How to Keep a Bunch of Ducks in Order

Sure, you may be an expert at changing the oil in your family car. Or making the necessary minor repairs to keep your pontoon boat afloat. But only a select few can claim to know the inner workings of a Duck, and John Wagner is one of them.

Wagner is the shop supervisor at The Original Wisconsin Ducks®, a tour company that offers land-to-water tours on those lumbering WWII amphibious vehicles known as Ducks, a shorthand moniker for D.U.K.W., the military code representing characteristics of the vehicle: D = 1942 , U = amphibian, K = front-wheel drive, W = rear-wheel drive. He's been with the company for 35 of its 57 years, longer than anyone else on his crew. He knows his way around a GM motor circa 1942-1945 better than anyone, thanks to overseeing a fleet of 92 Ducks, the largest in the world.

When we stopped by the shop to chat with Wagner, we realized soon enough he's a soft-spoken guy who gives the mechanics who came before him credit for his training. Today, he supervises a crew of eight, including two of his sons, Ryan and Brad. He tells us his youngest, Kyle, who's just 13, wants to work here someday too.

While the Ducks run mid-March to early November, Wagner is there year-round. Six days a week during the busy summer months, and then full-time in the cold-weather months. He keeps busy in the off-months rebuilding the motors and getting the Ducks ship-shape inside and out for the next season.

We asked Wagner if he's ever met a Duck he couldn't fix and he humbly replies "no." He tells us he was on a panel for the National Transportation Safety Board regarding uniform safety standards for Ducks, a nice feather in his cap.

And, we couldn't resist one last question: "Do you get asked for your advice on repairing cars?" "All the time," he told us. "All the time."

The Original Wisconsin Ducks carry more than 300,000 visitors a year on their one-hour, 8.5-mile tour of the wooded trails and scenic waterways of Wisconsin Dells. And those 300,000 visitors have John Wagner to thank for that.