Quote:
Originally Posted by flatbutt
This has the makings of a short story. Please do carry on.
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Haha. My stories are never short. Mrs Dave is always telling me to hurry up and get to the point🤔. But I like to write. And if i can entertain a few of you, then part 2.
Instantly our search parameters changed. Our broker guy suddenly became a co-conspirator. Turned out he liked old boats. And didnt like old people who came to Florida, and bought expensive things that never left the marina. O pulled out my phone then and showed him a pic of my ‘57 daily driver, and said show us some boats you think i might like.
He did. For the next 2 days. In particular a Hinckley B-40, which was in rough shape but had a lot of influence later in what i was looking for. It had the feel of an old porsche. Form follows function. Simple. Quality. And we also wandered through boatyards with our new friend, as he explained hull types, keels, construction techniques, rudder mechanisms, and props. A different perspective, seeing boats out of the water. He fed us from the firehose, and we swallowed every drop.
After returning home, i resumed my online searches. Yacht World had an antique and classic category! I lookef at everything. By early summer i had list of 10 i was seriously interested in. Fortunately Mrs Dave and i share our tastes in a lot of things, and for the most part we were in agreement. I started calling. Mostly brokers but also a few owners. 6 of the boats were in Maine, or nearby. Mrs Dave and i had always wanted to see Maine ( just like Masraum) so she booked us a couple airline tickets.
By the time we got there, one boat, my top pick, had sold. Two were unavailable for inspection. But there were still 3, including my 2nd and 3rd favorites. We made an appointment for each, one per day. Our first day we drove to Camden, thoroughly loving the countryside. That evening we walked down to the harbor. The boats there just blew my mind. So many. And so many were stunning.
The next day we drove to Castine to see the first boat. A 46’ “cutter”. 57 years old, and wood hull. I was a littie uncertain about wood, but had talked a lot with Alec from Artisan Boatworks, and he had calmed my fears. Its worked for 1000’s of years. Required care and maintenance practices, but nothing tp be scared of . The boat was out the water, in the owners barn. Alec went with us to inspect it. I loved it. Fantastic. Simply beautiful. The history was amazing. It had been sone very serious places. It did need some work. A bottom job, which Alec was honest about what it would cost, but overall was a very sound boat. The owner had been doing his own “ brightwork” ( the varnished exterior teak”. He was a good guy, but i could tell he was not “handy”. Nothing that could not be put right with time. But Mrs Dave had reservations. And i could see her point. Below decks was beautiful, but also very tight. There was a lot of wasted space.
Day 2 took us to Mt Desert Island, and Southwest Harbor to see a Hinckley. It was a nice boat, also “on the hard” in Hinckleys yard . It was much better laid out inside, very spacious and comfortable. Mrs Dave liked it. I was less impressed though than expected. Also, it was completely original, effectively as built. Which was cool, but also sobering. Well cared for. Well maintained. Everything in good eorking order. But I sensed a lot would soon be needing replacement simply from age, wear, and that more modern upgrades would be desirable. The Hinckley broker took us out in the harbor to see several more boats in the water, all very nice, including a beautiful B-40. I still really liked those, but a littie smaller inside than either Mrs Dave or myseif was comfortable with.