1973 Duracraft 14' Semi-V project.

[Hartley's boat]

Hi y'all! I am a green as green can get boat newbie and I recently purchased a old 73 Duracraft 14' with a 6hp Evinrude. I like the old girl because she is deep and wide and I am too! LOL! I am working on getting her shaped up and thought I'd share my progress on her as I go along. So far a bunch of cleaning and some fresh paint inside. Had to do some wiring and new trailer lights and I have a lot more in store for this old girl. Please understand that I am working on a very limited budget and the work is going to be ok but far from perfect so I will be hitting you all up for tips and advice to the point you will probably get sick of me!

Here's a little before and after of the interior so far............

 

[fishin98]

Looks like a great little boat....I completely understand working under a limited budget...been there and done that. The 6hp OMC is a great little motor!
I'm currently rehabbing a 1988 Alumacraft 14' Lunker...taking it slow and doing it right.

 

[Hartley's boat]

Thanx I have big ideas for the old girl and in time I think I will achieve them all but it will be a while! LOL! This is actually my first boat so I am anxious to get her in the water. I am fortunate enough to live about 300 yds from the Ohio river in WV. so getting to the water is very simple task once I learn to back the trailer! I'd love to see your boat you are rehabbing! Do you have a post with pics?

 

[Hartley's boat]

Oh....I forgot to post a question I have about the seats... can the middle seat be safely moved? I want it more in the center of the boat. I plan to do a small platform / storage space in the front from the seat to the bow and I'd like a little more room between the front and the middle seat.

 

[fishin98]

This is my project..1988 Alumacraft Lunker 14.....When I'm done I'll post all the pictures here and in the Alumacraft forum.

 

[bonz_d]

Ah, small boats! Love'm for what they can do. I have a thread going here on one. http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...lding-and-hull-repair/10034071-sea-nymph-redo

As to your question I would normally say no with these small boats because the seat is actually structural. Though in your case it might be able to be removed or moved back. Also in these small boats when installing raised platforms it also raises the center of gravity which can make the boat become tipsy.

Your boat has large wide ribs in the bottom so why not just use those to install a deck at that level? Then you could open up that middle seat, remove the foam and make storage there. Also this way you would be able to add foam under the new decking.

 

[Hartley's boat]

Fishin98 ... I like your Alumacraft! bonz_d .....I will give that some though! Thanks for the advice!

 

[Hartley's boat]

No Title

Ok..... I have been pondering on the little bit of a platform / storage in the front and I just laid ot a little piece of cardboard to see where it might end up. I have been thinking about bonz_d's comment about it might make the boat a little tipsy and I wanted y'all to have a look at where it will end up. It is still quite low in that deep hull so maybe it would be cool? I plan to put some support under it so it distributes the weight good and then a small swivel pedestal and seat on the bench portion. I just don't want to be sitting there fishing and the boat tip over ya know? LOL! Thanx y'all!

 

[bonz_d]

That little bit of a deck shouldn't have too much of an effect on the boat. I wouldn't do much more than that.

 

[Hartley's boat]

Thanx! I just want to be able to have some small space there to stand on or make it easier to climb in and out and put a door in it to store goodies under it.

 

[Hartley's boat]

Well .....I got her motor running good and decided to take her out on the river to see if she floats! LOL! I am so disappointed I could just spit! I thought that deep hull semi-v was going to be stable! It is the most unstable thing I have ever seen! I can't even stand up in it without it feeling like I am going to fall out! Horrible! I have a 6hp Evinrude on it and with my fat *** and the motor and the gas tank all in the back it is about to sink and forget planning out! You have to sit back there and try to peer over the bow while you barely crawl down the river. So....the love affair is over and she is going up for sale to try and recoup some of my investment. I guess when she is gone I will try another kind of boat. I thought abut just scrapping the boat to the recycle center for the aluminum and they said I would get .35 cents a #! LOL! So that is out. What kind of boat about 16' would be good for a BIG man that will be in it alone 99% of the time? I don't want any more than a 9.9hp for the lakes I have available but I need something I can stand up in.

 

[bonz_d]

One of the drawbacks of small boats. They don't like a high center of gravity! Actually that boat isn't that small, we have a RichLine that is very similar in size and I find that it isn't too bad as long as one is not up jumping around in it. It rides nice, handles a pretty good chop on the water and is quite maneuverable. Also that 6hp is probably the bare minimum size engine you would want to run on that boat and expect any kind of performance. Our RichLine with a 9.5hp has a struggle to get up on plane but does very nicely with an 18hp on it.

I think you will find that any boat you find tat will be stable enough for you to stand in and walk around is going to struggle with a 9.9hp engine. I think the best you can hope for is something like the Alumacraft pictured above or an older Lund S14 or S16 DLX with the floor in it. Just keep in mind that in this case wider is better.

 

[Hartley's boat]

Man! I was so excited because it was my first boat and I have wanted one since I was just a tadpole! I used a good friend's boat a few years ago and I could have swore it was just about the same as mine and it was so nice and stable .... I could get up and walk to the front of it without it feeling like it was going to tip over. Mine almost dumped me out at the dock when I got in it after I launched the dang thing! I was so disappointed I felt like it just broke my heart. That little motor was running great and working it's butt off but it was no match for the weight. It is a old 73 Duracraft and the aluminum is VERY thick and heavy. Plus...I dress out over 300# and the gas tank is 6 gal so there's a lot of #'s back in the back of that thing. I stepped down in the thing and it tipped on me so hard I lost my balance and re-injured my knee that I tore the ligaments in years ago and now, not only am I crushed because the boat won't work for me after all the time and money I spent on it I am gimped and can't even walk right now! LOL! WOW! It has been a bad day!

 

[64osby]

They make tiller extensions, or you could make one. They would allow you to operate the boat from the center seat.

Bigger motor would really help. We have a 10hp and an 18hp for a 14'er. Pushes the boat 18 and 23 mph respectively. Planing is not an issue,but I'm not an XXL, I'm an XLT and a thin one at that.

4' wide boats are never going to feel stable. You would need a 16' deep V 5 to 6' wide.

 

[Hartley's boat]

That's what threw me man! It's like really wide and like super deep! I figured it was going to be great!

 

[64osby]

Most utility style boats are not made for standing up. Unless you have the balance of a snowboarder or a skateboarder, they will feel tippy.

They also have a low center of gravity and when you stand it changes it whole lot.

 

[bonz_d]

Maybe you should be looking for something like this.

http://www.trackerboats.com/boat/?boat=3806

With a flat bottom and hard chines, square corners, they are usually very stable. With most of these types of boats the 1st two numbers are the length and the 2nd two numbers are the bottom width. So a 1448 would be 14' long and the bottom is 48" wide. Again wider is more stable.

 

[Hartley's boat]

I really think that one of the factors that makes this boat so unstable is the fact that someone removed the original railing and put those wooden sections on it. You can pull down on the side when it is on the trailer and the boat flexes like it just isn't being supported at the top edge. Of course I say that knowing zero about what I am talking about! LOL!

 

[pro-crastinator]

DId the boat have a floor in it originally?
If yes, that would have functioned as a bit of ballast that would have provided some stability.
I like those big beefy ribs.Looks like they were made for a floor.

 

[64osby]

I really think that one of the factors that makes this boat so unstable is the fact that someone removed the original railing and put those wooden sections on it. You can pull down on the side when it is on the trailer and the boat flexes like it just isn't being supported at the top edge. Of course I say that knowing zero about what I am talking about! LOL!

Maybe an aluminum angle could be installed over the wood edge. Something large like a 2" x 2" that would cover the edge. It could also follow the curve with a little creative heat bending. It would provide a very secure gunwale.