What is my boat worth?

June 27, 2002

Dear Ginger,

What is my boat worth? If I restore it, will I ever get my money back?

People often ask me these questions. The answer varies according to the situation. First of all, I remind them that these boats went out of popularity back in the sixties when fiberglass came in. Now the market is weak because only nostalgic, retired folks that have time to fool around with varnish would want it. Advertising in the paper, it is often difficult to get $1,500.00 for a nice working wooden boat and motor on a trailer which would cost you 4 or 5,000.00 dollars to duplicate. On the other hand if you find someone who has money and is just dying to have the very boat you have and this is the model their dad had when they were a kid, suddenly your rig is much more valuable and you could be smiling all the way to the bank.

Restoration is an entirely different story. You have to pay a skilled American to labor away at your project or do it yourself. Either way, to do it right, it runs into thousands of hours and the most costly materials available. It is extremely unlikely that you will get your money back. Fine restoration is done for love. The love of the vessel, its history, the beautiful lines the draftsman drew, the quality materials they used and the craftsmanship of the men that lived through the depression and then won the war. Each treasure from the past has an old time look that reminds us of our past and suddenly we are young again. If that is something you love then you can derive the satisfaction of seeing it all come back a step at a time under the guidance of someone who has skills similar to those that built it in the first place. Dreaming of using your restored boat, and watching the progress can add a measure of excitement to life that is comparable to dating your first love. There’s a lot more to this than just the money! When you’re done you have something unique that everyone enjoys and treasures that always is a joy to look upon and makes every boating trip into a special, fabulous event. People stop, everywhere you go, just to see your special beauty, how could you top this? You may never get your money out of it but you will always be happy that you made an investment in something that enriched your life.

Sincerely, Your Friend,
Howard P. Johnson Jr.