Duratech Sport (1964) New project boat!

[reelfishin]

Well, I added another to the fleet yesterday, a late 50's / eary 60's Duratech Sport. (The boat has an assigned HIN number so the title is from 1984, the year it was first titled in NJ).
I found the Duratech webpage and what info there is there on these but that's about all I have.

Someone has removed the original side console and installed a fiberglass center console, which will most likely either get tossed in favor of a smaller console or more original side console if I can find a good pic of an original one.

The wood floor is gone, it's all but turned to mush in the rear third of the boat. The motor however looks like it's not seen much use, even the original paint is in super nice shape for being 50 years old. It runs but will no doubt need a carb kit and tuneup.
The boat had been put away in a barn back in the early 80's, apparently not used or touched since then. The last date on the registration is 1984 and the woman who sold it said that her husband, who passed away bought the boat new and that they brought it here in 1984 but never used it here.
She said she doubted that the boat had more than a day or two of use since it was new.

The hull is perfect other than a missing end cap on the one side rail, and the fact that the original aqua blue vinyl coated gunwales have been repainted red. There is no corrosion anywhere, no dents, and the bow rail is solid and complete. The boat is made of really thick aluminum, more than three times thicker metal than my Starcraft. The transom is a single sheet of aluminum with the top edge rolled over and a center board put in to clamp the motor to. The transom metal is just under 1/8" thick sheet metal.

I was most surprised that it started right up after connecting a fresh tank of fuel to it. Even the prop still looks new.

The pics below are after a good wash and rinse, plus a 20 mile drive home in a down pouring rain after pulling it out of the barn where it sat for so many years. There was a coating of dust on it so thick you couldn't tell what color it was. There was a tarp on it but it was rotted away, and the barn roof had leaked letting water run down directly into the boat for many years, but the drain stayed clear. It did have about 8" of water laying in the hull when I found it but the aluminum is clean and well protected with paint even where the water sat. If nothing else, it shows there's no leaks since there were no drips on the outside of the hull.

Does anyone have any idea how to decode a Duratech serial number?
Anyone have one of these with an original console still in it?

I'm also considering doing a stick steer set up and standard twin stick controls to free up some floor space, if not, maybe just making my own side console from aluminum.

http://i40.tinypic.com/2z3x3wo.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2dlvqy9.jpg

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Duratech Sport (1960?) New project boat!

Re: Duratech Sport (1960?) New project boat!

First it's not a starcraft but we know you have a few so we will let this instance of cheating pass

I see the magic winch cable but that looks like a great little boat...

IMO I would stay with standard steering and it is just about the same cost as stick...... depends on your you want to do it.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Duratech Sport (1964) New project boat!

When I answered the ad, I was half expecting it to be a gutted out Starchief or similar. The ad read only "18' aluminum boat" on Craigslist and when I first called the guy said it was sold, only minutes after the ad went up. He had someone from out of state that said they were 100% positive they wanted it. He called back later and I went right over. I actually drove past it a few times because I was looking for a more conventional style aluminum boat. From a distance, it didn't look like aluminum.

I'm not knocking Starcraft, but this thing is built like an army tank in comparison.
The hull is built as if they intended it to break ice.
The transom is one solid piece of aluminum with only a strip of plywood under the motor clamps, the hull is so thick that banging on it with your hand shows no give. The bow rail goes through the gunwales in several places and anchors itself to both the gunwale and the lower tray or rod rack.
The forward deck is raised, formed out of aluminum with a wood surface. The floor supports run bow to stern like stringers and the floor is laid in in three sections, left, right, and center allowing the middle panel to be removed for access or storage.

The boat was way heavy when I first brought it home, some due to water weight but a lot of the weight I found this morning was several concrete chunks stowed in the bow compartment, one being a 70 lb concrete frog with a rope tied to it. I guess that was an anchor or just ballast? With all that out of the boat it don't feel so heavy, but the bow is still too heavy to lift by hand.

The trailer is on my immediate list, I have a newer Loadrite for it already that's only a few years old. The one it's on is fine and towed just fine on the ride home but I don't care to deal with a painted trailer that's not very adjustable. It will be fine for storing projects out back for now.

The winch is an old brake style 2 speed winch which had an old rotten rope attached. I haven't figured out how they were using it to haul in the boat, unless the final few feet were done by hand? The tilt mechanism is custom modified with super heavy steel and a huge 5/8" latch pin and an elaborate locking set up. The bow stop is bolted fixed, and the axle and springs look newer than the trailer. There is nothing more than some surface rust on the top surfaces. The boat was still full of old tackle, tackle boxes, anchors, antique life vests, throw rings, and enough rope to outfit 10 boats. The radio is an old Motorola VHF/CB that mounts on a slide in plate beneath the dash, it weighs about 25 lbs, probably from the mid to late 60's or so, theirs two pair of oars with huge swivel oar locks that fit into the top of the gunwales on each side. I first thought they were some sort of rod holder till I found the oars below the deck. The fuel tanks were scrap, rusted out on the bottoms, there's a good odor of gas still soaked in the wood so they let go recently.

The only drilled holes in the hull are for the external transducer on the transom which goes to a round depth gauge on the console.

It's a roomy boat for it's size, that console is just plain ugly, let alone the space it takes up. I did consider just using a smaller console or making a custom one to fit. That way I can retain all the existing cables and controls.
I had first thought I'd toss the motor in favor of something more modern, but it started right up, runs decent and looks like new so I figured I'd at least give it a season to prove itself. My thinking is that it's too small, but we'll see once it hits the water. The max rating is 80 hp, so my thinking would be to hang an Evinrude 70 hp as it's replacement. I do like the look and simplicity of the old motor. I somehow don't figure that 40 hp, especially a 1960 rated 40 hp will get this thing on plane with two big guys and gear.

Once I get it on a more stable trailer and get it all stripped out inside, I'll be better able to set up my plan of attack. I think it may push it's way ahead of a few other projects right now. I will probably have to thin the herd somehow if I plan to keep this, this makes #9 right now. (5 Starcrafts, 2 Grummans, one Duranautic, and this Duratech). Its probably going to have to be either my Starchief or one of the Jupiters I have awaiting my attention.
I hate to sell my Starchief since I have a perfect motor planned for it but it would be the least used boat when done simple due to size and where I fish most. Right now, my 14 1/2' Grumman SS is my most used boat since it's the easiest to hook up and launch. I take it everywhere but the main bay. This Duratech would let me venture a bit further and it looks a lot heavier duty and is probably more saltwater resistant than the Starcrafts with it's one piece, no seams lower hull. The bottom of the boat is smooth with only two outer strakes riveted on about 30" apart. The nearly flat bottom at the stern will make it very stable at rest. It's probably not a good on plane though as the Starcraft but I won't know that for a while yet.
I pulled the lower unit today, popped in a new impeller, the one I took out, other than having a bit of a set to it from sitting, looked like it never ran.
The carb kit is next as is new points and probably some new coils for piece of mind. I'm amazed that not a single screw has been seized or even corroded, it's like working on a new motor. The motor was stored well, it was filled with oil and sprayed down well, so once I washed it all off and cranked it over a few times, all was like new again. No stuck rings, or rust anywhere.

It started as found after only three or four taps of the starter. So I have high hopes that it will be a viable motor. It actually ran pretty decent considering it had just awaken from at least a 25 year sleep, maybe more. By the looks of the motor, it may have been more like 40+ years in storage.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Duratech Sport (1964) New project boat!

Well, I solved the mystery winch cable issue today. I put the boat on a much newer Loadrite trailer. The bow eye is so low I had to drop the winch stand all the way down to get a good angle on the winch strap and to get the bow eye to fall where it needed to be.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2mfma05.jpg

Now that it's on a solid trailer and well supported, I can start working on the floor. I already pulled out about 300 lbs of wet foam and wood and I've only dug out the very rear section part way. What foam that isn't saturated with water is chewed up in small bits by mice. Most of the debris can be sucked up with a shop vac. From what I see so far, this thing is built to last. The stringers are fully boxed, sort of pyramid shaped with flat tops, with wood floor joists every 30 or so inches. There are three full size stringers and two outer shallower stringers, two exterior keels or rails, and a lower spray rail all which follow the rivet seams. The aluminum is thick everywhere and so far there's no sign of corrosion.

http://i42.tinypic.com/ibjkar.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/dbsah1.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/14tygww.jpg

I'm debating on whether or not to lower the deck to the level of the stringers and eliminate the sideways floor joists? I'd loos a few inched on each side but it would lower the center of gravity a bit? The forward deck is about 7" higher than the aft deck, there's a step in the floor midship.
The forward floor survived pretty well, at least well enough for me to use it for a template.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Duratech Sport (1960?) New project boat!

Re: Duratech Sport (1960?) New project boat!

When I answered the ad, I was half expecting it to be a gutted out Starchief or similar. The ad read only "18' aluminum boat" on Craigslist and when I first called the guy said it was sold, only minutes after the ad went up. He had someone from out of state that said they were 100% positive they wanted it.

Scammers are reacting fast these days to new postings. The rest of the email the seller received probably went something like: ".... so please consider it sold and hold it for me. I will send a friend/business associate/partner/relative to pick it up since I'm out of state. First however, I will mail you payment. When you get the check, please cash it and take the price of your boat plus an extra $100 for yourself out as a courtesy for doing this service. When my friend comes to pick the boat up, please give him the rest of the cash ($2000 or more) so he has the money for gas to drive it home."

Then a cheaply printed semi-official check would arrive in the mail, and if the seller cashed and handed over the cash it he'd be out the total check value, plus he'd lose the boat too.

Nice to see your seller avoided that.

Erik

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Duratech Sport (1964) New project boat!

I thought that at first myself but the guy called back too soon. He said the guy turned down the boat since it needed work. (As if a 50 year old boat wouldn't need some work).
What ever he went through, he was glad for me to haul it away. He ended the ad only a few hours after it was first listed. Which worked out fine for me.

I did some more digging and got rid of another 300 or so pounds of wet foam and rotted wood today. I also found a more suitable center console which may work out for this boat.
A bit more cleaning, a good coat of gluvit, and some new wood, and I'll be on my way back together. I'll be coating the wood with resin, then maybe either some bed liner or just a layer or two of glass.

I'm playing this one by ear, I want to keep it simple and easy to work on. Less is more in this case. I still like the idea of a stick steer boat but since the existing cables are all like new and I have a good console to use, it may be the best route for now.