1950's DURACRAFT, 3/28, helm installed

[tashasdaddy]

Got it home, and more pleased than i thought. also found Duracrafts ID number, so i've emailed them to try to get definate date. transom wood, floor, seats, and all the other good things. i want to make it as close to original as i can.

[tashasdaddy]

filled with water found 1 rivet missing, so far only leak. the hole in the stearn are for the wood transom, inside braces, and old engine holes.

[ztim]

Will you be doing a flush patch on that hole? Looks good and should be a fun project.
. Good luck with it.

[tashasdaddy]

not sure yet, just got it home today, considered straighting and weld, then sand. it's not as big as it looks. maybe 1" long. i've got a 58 johnny 35 coming for it. considering the bronze engine color for hull, and the cream for the deck. also thought about high gloss black for the hull, and candy red for the deck and a bout 10 coats of clear coat.

[steelespike]

Boy thats got some serious deck.You could almost turn it into an air craft carrier.You don't see too many aluminum boats with real style thats got it.Nice soft bilge
bet she will ride nice.

[Rick K]

Man oh man... My palms are getting sweaty, just lookin' at it!! Nice find! Every time I find something nice like that, the wife reminds me that I have an Islander to finish.
Rick

[Mark42]

Wonderful find. That is boat will make for endless hours of fun when done. Keep us posted.

Nice to see someone doing an actual restore rather converting it to a floating casting platform. 8)

[tashasdaddy]

got the splash well out and ground the heads off the remaining transom bolts, started a fire in the rotten wood, boy does that stink. held water all night except for the 1 rivet missing.

[iwombat]

Looking at your pictures, it's not as deep as the other pics made it look. That 35hp should do real nice with 2 people. 4 may be a bit of a stretch. Only one way to find out though.

[tashasdaddy]

it has a plate from the outboard motor club rating it for a 50hp 950 lbs. also has the original Duracraft plate with serial number 26425. Duracraft can't date it.

[tashasdaddy]

got the transom fitted, can't believe there are 30 thru bolts in the transom. off to buy bolts.and 4200.

[tashasdaddy]

transom in, splash well raise 3 inches. can you believe there is not a drain in the splash well. it's gonna get 2. i'm tired. monthly toy budget getting really tight. now to get the steering wheel off and roll her over, and start sanding.

[iwombat]

No splash well drains?

Lemme guess, its old name was Puddles.

[Mark42]

How do you plan on patching the big hole in the splashwell?

[tashasdaddy]

i may just line the inside of the splash well with new aluminum, and seal it in. it won't be seen from underneath, when the seat back goes in. home depot sells 20 inch aluminum flashing $10.00 for a 10 ft roll. i've used it for kitchen counter backsplashes, instead of stainless steel, looks real nice.

[tashasdaddy]

got the splash well hole drilled, and managed to grind the mounts out of the steering wheel the hard way, outside the dash instead of under. the hull looks pretty darn good. hull color has been determined to be flat black. then clear coated. deck still in the air.

[tashasdaddy]

hull sanded and went with gloss black, cost savings on paint, rolled it over and the deck went Johnson Cream, red rub rail. gotta get some floppy disc for more pics.

[tashasdaddy]

ok got the disc for the camera.

[tashasdaddy]

heavy dew last night, so got a late start, cut the panel to cover the previous holes, put rollers, and bunk on an old trailer, that i had used for utility for many years. it's a 3x4 frame, the lightest boat on the heaviest trailer.

[tashasdaddy]

3/27 had to get on the water over the weekend, glorious here in Fla. Waiting for deliveries, got solenoid, starter button, bow light, radio base installed. now to switches & wiring for lights, and bilge pump. made my own battery cables since i had 25 feet of both i took out of the center console boat.

Willy clay, came thru with a good helm and besel. should be here tomorrow. found a wheel on ebay.

[OhioLowell]

Looking good daddy!

Keep those pics coming!


Lowell

[tashasdaddy]

look at this fantastic helm, that Willy clay so graciously, parted with. when i opened it, i thought it was new. along with the connector for the engine with pulleys, cable clamps, and a great Oringinal Johnson Dash plate with the choke and ignition spaces. i'm delighted, the controls for the engine came in also.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...y/MVC-041S.jpg

[ezmobee]

Looking good TD. I can't believe you seem to do this as a hobby. What kind of paint did you use and how did you apply it?

[tashasdaddy]

too be honest, i've always had good luck with cheap spray paint. the black/gray/red are 99cent lowes, the cream is 1 can of Rustoleum $6.00 . total paint job $27.00 i just sand with 100 grit, wash it, and paint away. this is the 7 th boat, i've used this on. alum and glass. touch ups are so simple.

[ezmobee]

Well I feel less like and idiot then for spraying mine with Rustoleum d However, I wasn't too happy with the result. My deck turned out beautiful but the sides had way too much overspray which resulted in too many flat looking spots. I think I would have actually had better results brushing it on. The sad reality is for what I spent on cans of primer, blue metallic, and white (lots and lots of cans) I think I could have had an autobody shop spray the thing for me.