CONTINUOUSWAVE

We set out one afternoon last week to do a little boating. The weather was fair, lots of sun, and Grand Traverse Bay was dead calm. In the 30-minutes it took us to get the boat launched off the trailer and underway, a brisk NE breeze came up, and there were whitecaps forming on the open water. We amended our route to stay confined in Northport Bay, and took a shore cruise along the western side of Northport Point, in its lee and in nicely calm water.

The homes on Northport Point are quite stately. This section of the shoreline has been a gated community for about 50-years, so I have never actually been able to drive out on the point and see these mansions. Gazing at them from seaward is as close as I can get. But I noticed a curious phenomenon: we saw at least three homes with very elaborate docks on which there were pre-1971 Boston Whaler 13-footers stowed on boat lifts. And while underway we encountered two more 13-foot Boston Whalers out on the water enjoying their own shoreline cruise. I found this quite interesting: that people who own million-dollar (or more) shorefront homes still use a 45 to 50-year-old Boston Whaler boat as their small boat. This illustrates the enduring appeal of the classic 13-footer--and also its endurance.

Although our Sport 13 is a little rough it gets at lot of attention at the launch ramp and any fuel dock we use. The worst anyone has had to say was,"That's a nice looking boat."

If we could see into the garages of the homes that jimh is talking about we would see many more Whalers stored just in case they are needed again.

An example of liking your old Whaler was demonstrated to me one day I stopped by the Boat Yard in Northport a few years ago. An owner of a 16' Nauset made the call to not continually maintain the wood console and seat any longer. He told the boat yard to order a fiberglass console and RPS for a classic Montauk to install in the old hull. Most of the folks that read this would recognize his last name and he surely could afford a new Montauk if he chose to buy one.

Our new-to-us 1969 13-foot just looks good on my beach.

Con

Newer and more expensive do not make a boat more valuable. The value of the 13 lies in its functionality, and it is this value that appeals to owners that could afford a much more expensive boat.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

And the worse comment I have had on my refurbished 82 about like Jefecinco's (and that was from an owner of a brand new $30K fishing rig).

My wife and I took our 1976 Sport 13 to a chain of lakes in the Pinckney Recreation Area of mid-Michigan yesterday. We had 3 positive comments on the boat! My wife cannot believe all the notice we receive when using it. I've spent 2 years cleaning, sanding, and waxing, as well as repowering with a Suzuki DF30A. It does look great and runs just as well.
Bob