If it looks like a DUKW, Walks like a DUKW, Quacks like a DUKW

[Bill Murray]

Took my sister in law from California to Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta today. Amongst other attractions are a boat tour of the man made lake that was built from a dammed up creek in the area.

Saw what I thought was a DUKW and took a quick pic and when we took the tour bus around the complex, found a parking lot with two more.

In all I took three pics but must wait until sister in law returns home and gets them printed off (cheapo throw away camera).

Got to talk to the driver of one for like 2 minutes and she said that there are close to two dozen DUKWs in operation in the US Southeast at various resorts/parks etc.

The one she was driving had a very healthy sounding V8 motor so obviously was re-motored at some point.

I did not explore the site, but if you want to check it out, it is as follows for what I guess is a franchise operation operating DUKWs at several such venues in the US.

www.rideaduck.com

Bill

[konigstiger]

I read somewhere that dukws where sold after the war to people in the U.S. Some are still used, and they can be found all over the place. I'm pretty sure there was a DUKW in the movie the medallion with jackie chan going down a road painted all yellow. Not 100% sure though.

[gordon]

I reckon in ballpark terms there must be dozens of tour DUKWs going around, and even more in private hands.

With 22,000 made and only obseleted by the British Army in the late 1960s early '70s (the Marines still have a few) one of the most successful trucks of WW2.

Gordon (used to own chassis 14962)

[Bill Murray]

Thanks Gordon:

I am sure you are correct but it was a pure shock for me to see that many in essentially land-locked Georgia at a "State Park" as we call it here.

Now that I think about it, there was a company called South Eastern Equipment, or close to that, in southern Georgia that aquired and sold off many thousands of ex WWII US vehicles during at least the sixties/seventies and even into the eighties.
Perhaps some or all of these DUKWs came from that source.

Personally, I rode in them many times in the fifties growing up as the son of a US Marine Officer. Off the coast of California and the coast of North Carolina when they were doing training stuff.

Probably pretty calm on a lake such as where I was on Monday but I can assure you they were rough as a cob in ocean surf.

While not pure restoration projects as such, it is nice to see so many ex WWII vehicles still in productive use.
Bill

[gordon]

The hull design was by Rod Stephens of Sparkman and Stephens, and the vehicle was really very seaworthy - at least compared to other amphibians.

I've seen film of early DUKWs on surf test at Cape Cod or thereabouts going off the beach against, 10ft, 20ft, and 30 ft surf, just to put that in context the surf was as high as the vehicle was long.

The 'surf' board on the front was no such thing, but correctly deployed it made sure that nose went up, rather than down, when it hit a big wave - particularly valuable in 30ft surf I'd think.
Probably the most seaworthy of any amphibian ever made ?
Gordon