunity to acquire an authentic piece of Virginia Eastern Shore maritime heritage: a meticulously restored wooden Chincoteague Scow, formerly owned by distinguished decoy carver Delbert Lee “Cigar” Daisey.  Cigar’s lifetime work as an award-winning waterfowl carver have been exhibited at the Smithsonian, the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, the Chincoteague Refuge Waterfowl Museum, and featured in National Geographic.

Constructed on Chincoteague Island in 1963 specifically for Cigar by pioneering scow builder Louis “Hallas” Hancock, known as Louie to his friends, this vessel showcases the early pine plank board sides, along with plywood bottom, stern, and decking. Recognized as one of the most skilled boat builders of his era, Louie Hancock was renowned for producing high-quality, tough watercraft that served watermen, hunting guides, and families for more than three decades. Today, few original examples of Louie’s craftsmanship remain in restorable or operable condition.

Cigar’s Scow was rescued in 2016 from a backyard where it wasfound sitting upright full of water, mud, grass, and trees and was then cleaned and stored upside down until 2024.  Restoration efforts have prioritized maintaining the design and craftsmanship of Louie Hancock’s original build, as well as honoring the legacy and characteristics that defined Cigar’s Scow to the locals who knew him.  A full pictorial record documenting each phase of the restoration is available for review and discussion.

Key Features:

Scow Build History:Hancock’s shop was a two-car garage converted to a boat shop located on the north-east side of the Island.  Unlike today’s fiberglass boat makers, he faced constraints such as limited funding, space, and time, which slowed production. In the words of George Bowden, another one of other Island’s scow builders whose shop was a converted chicken house, “It’s not that I can’t sell them, I just can’t make them fast enough.”  For customers who wanted a Hancock scow, getting on the up-to-one-year waiting list was the first step in appropriating a new scow.  In their day, wood decoy and scow production were the same – they were limited by time, with the exception that scows took longer construct.  This simple fact that fewer scows were built makes the existence of an originalHancock scow even more remarkable.

Hull Specifications: The hull specifications are as follows:

➢ Build Date:1963 (62 Years Old)➢ VA Registration:VA 2918 C (Original Numbers)➢ LOA:16’ - 0"➢ Beam:4’ - 6“➢ Gunnel Height:               9“➢ Transom Height:20"➢ Draft:8”

Engine: This Hancock Scow is powered by a brand new 1982, 50 horsepower Mercury outboard with blue striping.  This engine was a barn find in Pennsylvania that had the engine in itscrate, the tiller handle and propeller in its original box, and the unused red metal, and the 6-gallon gas tank sitting nearby.  The motor has never started and is in pristine condition. Engine specifications are as follows:

➢ Make:Mercury Marine➢ Model Year:1982➢ Manufacture Date:November 25, 1981➢ Model Code:50ELH➢ Shaft:20” (Long Shaft)➢ Steering:Tiller Handle (New in Box)➢ Starting:Electric➢ Fuel:Gas; 6 Gallon, Red Metal, New➢ Propeller:Factory Aluminum (New in Box)➢ Serial Number:6097361➢ Part Number (P/N):332-5772A1➢ Hours:Zero (0)

Hull Restoration & Finish:   The hull restoration began in January 2024 with the demolition of the rotten wood that included two of the side planks, and the keel, decks, and stern.  When completed, approximately 50% of the original scow remained. The rebuilding included the manufacture of knees, stern, and decks; the steam bending of the main keel and two sister keels; and full fiberglass cloth and resin on all surfaces.  Paint included Primer Paint: Two-Part Epoxy White (Pettit), Hull & Deck: Pirogue Green (Duralux), Inside: Hatteras White (Awl-Grip), and Bottom: Black (Interlux).  The final finish completed the original “Duck-Boat” authenticity by using six colors of oil-based paint for the marsh grass look that reflects Cigar’s 40+ year ownership.

Trailer: Included is a high-quality 2018, Long Trailer with a 1700lb capacity that has been completely restored.  It is well suited for this boat’s size and weight, ensuring convenience and safety during transit.

Registration:  Current Virigina registration for the boat and trailer has been completed, ensuring the boat is water-ready with Virginia and US Coast Guard compliance.

Accessories:   The scow is ready for the water.  All wiring and battery for the electric start is in working order.  Running lights, including the bow and stern lights, make this boat US Coast Guard compliant for operation on the water.  Old-time additions include two removable bench seats, a boat divider board used to hold decoys or seafood in baskets from moving toward the stern/operator, and a bow hatch that includes Louie Hancock’s signature anchor carved into wood.  Lastly, a heavy-duty rub-rail that was used on working waterman scows was added for the rugged look and durability.

Provenance:   This scow has been a fixture on Chincoteague Island for as long as Cigar has been hunting and carving duckdecoys has unmatched provenance in the way of photographs, ownership, and boat builder history.  Stories can still be heard of Cigar sailing this scow down the Assateague Channel at dusk with him standing, his lit cigar glowing red while he was passing by. Official documentation like a boater’s registration is not available due to loss and the Virginia state registration procedure of eliminating old records after a certain time.  Photographic evidence of this scows existence and ownership was made available from the book, “Delbert “Cigar” Daisey” by Doily Earl Fulcher Sr., Published 2018.  In the book is a photo by Bob Hutchinson with a heading line stating, “Cigar Daisey drives his Chincoteague-built scow through the cold winter afternoon,”dated December 18, 1966.  In the photo, the hull shape and boater registration numbers are a match.  Further provenance has been by verbal verification by family members and friends of the scow’s ownership, the verification that it is a Hancock Scow by 90 year-old George Bowden who was Hancock’s neighbor and fellow scow builder, and the name “Cigar” in four places where Cigar used his decoy branding iron to burn his name on the bow plate, upper chimes, and stern.