CONTINUOUSWAVE

{Imputed Question:] Is a 2003 160 DAUNLTESS hull with no major damage worth $2,950?



LONG BACKSTORY:
I have owned the 2003 Dauntless 160 for about two years. I bought it for $14,000. Most everything was original: a 2002 115-HP EFI four-stroke-power-cycle engine with around 400-hours run time, a good trailer, trailer, and all in clean condition.

The 2003 DAUNTLESS 160 boat was working great for what I needed. On Lake St. Clair two people could fish even in rough weather and still stay dry.

In August 2021 the boat trailer was hit in a rear-end collision on an expressway. The trailer and the engine are a total loss. The hull has some scratches but no holes or anything major. My insurance company will "total" the boat and motor for $15,000 and then they would take the boat, engine, and trailer. I could buy then buy back the rig for $2,950. I would effectively be left with a hull that needs some fiberglass repairs, I'd need a new engine, most likely new cables, and another trailer. My net from insurance would be about $12,000.

I could buy a used trailer--the trailer isn't covered by the insurance anyway. I found a used one might fit for $1,000.

I can get a new Mercury 115-HP engine for $10,700 if I drive to another state, effectively $11,000 the cost of travel.

I know I will need a more stuff.

If the hull of the 2003 DAUNTLESS 160 has no real structural damage, and your cost to retain the hull is only $2,950, and if you like the boat, then you should buy-back the hull. Minor scratches to the gel coat can be easily repaired.

The critical point: there must be no actual structural damage to the hull.

Another element: do you like the boat? Or do you want to take the full insurance money and move to a larger boat?

If you also get the engine as part of the buy-back, the engine still has value. Since the engine power head was not running, the damage might be minimal. It could be sold or mated with a new midsection and mount.

In today's market a Dauntless 160 without motor would be purchased for $5,000.

Finding a new or a used outboard and a trailer will be what requires a little bit of work and a whole lot of patience.

Just a short follow up and some answers:

- yes, I did/do love the boat, very practical for my needs;
- I ended up buying it back; and yes, the engine is part or the buy-back;
- a few more pictures of the damage attached...

Now the fun begins...

Any bow damage?

Very little; I have some side damage from over a year ago that I'll try fixing at this point as well, but that was me (scraping it along a steel seawall).

I don't see anything too serious. The only thing that catches my eye is the first close-up photo of the transom, it looks like the fiberglass skin might be peeling off the portside strake. That might turn into a somewhat larger area of repair than it first appears, but nothing here looks structural.

Correct, the biggest damage is where you pointed it out and one more spot, not as bad as the first one though - two close-up photo's attached

You've got some work to do but really it doesn't look all that bad. And you get a new engine out of it, so that eases the pain a bit. If you haven't seen Tom W. Clark's article on hull repair, check it out at https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/whalerRepair.html. Good luck!

-Bob