Boat Restoration Discussion

[IUPapabear]

Me and a buddy were talking last night about restoring older boats and he made the comment I hear (and read) all too often. "It doesn't matter what you do to it, it's still a 35 year old boat." This time it comes from a guy who build street rods as one of his hobbies.
Why do boats get such a bad rap??? You can take a 50, 60, or 70+ year old car, restore it or rod it out and get a good amount of your $$$ back. I don't think you can hardly ever get your labor back, either in cars or boats.
I realize it all depends on the desirability of the car and the quality of the restoration, but shouldn't that apply to boats as well??
From most of the restorations I see on here, they are Top Shelf and so much better than the manufacturer. So if one would go to sell it, why don't they get the respect for the quality of the boat NOW???
I don't plan on selling my "Resto Mod" as I like to call it. I plan on handing it down to my kids and Grandkids, but I am just curious as to why boats get such a bad rap...
Discuss Thanks- Troy

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Boat Restoration Discussion

It is a matter of a stronger market for restored cars versus restored boats. There is not a large collector market for boats, so it does not have the commercial prospects that automobiles enjoy.

 

[shaw520]

Re: Boat Restoration Discussion

Although,.. it seems the restore section of this site is quite busy this year,.. and that may be a sign of the times. During hard economic times ppl tend to give up there recreational toys.... ppl who refuse to give them up tend to DIY, I believe thats the reason for a very active resto forum. I look at times like this as a great opportunity to acquire.

 

[mercurymang]

Re: Boat Restoration Discussion

Think about it like this. For the most part, people like to have a nice ride because you take it out on the street and cruise around in it. Everybody see's it and appreciates it for what it is. There's also lots of people TO see it and appreciate it. Most people, whether they own one or not can appreciate a nice looking car because most have driven an ugly one at some point and would love to have something better to display than what they have.
With boats, a much smaller portion of the population has owned one and therefore has no mental affiliation or appreciation for one. That fact alone make the market for boats much smaller than cars. Also, when you take your boat out, you are not in the same proximity to other boats like you would be with your car so there are way less people oohing and ahhing over your nice shiny boat.

I for one did not own or really even care about boats until a couple of years ago (not sure what happened but that changed).

Anyway, that's my take on it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Boat Restoration Discussion

Bingo!!! ^^^ If you Used a boat, like you did a car, then the value of a boat, would be similar to a car. There are some "Collectible" type boats that DO retain their value. Some of the "Woodies" for example!!! The mass produced "Glassers" and "Tinners" There are a few but they are rare. But I would think that an iBoats, documented restoration, would put you in "Tall Cotton" when and if you decided to sell your boat. A buyer would have nothing to "Quibble" about at the time of the sale!!!!

 

[IUPapabear]

Re: Boat Restoration Discussion

All very valid points. I guess part of me is in the wrong era. I love technology, but I really appreciate craftsmanship and quality work. No matter what it is and to just lump all old boats (or anything) into one category is frustrating.

 

[tommays]

Re: Boat Restoration Discussion

I have done much power boating and sailing and that this point favor sailing and know the most about the market value of sailboats as well as the older sailboats which performed well and still do

Unless a bunch of money falls out of the sky this the LAST boat i will ever own and IF your as sure of your needs as we were and will keep what you restore for the long term there is not much downside

The other issue is as you get BIG which in my case is 29' it really must pass a survey to get insurance and you have to plan and stay within a cost unless your prepared to walk away with a big loss if something went real bad

I looked at many other 29s and this one was chosen due to the very high replacement value of sails and other parts of the boat that had already been upgraded










In car terms a Cal 29 is like owning a 65 mustang and is instantly recognized were ever we travel

 

[IUPapabear]

Re: Boat Restoration Discussion

Damn nice sailboat, Tommays

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Boat Restoration Discussion

Me and a buddy were talking last night about restoring older boats and he made the comment I hear (and read) all too often. "It doesn't matter what you do to it, it's still a 35 year old boat."[/QUOTE]

I disagree with that statement... a lot!

Done properly, there will be very little of the 35 yr. old boat left. Instead, it'll be a like new boat with a 35 yr. old hull... and even the hull can be improved if it needs to be.

The quality of materials of a handmade resto can also be superior to those used in the factory to originally build the boat... and as already mentioned the craftsmanship of handmade will be superior to the "blow and go" of the factory build.

I will agree that the market just isn't there for selling a resto at a fair price to the restorer, mainly because boat buyers are ignorant and they think they're good to go with a rotted out $2500 boat that barely runs.

I think that if you document your restoration with pictures on the internet so a prospective buyer can see the work and materials that go into the boat you can get a better price than if you don't... but still not enough to make restoring boats a lucrative endeavor.

 

[jimmy wise]

i think resto will pick up. price a boat new lately 108000 for a ski wake boat.....old =cheaper insurance and less theft

 

[jigngrub]

i think resto will pick up. price a boat new lately 108000 for a ski wake boat.....old =cheaper insurance and less theft

Those boats make me wonder how much a torpedo would cost, especially when they come "boarding" up a 100 yard wide creek I'm trying to fish and they have the whole main lake they can "wake-up".

 

[jbcurt00]

Those boats make me wonder how much a torpedo would cost...

Sonar should have no problem tracking it if it's equipped w/ the typical speaker array, used at peak volume, hanging from the wake tower...............

 

[GT1000000]

Gotta jump in here and spew out my nickle-95's worth...:blah:

First of all, if anybody is doing a restoration on a boat with the intention of turning a profit, they had better have done their due diligence and market research and be working on something that could turn them a profit if they do a well documented, wholesale priced materials sourcing, better than factory restoration on a highly desirable classic watercraft...if you don't count all of your labor...
Some folks restore their boat for sentimental reasons, probably the best motivating factor...
Some do it because they are interested in having a project with whatever the outcome ends up being...
A very, very few may actually research this endeavor and decide it is exactly what they want to do to a particular boat they have always wanted...
That being said, the reality for most of us is that we fell into the trap of buying our first boat, immediately falling in love with it, whether it is our idea of a dream boat or not, we really don't know any better at the time, what we were getting into, and decide after some heart ache and soul searching, a new boat is out of the question, as mentioned above [Yes, there are inexpensive new boats, heck, I could buy a fully outfitted 14 ft. riveted, aluminum Jon-Boat with 15 HP motor and a trailer for just shy of about 7 Grand!], and be stuck with payments on something that after I have used it a few times, realized this is not the boat for me but now you have 5, or many, more years of payments and can't sell it because you would never get enough out of it to break even...

By the way, don't fall into the other restoration trap...you know, the one of, " I bought this old boat and found out it was rotten so I got rid it and bought another old boat thinking it was in better condition", only to find out it was the same or worse...:facepalm:

Then there is Iboats.com...
Which we find on the interweb and begin to get familiar with the ins and outs of boat ownership...
After asking a few questions and getting some really good answers, we begin to convince ourselves that restoring this boat may not be such a bad idea...
You should end up with a better than factory built boat, you will know almost every inch of it, inside and out, it will be something you can pay for as you progress when you can, you will get to know some awesome folks on this website who are ready, willing and able to help you out with any info you'll need and tons of encouragement, in most cases you can rebuild it to better suit your needs and it will serve you well for many, many years...

OK, reality check...
Drawbacks!
There are many we are not aware of at the beginning...or blindly choose to ignore them...eep:
The first one is denial...that sickening feeling that you just bought a bucket of rot and can't bring yourself to admit it...
Time? This project could take years...in the meantime, I am not on the water...
Workspace? Without a good place to do this, this could quickly become a nightmare...
Materials sourcing? Most have to have stuff shipped at some pretty high costs that could otherwise go towards the rebuild...
Better Halves? This can lead to some serious interpersonal issues at home, beware...
Budgets and Life? Both can bring these projects to a screeching halt for what could be very long periods of time and sometimes even cause the demise of these projects...
MBS- This is a disease that can strike at any moment after the first boat is acquired which can lead to a yard full of boats...not always a bad thing, though...

The end of this is you need to be an informed consumer and learn to look before you leap...I can wholeheartedly say I was NOT one of those enlightened consumers...:witless:
A boat restoration is not something on most peoples "Bucket List"...
It is something a few brave souls end up undertaking for a myriad of reasons, which if followed through to the end can give that person a sense of satisfaction and pride of ownership, that only those who have ventured in these waters can truly appreciate...
OK, now get out there and grind some glass and buck some rivets...

PS- I might know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows someone, who can maybe hook you up with a couple torpedoes...:spy: