Go-Devil Manufacturers Donates Special Boat to Louisiana Ducks Unlimited

Louisiana Ducks Unlimited is introducing a new raffle at all of its events in 2012. Warren Coco of Go-Devil Manufacturers donated an 18-foot aluminum boat with trailer and a 35-hp surface drive for fundraising use. This unit was selected specifically for Louisiana Ducks Unlimited with the serial number of 25000.

“Warren is a dedicated conservationist and generous supporter of Ducks Unlimited’s efforts to conserve waterfowl habitats in Louisiana and across the country,” said Manager of Conservation Programs Bob Dew. “His love of the resource and his appreciation for the habitat work DU does led Warren to once again be generous to DU.”

Go-Devil donated serial number 10000 in 1999 and serial number 20000 in 2006, both of which raised thousands of dollars for waterfowl habitat. Additionally, Coco donated a conservation easement to Ducks Unlimited—the first in southern Louisiana—on his 1,600-acre property to permanently protect the habitat and natural resource values of the land. Go-Devil and Coco’s donations are important contributions to the more than $58 million Ducks Unlimited has spent to date to conserve more than 350,000 acres of vital waterfowl habitat in Louisiana.

Coco is also a tremendous example of a home-grown business success story. Way back in 1977, the 22-year-old from Baton Rouge founded a company destined to become one of the most important and influential members of the waterfowl industry. The first version of the Go-Devil motor weighed close to 200 pounds, but worked like nothing Coco had ever seen. For the next three years he put in 16-to-18-hour days without a paycheck, founding Go-Devil with about $1,000 capital and a handful of garage equipment. Today, the company maintains more than 30 full-time employees with more than 52,000 square feet of high-tech buildings turning out at least 1,000 engines per year.

To win this special prize from Go-Devil, Louisianans need to attend their local DU events. “The only way to win a ticket is to be the high bidder on the 75th Anniversary redhead decoy sold on live auction at local events,” Regional Director Derrick Davis said. “The odds of winning are pretty good. We’ll essentially sell only 125 chances to win.” The winner of the boat, trailer, and motor will be drawn Dec. 5 to ensure the lucky person has a great Christmas and access to their favorite duck holes for the season.

Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. DU got its start in 1937 during the Dust Bowl when North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows. Determined not to sit idly by as the continent’s waterfowl dwindled beyond recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together to form an organization that became known as Ducks Unlimited. Its mission: habitat conservation. Thanks to decades of abiding by that single mission, Ducks Unlimited is now the world’s largest and most effective private waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization. DU is able to multilaterally deliver its work through a series of partnerships with private individuals, landowners, agencies, scientific communities and other entities.