Older 12’ Duranautic - Advice on some mods needed (1st project)

[Fishon72]

Hello:

I recently acquired a 12’ Duranautic, year unknown...I have some questions about some work I want to do to the boat if anybody can chime in:

1. Needs a new paint job - Previous owner put a coat of white over top the factory paint inside and outside. Seems to be stuck on there pretty good but looks ugly. Additionally, it’s been bottom painted with an anti fouling paint. What’s the best way to strip the paint off? I have to work outdoors and don’t have any special equipment. I’m going to brush the fresh paint on, was planning on doing EZPoxy unless somebody recommends something different.

2. Drainage - The bench seats go all the way to the bottom of the floor of the boat all the way across, so the water can only drain on the sides of the bench seats and it takes quite an incline to get it there and it never completely drains. Would there be any harm in drilling a hole in the bottom center of each bench to allow better drainage to the bilge? On the topic of drainage, the main drain in the back is a piece of plastic tubing that protrudes from the rear of the boat into the bilge area several inches. Is this factory? If not I’ll likely remove it so I just have a hole that’s flush with the back of the boat.

3. Floor - Not going to go crazy with casting decks, but would like to add a “flat” floor area under the bench seats instead of the sloped aluminum. Something so buckets and tackle can sit flat, and that my 3 year old can move around on a little easier. I was thinking just a base covered with thin plywood and vinyl boat flooring. Any reason not to do this? If anybody else has done something similar I’d love to hear your thoughts and maybe some tips on the best way to accomplish it. For the times I take my son and wife out I’d like to make the boat as comfortable as possible.

I’m sure there’s a lot more I could do but between rebuilding the trailer and motor it came with I’ll be plenty busy I’ve included some pics to show what I’m working with. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

I'm a big fan of drop in floor boards on a small boat. I don't like a deck on a 12', too tippy. Just a piece of plywood with a couple stringers screwed to it. Usually they stay relatively in place but if it jumps around, you can use a small piece of angle screwed into the seat base/sides to hold it down.

Sent from my CLT-L04 using Tapatalk

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

Would there be any harm in drilling a hole in the bottom center of each bench to allow better drainage to the bilge?

You might consider cutting a hole with hole saw for this drainage. It will be difficult to get it all the way to hull without risking cutting into hull.

An oscillating tool is pretty controllable & lets you get into tight corners, so that could be used to slice down to the bottom. If you get close, you could use pliers to break off the last remnant.

There probably is foam inside bench, so to get effective draining you would have to cut through that too. (A hot pipe would be my weapon there).

 

[DaleH]

I'm a [highlight=yellow]big fan of drop in floor boards[/highlight] on a small boat.

I agree 110%, as it is way too easy to add weight to a small hull and if/when weight is added anyway, it should be as low as possible for stability.

As a cheaper option, I found some ~2x3 floormats for $5 each (made of foam pieces like you see on 'flip flop' sandals) at my local Dollar Store. The little pieces are also hinged together, so they covered any ribs really well! I put them in as a fast floor option, for an easy path to the bow of the boat, but they worked out so well that I bought more, zip-tied them together, and now they completely cover the floor.

They are also light in weight, allow for drainage (or simple removal for cleaning) and provide for a VERY secure footing whilst moving around.

 

[Kismet]

3.Floor - Not going to go crazy with casting decks, but would like to add a “flat” floor area under the bench seats instead of the sloped aluminum. Something so buckets and tackle can sit flat, and that my 3 year old can move around on a little easier. I was thinking just a base covered with thin plywood and vinyl boat flooring. Any reason not to do this? If anybody else has done something similar I’d love to hear your thoughts and maybe some tips on the best way to accomplish it. For the times I take my son and wife out I’d like to make the boat as comfortable as possible.

Gotta love a project, eh?

I am a huge fan of cheap n' easy floors.
Check out the Model F and the Model RB in the threads I've listed at the bottom of my sig line. Easy cushion, simple installation, solid through the years I've had the boats and during rough water and bumpy roads.Added benefit is simple to take out and clean underneath, as necessary.

Best wishes.

 

[Fishon72]

Thanks so much everybody for the thoughts and ideas! This is a great site! I’ll keep you posted once the project is underway 8)

 

[BillPlayfoot]

I owned a 12 foot Springbok years ago. I just made drop in floor boards as suggested by weldorthemagnificent. They worked well.

 

[sonny.barile]

I am a fan of Duranautic boats and had the 13 ft.model and currently have the 16 side console. If you are looking for info on the boat, the current manufacturer is Marathon boats in NY state.

I’m not sure about the 12 ft.model but there maybe a week space at the very center of the bench support. The newer models have a larger gap for drainage.

For flooring in my 13 I just painted some 1/2 inch plywood and put cheap carpeting over it. It was the SUV cargo bay stuff available in places like Autozone and R&S. It cost under 20 bucks for enough to do the floors and add a bow cap for a TM. No braces or framing was needed, They just dropped in.....

I have some pics at the bottom of my post to show the bow cap I made but if you search I have a separate thread somewhere here showing the floor inserts.