Anyone else here own an electric Duffy Boat? My auction journey...

[Shoyrtt]

Out here on the left coast, the electric Duffy boats seem to be around most of the harbors and marinas. They are manufactured in the desert, about 100 miles inland from Los Angeles in the town of Adelanto, California. I have been looking for a used Duffy for the past year or so to use around Alamitos Bay. The new models can sell for over 60K and most of the used boats seem to be listed for 10-20K. Here is a link to Duffy's website if you are not familiar with the boat:

Duffy Boat Website

The limitation I have is the marina where I keep the Sea Ray will allow me to park a Duffy near my boat but the LOA cannot exceed 16'. Duffy made a traditional 16' boat and two different catamaran models, the 16 Cat and the M-160.

I have been looking for either one of the catamaran models, but nothing had come up for sale until last week. I did a search for "Duffy Boat" and found a construction equipment website had an auction scheduled. Mixed in with all of the trucks and tractors was a sad looking 2010 M-160. The starting bid was $5 and the public viewing was on 12-15. The auction was online only set for 12-18. I went to the public viewing and to be honest, the Duffy looked like it has had a hard life. I'm guessing it was used as a dive boat on a private freshwater lake. It did not have state registration. It did have an HIN number but it was not registered with the USCG. It also had all of the components in the boat (motor, steering, charger, speed controller, even batteries). I went ahead and registered and plunked down a $5 bid.

The auction was similar to an EBay auction where you set your high bid and wait until the end. I set my high bid at $1,025. There was one other bidder at $25. I got the notification on Monday that I owned the boat for $30, plus tax and a 15% premium. I'm set to pick it up this Friday to see if I own a turd. I'm hoping I can clean her up and get her back in the water this upcoming summer.

 

[370Dancer]

I have never seen a multi hull Duffy. Good luck with this project.

 

[Pirate Lady]

5mph. May have a Suzuki 2.5. I have one on my zodiac, good motor.

 

[copb8tx]

I've seen these around Newport Beach harbor when visiting. I think it would be a cool cocktail hour cruising boat in that environment.

Hat's off to you for taking the chance. Please keep posting your progress to this thread.

 

[Shoyrtt]

5mph. May have a Suzuki 2.5. I have one on my zodiac, good motor.

These electric boats have been around since the early 70s. In 2008, Duffy introduced their "Power Rudder" which incorporates the electric motor into the rudder, eliminating the belts that were used in previous models. The nice thing about the new design is the boat can turn on its own axis. Here is some more info:

Duffy Power Rudder

 

[Shoyrtt]

I've seen these around Newport Beach harbor when visiting. I think it would be a cool cocktail hour cruising boat in that environment.

Hat's off to you for taking the chance. Please keep posting your progress to this thread.

That is the plan for this boat, lots of cocktail cruises around the Bay. Alamitos Bay is also hosting the rowing events for the 2028 Olympics. The course is less than a 1/4 mile from our slip, but we are hoping to use the Duffy for a front row view.

 

[Shoyrtt]

I was able to pick up the boat at the auction yard last week. I used a car trailer and several strategically placed pallets to get it in place. Luckily I only had to drive about five miles on surface streets to get it to the yard where I’ll do the work on it. The auction price plus tax and the fees totaled $34.50.

 

[Shoyrtt]

To get the boat off the trailer without a forklift, I picked up four 12’ pallet rack load beams and cut up some 4” boards to support the set up.

 

[mnm99]

Following...

 

[Jus Cruisin]

To get the boat off the trailer without a forklift, I picked up four 12’ pallet rack load beams and cut up some 4” boards to support the set up. View attachment 155944

View attachment 155945

View attachment 155946

You have way more tied up in the wood than the boat.

 

[Shoyrtt]

You have way more tied up in the wood than the boat.

I think about that every time I buy something for it. I'm hoping I can spend around 7K to make it look nice. I would like to put a surrey top on it instead of the two bimini tops. I don't have a tig welder or a bender so that will need to be fabricated. The canvas work and the isinglass/stratoglass enclosure will also be pricey. The next step is to get it cleaned up, bottom painted and test the systems. I'm also looking for a galvanized trailer for it so I can take it for the fabrication and canvas work.
Hopefully it will look like this someday:

 

[Shoyrtt]

I did a little cleaning on the "Dirty Thirty" (the tentative name as of now) Duffy boat for a few hours over the weekend. The pressure washer did a good job to start but I will probably need to use some bleach in the cockpit and some Ospho on the hull before I break out the Makita to cut and buff everything. I did a little work trying to get the spray paint off that was covering the decals on both sides. I'm picking up a galvanized trailer for it next weekend. I'll keep the group updated on the progress.

 

[Lenny3]

Love It!!

 

[370Dancer]

Let's see that engine box and drive!

 

[Shoyrtt]

Let's see that engine box and drive!

Here is the motor that is directly under the captain's seat. If you notice also in the top of the picture (starboard side pontoon), the prior owner put in sand bags on both sides for ballast. This was taken before the pressure wash.

Here is the stern with a view of the "Power Rudder" drive unit that I took shortly after it came off the car trailer a couple of weeks ago. Notice the smudge line where the water level was. I'd say that one if not both of the bilge pump exit ports were under water with the sand bags as is for ballast. Inside the hull actually looks really nice. No evidence of any water intrusion.

 

[Shoyrtt]

A little update on the Duffy. I drove to Minden NV on Saturday to pick up a galvanized trailer that am going to modify the bunks on to work on the new boat. Pictures are from the tire shop 5 minutes after I purchased it. On Sunday I did some more cleanup on the hull and in the cockpit. Bleach did nothing in the cockpit, so I tried the Ospho and its a little better. I'll keep at it and hopefully it cleans up. More updates in the future.

 

[highslice]

A little update on the Duffy. I drove to Minden NV on Saturday to pick up a galvanized trailer that am going to modify the bunks on to work on the new boat. Pictures are from the tire shop 5 minutes after I purchased it. On Sunday I did some more cleanup on the hull and in the cockpit. Bleach did nothing in the cockpit, so I tried the Ospho and its a little better. I'll keep at it and hopefully it cleans up. More updates in the future.

View attachment 156783


View attachment 156784

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View attachment 156786

Looks better!

 

[370Dancer]

try some toilet bowl cleaner.

 

[Shoyrtt]

try some toilet bowl cleaner.

I will give that a try but I might just have the gelcoat redone above the rub rail.

 

[Nick 55]

Toilet bowl cleaner (The Works) has been reformulated, I tried it last spring and it did nothing. After reading the ingredients and googling I found that it was done to be “environmentally safer”. However, you can get similar whitening results with oxalic acid (mix your own or buy Starbrite hull brightener). Oxalic acid powder can be bought locally or on Amazon, it’s used in varying concentrations for brick and patio cleaning as well. Spray it on, wait, then scrub. It’s safe to use on your concrete and painted trailers, and won’t kill landscaping if mixed correctly. It won’t remove calcified deposits, you’ll need the hull cleaner for that but that’s the nasty stuff. It will etch your concrete, paint, and everything else but it will clean the calcified deposits off the bottom of the hull. Cover the ground with plastic, use a respirator, or hire it done by a boat yard later.