TOPIC: Saving a Blue Star

Hello all, haven't been on the forum in a LONG time, but I knew I had to come share this with my finned comrades...
An ad on my local Craigslist popped up a couple of weeks ago for a "Vintage 1958 Blue Star Islander". The price was $500 and the ad read "Vintage boat for sale, needs restoration, looks like a 1957 Chevy". There were no pics but thankfully they had included a phone number. I called and the lady who answered said she had listed the boat for her daughter whom had fell on hard times and needed the money. She had no real info on the boat and no pics to send me, but she gave me the address to go see the boat. I wasn't expecting the scene I found there. There was no trailer, and apparently they had laid the boat up on some old sawhorses which had partially collapsed, almost causing the boat to careen down into the back yard, you'll see what I mean in the pics. As soon as I saw her I knew she had to be saved - it broke my heart to see a rather large-finned beauty in that kind of neglected shape. Unfortunately some schlub had already been there to see the boat earlier that day and had promised the owner that he'd "take the boat for the full asking price if it hadn't sold by that coming Friday", so needless to say there was absolutely no negotiating on price...so begrudgingly I agreed to go ahead and buy and save her. I didn't know anything about "Blue Star" boats, but I simply loved her sleek, shapely figure and her rather large set of big, beautiful fins. The added bonus was that the seller had all the missing hardware and would include it with the boat.
It really didn't take too much effort to get her righted again and ready to travel. Thank goodness she wasn't holed and there was no hogging to speak of. Where she was sitting means I had to use the rollback and winch to get her out of there.
As some of you know I've saved a LOT of finned(and some non-finned!) boats in the past and have always sent them on to better homes to get restored, but I'm really partial to this one because of her perfect size(14') and clean lines, so the plan is to keep her and bring her back to life myself. Plus it's getting VERY hard to find any of these old finned beauties laying around anywhere.
Check her out...

Nice!

Awesome, great save and it even comes with all the hardware!!!!!!!!!!! Now just find a nice Tee Nee trailer for her and your set.

Bob

Nice find! Can't wait to see it in the water