First boat purchase a 1960 13-footer

[SlightlySalty]

Hello. [I am n]ew to the southeast coast and plan to purchase my first boat. I found a 1960 SPORT 13, detailed in:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vEE2tB1ubVPLZD7W9

--and--

https://charleston.craigslist.org/boa/d ... 42365.html.

The owners say they take out [the SPORT 13] regularly during the summer. [The owners say they] had a mechanic in the family that would work on the engine and make repairs as needed. Once last summer they needed SeaTow.

[The owners say there are] no known soft spots in the hull. (See picture below). I wish to spend between $2,000 to $3,000. [The owners] are asking $3,500.

Fig. 1. 1960 SPORT 13 for sale at $3,500.

00505_6cgfzz1qFn2_600x450.jpg (59.39 KiB) Viewed 3766 times

Does [$3,500] sound reasonable?

I'm concerned about the some of the cracks in the gel coat and the cracking on the bow eye. I don't mind putting in some work in the off-season, but I would like to be able to use it this spring and summer. I am looking for a maintenance hobby--not a restoration project--and the ability to enjoy the water.

Thanks for helping a newbie get into boating.

[Jefecinco]

The boat looks to be in decent shape. I would want to sea trial it before making an offer to see if it floats low and to give the engine a good working test. The boat looks original but a painted hull will detract from the value. I would also examine the trailer to determine if the springs have been replaced. All old engines are suspect but if the owner has some receipts to verify the overhaul it may have a few more good years in it.

If you are satisfied with the boat make an offer. Keep in mind that boats are selling well now that it is warming up so your offer should be close to the asking price which appears to me to be reasonable.

[jimh]

Although not described in the article, one picture shows the boat has an MC registration number, so the boat was from Michigan. The registration expires this month, so it was registered about three years ago in Michigan. This suggests mostly freshwater use until recently. The boat is now in Charleston, South Carolina. The pictures also show an Evinrude 35-HP engine, apparently one with a long shaft that has been adapted to the 15-inch transom height on this 59-year-old boat using some sort of metal mounting plate of a design I have not seen before.

About 25 years ago, around 1995, you could have bought this boat when it was only 34-years-old in Michigan for about $1,200 to $1,500--that was the price for 13-foot Boston Whaler boats back then. Considering that it looks like nothing has been done to this boat in the intervening 25-years, I am not sure how a price increase of $2,000 to $2,300 is justified--other than by the relentless upward pull of the cost increase of new 13-foot Boston Whaler boats.

I can't offer much advice from a few pictures. Usually people only show pictures of something to another person when the picture is flattering. So I would like to see the boat in person before I bought it. Go take a close look at the boat in person. Start the engine. Go for a ride.

Re the hull color--the exterior hull does look rather bright white, which makes me wonder if it was re-painted. Some of the photos show two colors of hull around the chips and abrasions.

What is the model year on the 35-HP Evinrude engine? The cowling colors look rather vintage. Evinrude used a variety of cowling colors in certain years. I'd want to narrow down the engine age.

I am also confused by the link to a for-sale listing that claims a great deal of restoration was done to the boat. The photo gallery link does not show any restoration.

The seats look like they have been stained to some ugly dark brown color. The original wood was beautiful mahogany plank. If the original seats are under that awful brown stain, they would be much more valuable. If the stain is applied to hide some replacement wood, that is not a good substitute. If the boat is a 1960 vintage, it could have some added value to some buyers, but only if it were in museum-grade restoration.

By the way, I like the description of the degree of interest in working on the boat as "maintenance hobby." That is much like my own preference.