Cool Duracraft, Price! I love this era of their utilities.
If I were placing a wager, I would guess that it's one of their Pacemaker series. They had many configurations of that model through the years.
I have one myself that I guess to have been produced around 1961. It's tough to date this brand as they used sequential serial numbers on every boat off the line no matter the model - and that continued year to year.
Forgive me if you already have treaded these waters, but in general, what I can offer is that this was a family-owned business created immediately after WW2 by the Ward brothers, Bill and Chick. It continued to be a family business through the early '80s with the second generation of Wards. They sold off the business (and the records) in 1983.
Duracraft continues today with a corporate ownership, but it's doubtful that any of the company history can be gleaned from the modern version.
However, the third generation of Ward siblings have now started up again with War Eagle and the last I heard, it included some of the old company employees. If you choose to reach out to the company for info, I would pursue the War Eagle angle rather than the modern Duracraft.
Regarding their boat building techniques, they used a similar process as Alumacraft where entire hull halves were stretch-formed hydraulically, minimizing riveted panels. Strength was added by adding the extrusions and the full depth seats. Most of the transom corners were welded, as well.
It's a solid platform. I wish you well with the journey.
Old advert included below ... I'll toss in a couple of my own just for giggles. I'm in the process of converting it to a runabout, though.
