You might be able to make an aluminum duck boat of some sort, but I think an accurate copy of the original AlumaCraft Lifetime Ducker would be well beyond reach. I had a long talk about this in 1994 with Russ Swenson, the man in charge of AlumaCraft production in St. Peter MN, and the son of Ducker designer Erich Swenson.
Russ said he'd often dreamed of doing a limited production of Duckers after he retired. But the biggest obstacle was the cost of making up the special alloy needed for the Ducker's compound bend at bow and stern. Even with the right alloy, and assuming access to the Ducker's original forms and AlumaCraft's pressure-forming equipment, Russ doubted he could make one for less than $1500 - and that was in 1994 dollars!
The Ducker took a lot more labor than the common aluminum fishing boat. Decking and bracing were complicated, as was the heliarc welding for the stabilizer tubes and casting for the bow and stern plates. Try as they might, AlumaCraft never managed to get the cost down below the price of a new field-grade Model 21.
As far as I know, Russ Swenson's hope of resurrecting the Ducker never went beyond the dream stage, and sound, original Duckers - which could still be found back in 1994 for 6-800 dollars - are now fetching upwards of two grand.
My father-in-law, a skilled machinist, tried to cobble up a Ducker copy by cutting down an aluminum fishing boat that had lost its stern in a tornado, and decking it with plywood and fiberglass. The result
looked good - low and stable - but it still weighed a ton, had to be trailered, and needed a motor because the square stern made it miserable for poling or rowing.
