Restoring boat costs

[osborn159]

Re: Restoring boat costs

well said lowkee

 

[tinkeringwackyone]

Re: Restoring boat costs

I agree with lowkee, I love the lines of my current sea ray, but can't stand the new ones. I had a 2000 ray (LOVED it) but had to sell it. (ironic huh) but found one I liked and now can have basically a new boat, after I rebuild her, and not worry about payments. Plus the satisfaction of doing it yourself is unbelievable. Some people just don't get that part. tink

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Restoring boat costs

I'm restoring mine, because in the end I will have a brand new interior, two fresh engines, a trailer and the whole deal the way I want it, for significantly less than a new, or even pre owned one.

Not to mention I have built enough things in the past, that doing the work is enjoyable and I can make it how I want it.

Same thing I did with my car, bought cheap, built it how I want, and love every thing about it.

 

[othelloears]

Re: Restoring boat costs

Given the economy right now it is DEFINATELY cheaper to buy a better boat. I bought a 1984 wellcraft elite 2 years ago for 1,500 and have spent so much restoring her at this point I don't like to even guess. I stopped counting after 10k and that does not include an engine. AND that is MATERIALS only! with 1,000 of hrs. Last year I did deck, stringer, reglassed the hull and painted the exterior. Needed a new stern drive. This spring I am painting the interior and topsides and doing new upholstery which I hope is the ned of it until I have to repower. I assume it will end up around 15k. Based on the market right now I could have gotten a much newer, nicer boat for that and have seen my kids for the last 2 years.

DON'T DO IT!

 

[jcupo6]

Re: Restoring boat costs

It really depends on many different factors. First and foremost, how much you paid for the project boat. It also depends on how you want the final product to look. If you are like me and got a real good deal for the boat, $600, and want the final project respectable but not absolutely perfect, than you should be able to restore for a reasonable price. In the end I will probably be somewhere between $3500 and $4000 total. This price includes a brand new outdrive, newly rebuilt motor, all new electronics, new bimini, new cover, and new deck. I have been following sound advice that I got from this site. Another user, can't remember who, claimed that it is best to keep some extra cash on the side and search for great deals all over the internet. If you do find a great deal jump on it, even if it is something you don't necessarily need right now. I was able to get my bimini top and custom cover for $79 each. They were both regularly over "300. It is time consuming and patience is key, but it does pay off in the end.

 

[NetMatrix]

Re: Restoring boat costs

The biggest costs in rebuilding a boat is the cosmitics. Like with me on one of my boats that I'm fully rebuilding it's $249.99 just for the single throttle lever, and $150.00 for the steering wheel. The cost like what has been said depends on how you want to rebuild it. Plus doing it over time will in a way save you money in the end since it's not all being spend at one time.

 

[noworries79]

Re: Restoring boat costs

I was lucky enough to get a hand-me-down '93 stratos bass boat from my father. The engine runs well and has been taken care of, so after the floors and stringers were rotting, I decided to give a re-build a try (especially after the inspiration from this forum). It will be well-worth the $500 to $700 bucks and many man-hours invested to get another 10 or 20 years out of her. The boat is only worth about $3000 anyway, so after the re-build it will be worth much more to me than anyone else.

Hey Silverado,
Have you thought about getting hold of a 60' mold, releasing agent and batching alot of lightweight concrete? I am in engineering and I thought you could get a laugh from some concrete humor. I have seen a hull made of concrete that floats!

Tight lines

 

[archbuilder]

Re: Restoring boat costs

I'm setting next to the folder with the receipts in it for my project....I just open it and put in the new ones....then close it. I'll add it up when I'm done, but this project won't make any sense to my accountant! Its all about taking something that everyone else looks at as junk, having a vision, then turning it into a diamond....nothing like stepping back at the end of the day and seeing what you have done! That is worth a LOT to me!

 

[micks110]

Re: Restoring boat costs

Exactly what Arch Said!

I told myself I won't add everything up until I am totally finished with my 62 Arkansas Traveler.

I am guessing right now I have about $1500 into it. Not bad for a free boat. I'm not worried about what the boat is worth in the end. I wanted to do this so the wife, kids and I have something that we can do together on the weekends.

The biggest bill so far was on the seacast for my stringers and transom- about $650. The other costs are basically the fibergalss, resin, filler and paint(liquid gold!).

All in all I am really enjoying doing the work myself and I am saving a ton of money doing it this way. Yes it takes alot of time but as long as you allocate/manage your time well everything else falls into place. Heck, I had an estimate that my transom alone to have someone else do it would cost me $1200-1500 alone- that is my entire budget so far! When I am done I know exactly what I have into it and I know the quality of work is to my standard.

 

[jspano]

Re: Restoring boat costs

cost of boat restore... undetermined at this time (i'm counting the welder as a tool purchase and not part of the restore).

cost of family helping when i need 3 or more hands and talking about what we can do when it's all done ... priceless!

i watch more threads then i post to, and there i'm always seeing guys with their family helping out. and i think that's what some of these restores are about. today families spend less time together, sometimes we just need a project for an excuse. i can't tell you how many times i start doing something on the boat and one by one the family comes out. alot of the times the work slows down but i don't mind one bit.

it's all part of making that boat your own

 

[kilowatts]

Re: Restoring boat costs

Hi Guys:

My current and probably last project is a Grew/Slickcraft SS215. It's the third boat I've rebuilt or refurbished and exactly what I want. Before I started I had absolutely no mechanical aptitude whatsoever but I've enjoyed messing with all three boats so much that I couldn't put a price on the experience, never mind owning a much better designed and built boat that is currently available for a fraction of the price of its equivalent. Right now I can go pretty well wherever I want and know for sure that I can fix a problem and get home, couldn't do that if I bought a new one, eh?
All in all, I just love "farting about" on the boat more than I can say and when my Grandson asks me "What shall we do on the boat today, Grandpa?" the smile on my face almost splits my head in half! So, I guess all of the above is why I do it.

kilowatts

 

[TitanTea]

Re: Restoring boat costs

I have sourced the majority of my parts on places like Ebay,Craigslist,iboats or fabricated from scratch. When I'm finished I am going to have a sound like new boat. Is it new? Nope its a 1986. If I bought one in the same shape mine will be in when finished it would of cost me easily 1/3 more. If I bought a similar boat brand new? I would of paid 10x or 15x more. Besides I like workn on my boat. Cant buy that kind of fun. I will be happy when I am finished but it will be sad since I have worked on it now for 5 months and it has been great fun and a learning experience.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Restoring boat costs

By the time I am done with the Batboat I believe I will have spent a little under $3,000, including the price of the craft.

This is a total top to bottom rebuild of everything. Stripped down to the gel coat and rebuilt.