Duratech S 147

[cavery]

I just picked up a Duratech S 147, 13 ft. aluminum boat with a 10hp Evinrude Sportwin motor which I am told is original to the boat. My step father and I want to restore this boat and motor, but are both new to this. I found this site through the Duratech site and just poked around last night a bit and it seems like there are a bunch of very helpful knowledgable folks here.

I've attached some pictures and have found some preliminary info on painting aluminum boats on this site, but would love to get some direction or suggestions as to where the best place to begin is in taking on a project of this nature.

As I said, I have no boat experience, but am not afraid of taking on projects!

Any and all suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I have more pictures and would be happy to follow direction and post more info or pictures as things progress.

Thanks,

 

[Talleyman]

Re: Duratech S 147

How are you doing on the resto? I have the same boat and will do the same resto. I've been buying parts for the last six months and am looking for a trailer. Good luck, Talleyman

 

[MuskyHunterDave]

Re: Duratech S 147

Hey Cavery

Well I would suggest you be sure and talk to a paint specialist before painting, as I took the cheap road on my first paint job on my Comanchee in the 90's and soon came to regret it.
The second paint job (the current one) was far superior. Fortunatly I have an uncle in-law that was a painter all his life and got the paint from him, so I am not sure what it was, just that it worked great. It was two part paint ( mix when ready to aply) just like automotive paint. You will need a good qulity two part primer to start, and that is the secret to a good paint job. Be ure and prep the boat of all loose paint, feather out any spots, and wipe it all down with liquid sand just before primer application.

AS for factory colors you will have to see if JOE has some literature from your year to compare to.

Looking forward to seeing the restore evolve, I hope you post pictures and info on your progress.

Dave

 

[JoeMan]

Re: Duratech S 147

Dave, what was your first "bad" paint job? What went wrong with it? Surely something others can learn from. I too did a 2 part primer and automotive paint...after first wet-sand blasting the entire hull down to bare. Not something everyone has the option & equipment available to do.

 

[MuskyHunterDave]

Re: Duratech S 147

Well I am a bit embarrassed to admit it, so I will blame it on being young - stupid - and on a tight budget.

The first paint job was done entirely with rattle cans, looked great when done but turned to crap real quick, and the paint scuffed off easy.

On the second Paint job I to wet sanded the entire hull - wiped it down with liquid sandpaper which makes the surface ?Grab? the paint and cleans all the small dirt and grim spots missed while sending. I then did the two part primer, wet sanded again, and then did the two part / two tone paint that it now has. At that point I then wet sanded again and buffed it all out, and it has held up GREAT.

There is a product called navel jelly that can strip paint off aluminum, but considering the size of my hull and the toxicity of the product I chose to take the more environmentally friendly / hands on approach by wet Sanding. It required a little more elbow grease so to speak, but I feel it was the best solution for all the stubborn old paint.

While some people may say to have it sand or bead blasted, I personally would advise against that as aluminum is a funny metal (does not have the characteristics or strength of steel) and sand / bead blasting could damage that vintage hull beyond repair.

I think it goes without saying, but I will mention it anyway . . . . Wet sanding is far superior then dry sanding, and while it does eliminate the dry dust, I also Strongly advice people to BE SURE and wear an appropriate breathing mask / resperator (not a cheap paper one) as some / all of that old paint on these hulls had some really nasty ingredients and you DON?T want to suck that into your lungs.

As for people having the means to do it this way, I must disagree unless they live in an apartment. . .but I built boat craddles from some scrap wood I had laying around (Make sure the craddles are more then adequate to hold the boats weight as you will be under it), and then slide the boat on them off the trailer. This allowed me to remove the trailer and get the boat higher off the ground, and I did all of this in the small side yard at my house. Just MAKE SURE you don't paint on a windy Day

One more suggestion is be sure and get a top feed spray gun and not one of the bottom feeding / paint belching spray guns. I actually did mine with a $19.99 top feed bought at our local habor freight (cheap tools) store, and it worked just fine.

Sooooo . . . to sum it all up, trying to save money and cut corners ALWAYS cost you more time / grief and work in the long run, so My advise is to take the time to do it right the first time. Your new paint job will last for years and you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Dave