To all of you that are trying to tell me not to go for it, your reasoning are sound. If I was going for this boat for what I could get for it after refurbishing, your are all absolutely right, it's not worth it.
But, if I turn it down, the main reason will be that at age 60 (almost), I have too many unfinished projects, especially the house which after 25 years still has a lot to finish off, if I want to consider selling for a decent
price at
retirement.
But if I do go for it, it will not be for its resale value after I am done with it, but because this had been my type of boat ever since I was a teenager, until I saw the "Klondike" from Glen-L catalogue (see my avatar). But in order to build the Klondike, I would need to win the lottery and soon, because I don't have a whole lot of years left of good
health to spend 4 years building it at a very rough ballpark cost of $70,000 or more. So this small cruiser would be my "affordable" dream boat.
When I look at boat dealers web site from around here, nobody has this type of boat any more. They are all open style,
fiberglass or this newer plastic type material, with lots of
power, built for speed and sleek look. So unless somebody can point out this type of boat that is not too old at a decent price, it does not mater what boat I find, it will be old and in need of
repair and upkeep. The other solution which has been on my mind is to go back to the Glen-L website to find a more "affordable" boat plan to build from scratch. But then, these are
wood boats which are heavier and needs more
maintenance that an aluminum boat.
Either way, whether I start with this "shell", which has a motor in need of
rebuild (cheaper that any used ones I have seen in this part of the country, which may also need repair) and already has a trailer, or I build from scratch, and have to buy a motor and a trailer, I am still looking at possibly $20,000 to have a boat on which I can sleep in while on a weekend or a week long journey in the Trent-Severn or the Rideau
Canal.
So, can anybody show me another option?
Deep inside, I believe I am and explorer that has been locked up because of
family obligations (raising 5
kids with my wife, on a
single income)and having to
work for a living. When I was a kid, my best times were spent following the shore lines on a small raft of
small boat, not speeding across the lake. As a teenager, I believe my best achievement was designing and building a 12'
plywood boat to use the 15 HP
mercury my dad was no longer using after he bought the 40 HP for the 16 footer (see attached pictures)( that is my brother driving, he is more of the "speeding across the lake" kind of guy)