1965 Duratech Comanche

[ssdale]

Just found your thread and digging everything about it, including your plans to do a resto back to original! Just look make copies of that post card and keep it near the project for motivation! Tagging along.
Dale

 

[ASub]

I did end up getting the port side rub rail removed by grinding the screws from the inside and popping them out, using the rail itself and a hammer to pry. Not the ideal, but it worked. I am going to think about the starboard side some more before I tear into that.

I was able to remove the engine well and therefore the rotted out transom. That is good/progress.



I also now have the boat indoors for the winter, so I was finally able to get the last of the water out. It will be nice not moving the thing in and out of the building to work on it all the time. Here's where it landed for the time being...



After getting the water out, I really started to look at the holes that I have in the hull from inside and out. Again, they are up towards the bow - close to a rib that runs port to starboard (they change in the bow of the boat. The front 25% bow area runs port to starboard, as shown the remaining 75% run bow to stern).



The area around the holes look like the surface of the moon. You can see where I am pointing are the holes. The worst of the pitting is directly around the holes, but the entire area is pretty pitted as well.





Side to side - these holes are in the center of the boat near the keel. I think if I were to rivet a patch there with MarineTex, I would run into issues with the other rivets in the area. Should I go straight MarineTex in these trouble spots and trust that the patches will be safe and leak proof? Is this hull too far gone to repair? These are the only holes I have found, but there are more pitted areas in the hull that I would want to treat before going the other direction with the resto. Thanks in advance.

Adam

 

[ASub]

Should have said MarineTex and/or JB Weld...

 

[Watermann]

Clean that pitted area up first so you can see nothing but clean AL. It doesn't look to me like it's that much of a problem to repair those areas. I can't really see if it's under the stringers too but if so you really should to do it right and remove the stringers to clean out under the foot where they rivet on. I know it sounds tough but there aren't that many rivets holding them on.

My current project is nearing the 350 replaced solid rivet mark just so you know things can be worse.

 

[ASub]

Watermann - suggesting I remove all the stringers in the bow? Or the entire boat? Both stringers running bow to stern and port to starboard?

 

[Watermann]

The stringers where the pitting and holes are located, it looked to be towards the bow and I can't tell if there's any pitting underneath the stringers from the pics. Don't take off anything that you don't need to remove, I was suggesting you inspect it closely and if there's pitting under the stingers then the right way to repair the damage is to remove them.

 

[ASub]

Watermann - I will take a closer look. Thanks for the input.

Adam

 

[ASub]

Here's an update of some progress over the last few weeks.

Top of the cuddy came off with a ton of effort. Tons of rivets and rusted fasteners. Forklift did the heavy lifting.


With the windshield still attached.


Without the windshield.


Pile of parts.


Still working on getting the aluminum rub rails off. The stainless fasteners are rusted in pretty bad (as seen in my previous post). Thinking of using heat to help get them out. Grinding the shank down from the inside is working - barely. But I still have to pry the rub rail which leads to bending it and tearing the aluminum of the hull.

Anyway - I am close to having the hull blasted in the spring. I wanted to get the cuddy off so that I can flip it over to blast the hull. I will be working on the rub rails and small stuff until I get the media blaster lined up.

 

[Watermann]

Nice progress, I hear you on the rusted fastener fight. I had them all over my boats too and the Chief was really bad. I had to use a cut off wheel, brute force to snap the suckers off.

 

[Luke000]

Great progress so far! The rusted fasteners I would just try to grind of or snap. The aluminum won't Like the heat, it will start to anneal just under 1000 degrees.

 

[suzcomptime]

Curious if you finished this project? I did a double take when I saw your serial # plate on photobucket as we have almost the same serial #. Ours is listed on the boat registration form as a 1964 but our number is only 27 difference than yours. Yours is 50230 and ours is 50203. We are just starting the project. Did you notice how all the brochures, postcards, etc say Duratech Comanche but on the serial # plate it is spelled Commanche?
Sue