Duffy Electric boats....?

Now that the batteries are working, I'd like to address the leaking packing gland. This is an ElectraCraft LSR 18 which seems very similar to the Duffy boats most of you have. What size packing should I use?

The propeller shaft is 1" and when I measured the packing nut and divided the difference by 2 I ended up buying 1/8" packing but it feels way too loose. I'm thinking I need 1/4" packing but would appreciate comments.

Hi Ted, have a close look at the stuffing box, a mobile phone with the torch on helps, there could be a stamp in the metal telling you what size to use. It could be 3/16th or 5/16th also.

Congratulations on getting it done, Ted. That's certainly a good price for AGM's. I hope that 85Ah is sufficient to meet your needs. Unfortunately, that capacity is too low for my boating.

Good luck, and have fun on the water!

Regarding the packing material, ElectraCraft wrote (I don't know if this applies to Duffy boats):

We use 1/4" packing material for the drive shaft
We use 5/32" for the rudder packing material​

My boat had a table that we removed, anyone have suggestions for a nice looking plate to cover this hole?

It turns out that deck plates are common and come in standard sizes. This was easy to find at West Marine. I’ll try to ask harder questions from now on.

Ted, you're learning through experience like the rest of us did. You just happen to have a gang of mates to help you along the way.

After re-packing the shaft packing gland I found another leak. The plate below the rudder packing gland is broken, see video. I've reached out ElectraCraft to get a new one.

In the meantime, does anyone have experience with Flex Sealer or Stay Afloat? I'm looking for a temporary fix since the local boat mechanic is booked weeks out and the replacement seems like a big job. Our lake is small, you can't get more than 5 minutes away from our lift and the bilge pump easily keeps up so I'm not worried about sinking.

With Mr. Boatbuilder head on, I would pull the boat out and do a proper repair.

As a regular boat guy, Meh, I can live with that. Do it in the winter unless it gets bad. We're on a lake for heavensake.

I used JP Water Weld and it fixed the leak more easily than I expected.

Hi, everyone. I'm really happy I found this forum, there's some really useful information in here! And sorry for the long post.

I'm in the process of buying an inexpensive Duffy 18 foot boat (Sung Harbor I think). The boat doesn't run but the body seems to be in good shape. I'm hoping to clean it up and replace the motor, batteries (lithium) and other electrical components. I don't have any experience with this but, I'm hoping to learn and am I'm no rush.

Any advice on everything I should check before I buy the Duffy? I've already asked for registration documents and service records. Also, if I had to assume that I have to change all the electrical components on the boat (motor, controller etc) and upgrade to lithium batteries, how much should I estimate as my budget? Any recommendations for which motor to buy? And recommendations for sites or stores for all the other parts? Anything else I should think about or consider before buying the boat?



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Keep in mind that typically, there's nothing more expensive (in the long run) than a cheap boat.

Well, depending on the motor, battery, charger, and controller you buy, you are probably looking at between $8-$10K. You might consider checking with an electric motor shop to see if your motor can be salvaged and rebuilt. It's also possible that the controller will still be working, so I'd check that, too. These could save you considerable money, if they can be easily returned to working order.

In terms of lithium-ion batteries, they can vary greatly in price. I installed a one-piece 48V 160Ah NMC battery in my Duffy from this guy almost 2 years ago, and I've been happy with the result so far:

Hi-Powerbatteries

Good luck with the project, and please post back with your results!

I have a 2000 Duffy 18’ can someone tell me about the re blinking light on the charge. It’s solid red now

Duffy have a new CEO. Some interesting parts in the video.

Anyone have a reliable Duffy repairman in Newport Beach, CA that they could refer me to? We’ve been dealing with Duffy Boat Service for 4 months now and I just can’t take it any more. Not sure what’s going on over there, but I have zero confidence that anyone over there knows what they’re doing at this point.
Thank
Any referrals would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone. I just purchased a 1990 WD Schock 18. It is definitely a project boat and I have been referring back to this thread for a lot of information. I am working on the motor and throttle control and am having trouble with the wiring. The boat has 2 sets of 3- 6volt batteries ran in series. The throttle control is a 5 position switch with neutral, slow forward and reverse, and high speed forward and reverse. From what I understand, the slow speeds run 18 volts and the fast speed use 36 volts.

I have successfully wired the throttle switch for 18 volts forward and reverse with the motor, but am having trouble with the high speed 36 volts. Does anyone have a wiring diagram, or know how to connect the second set of batteries (18 volts) to the throttle control? I have scoured the internet and contacted Duffy, with no luck.

The goal is to eventually upgrade, but for now I just want to get the boat running. Any help would be greatly appreciated.