I have a 2013 Duranautic 14RDS that I bought new. I have also spent a lot of time in the older Duranautics. These are one of the most common rental boats around Central NY. I can say that the new Duranautics made by the Marathon Boat Group (in Marathon NY) are almost identical to, and equal in quality to, their older, pre-marathon, brothers. I don’t see any diference in the construction, weld quality, materials, etc. the Marathon boat group is a small company that formed from Grumman boats employees that bought out the company themselves. They know how to build quality aluminum boats and of course Grumman canoes. I believe the Duranautic boats are on par with any of the high end, well know aluminum boats like Lund. Before purchasing my duranautic i extensively compared the utility V boat market and the Duranautic is clearly the best value. The 14RDS I have has very good performance attributes. I live on the south shore of Oneida Lake and it handles the notoriously changable rough conditions very well. Been out in legitimately bad conditions while walleye fishing and it handles it well. While under way, it planes quickly (i usially have two to three in the boat powered by a 15hp four stroke merc) and tops out around 18-22mph depending on the load. It turns well and mostly flat - ie it doesn’t tilt hard and keeps the lower unit in the water so no cavitation.
Having said all this, there are a few things I’m not in love with. First, the hull design has not changed in 50 years. This is really only a problem in that it is a bit narrower in beam than is common today. This can make the boat deflect a bit when stepping into or out of the boat. Second, (and this is really about marketing and not about the boat itself) i wish that Marathon boat group had a better website and product information. They have a boat catalog that looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1987. You can’t find pictures of the variations of the boats. They don’t have an active facebook page. The dealer network doesn’t have any kind of collateral to give out when you buy the boats. The options like floors, consoles, etc are good but not really shown well. Third, I wish we had some color options. I really like Lund’s fall marsh color and with I could get that finish with my Duranautic.
I think the Duranautics are a fantastic boat and with a little bit if brand management could be much more widespread and successful.