TOPIC: How do i value this boat?

I'm new here - my father is considering selling his 1950-ish Leavens Bros fiberglass boat with wood deck.

Can anybody suggest how we might go about evaluating its worth? We aren't boat collectors by any stretch, its just been our family boat for the last 35 years or so but my folks are getting on in age & won't be using it much.

Its an 18' Leavens Bros (out of Toronto), wood deck, fiberglass hull (foam filled a few years ago). 85 hp 2 stroke suzuki outboard. Everything works well, but it of course needs some TLC before anyone would consider it in "great" shape.

Image attached (i think...)

Thanks in advance for any help and advice you can give.

James

That's a beautiful boat,do not sell it,keep it! The lousy 1500-2000 that you get for it will be spent and forgotten in know time.The memories that your Dad has left you and the family on that boat will live on forever.I do not know how many people have posted on here wishing they still had Dads boat,it's a long list and I am on it.You have a chance to make that boat part of your family's history,keep it and you will never kick yourself in the ass for selling it,trust this old man's advice ............If I did anything I would try and find the "first" motor he had on it and retro fit it.Good luck!

I agree - i'm torn about his decision. We took it out last week to take this picture, it was the first time in probably 15 years that i had been a sat in the back with my dad driving up front. Boy did it bring back a few memories from when i was a kid...

It had an old Johnson 75 hp outboard - seemed as big as a dishwasher to me as a kid. We unofficially named the boat the "maybe", because maybe it would go... maybe it wouldn't... The quickstart was always somewhere on board.

I guess he sees that we (my young family) ride around in our boat quite a lot (just a simple bowrider - a boat i wouldn't ever miss). The "Maybe" never really goes out. It rides rough, never could get trimmed right, and is tough to drive.

But i'd miss it...

But what would i do with it...?

Drive, take it to shows that aren't too far away. I know what Mr.88 is saying. I kept our family boat and haven't regretted it. Put a lot of work into her but it's been well worth it. I like the way she turned out and she's been a lot of fun. My avatar is part of the cockpit. She's an 18' Wagemaker Clipper, fiberglass hull and Mahogany wood top. Yours, your dad's, is a great looking boat and I would get a vintage motor to put in her. Mine has a 1959 Evinrude "Fat Fifty". She sucks gas but it's still a blast to drive. Just my 2 cents.

Bob

PRICELESS, and priceless means it could be left to your children someday. My Grandchildren wants Pappy's neat little boat now and the oldest one is 5. Don't get to hasty, think it through. Once gone then it's gone.

I agree with everyone's thoughts here. The few thousand you'll get for it will be gone before you know it. If the boat has trouble handling, talk to us. Most handling issues can be solved by changing propellers, looking at weight balance (lots of ways to fix those), etc. And, I'm not familiar with Leavans Bros, and I've been doing this for a long time. You may have a rare one there. A quick check of the Glassic Library shows nothing for Leavans Bros, so it's another 50's manufacturer that needs to be added to the library. I'll check with Lee Wangstad and see if he has any info on them.

Where was the photo taken?

Leavens Bros were a boat manufacturer out of Toronto from the 50's to the 70's I think. The photo was taken on "Little Lake" (one of the thousands...) one lock up from georgian bay ontario on the trent/severn.

When i was a kid, there used to be 3 on the water in our area. There's just been ours for the last 25 years easily though.

I appreciate the help!

From that picture I can see Dad enjoying himself,thats his baby,no way do I sell it.Damm he even has madprops official hat on,sweeeet. Does that have some sort of convertable center section on the hard top? Looks like it with the "ol man" sitting on the backrest of the seat.

The more I look, the more I love the lines of that boat. And it's got the best of both worlds; leak free hull, and the beauty of wood. Perfect.

Keep the boat. A lot of the problems that you listed can be fixed. What you could probably get by selling the bowrider could probably take care of all of the issues with something left over. Once it's gone.......

Mr. 88 wrote:

From that picture I can see Dad enjoying himself,thats his baby,no way do I sell it.Damm he even has madprops official hat on,sweeeet. Does that have some sort of convertable center section on the hard top? Looks like it with the "ol man" sitting on the backrest of the seat.

Yes, there's 3 ribs that go across the "roof" line and a canvas top that snaps down. Dad is indeed sitting on top of the backrest of the front seat - the only way one can see over that bow to drive it.

The hat may well be as old as the boat! Here's another pic of it.

DC, the boat looks to be in wonderful shape, there is an antique boat club in Toronto that would help you out Im sure. That boat deserves to travel the trent severn for many years to come. The suziki is just wrong a period engine would be awesome.

I can't tell who has a wider smile,Gramps or the grandson,sporting the shades,great pic.!

That last photo gave me all the information I need to place a value on your Dad's boat. Priceless. Long after your dad is gone, you will have the boat, and that picture, and the memory of 3 generations of men enjoying it together. Try to put a price on that.

OK we have tow posts listing it as PRICELESS. If you can't see out while cruising my guess is you need more weight up front. Even the weight of the battery would make a difference. When my dog walks around I can feel the change in handling and she is about 40 lbs.

Hi DreamCar,
I gather that you must sense a pattern to the responses about getting rid of your family boat from these guys here. One thing that you'll find about these guys is the simple fact that we all, and many thousands more, treat old boats as a Passion and not just a business that allows us to cash-out at the end of a boats useful life. Priceless also means Endless. Keep your boat and your memories and your heritage.

But i'd miss it...

You're damn right you would.

Shipster

Well, i know what I'll be doing this father's day - talking him out of selling it. I think i subconciously must have known how this thread would end as i read the title of my original post. I didn't say "how do i price this boat", which would have been a clearer way of stating my question.

I don't think i'll have too much trouble if i tell him i'd like to refinish it. Neither of us need the cash, i think he was just being pragmatic & seeing that it wasn't getting used much.

I'll need some advice on finishing though...

Any ideas of a good forum where folks might know about how to fix a fist sized hole in 50's fiberglass hull? Bottom is foam filled, so its not like its leaking.

Thanks all.

I really appreciate it.

OK, well to start with this forum is a good place to start for the repair. Check the restoration tab above and read the fiberglass repair article by Jamil Mahdi.
If the hole is in the hull and below or near the water line it's leaking guarantee it. Just because it's filled with foam doesn't mean it's stopping the water from coming in. The water will get in and the foam will act like a sponge.
How long has the boat been out of the water again? It might be fine if it's been out for quite a few years. There may have been enough time for it to dry out. Others with more experience with hull foam can chime in here. Read the repair article to start with and ask your questions in this forum.

Bob

Happy to help on glass repair techniques and wood finishing.

Waterwings wrote:

OK, well to start with this forum is a good place to start for the repair. Check the restoration tab above and read the fiberglass repair article by Jamil Mahdi.
If the hole is in the hull and below or near the water line it's leaking guarantee it. Just because it's filled with foam doesn't mean it's stopping the water from coming in. The water will get in and the foam will act like a sponge.
How long has the boat been out of the water again? It might be fine if it's been out for quite a few years. There may have been enough time for it to dry out. Others with more experience with hull foam can chime in here. Read the repair article to start with and ask your questions in this forum.

Bob

Thanks - the boat has generally been on a lift for the last 15 years, only in the water when its in use (5-10 hours per year?). The hole is new, 2 weeks ago it was in the water & broke its line in a storm, twisted around & hit a rock on the shore. Its just above the water line, but i'm sure water will go in with the waves. I'll probably pull it out of the water on a trailer, let it dry, then try the repair.

Wood just needs sanding, staining, and varnishing.

I'll search around & see what i can find here on the wood finishing & fiberglass repair. I'll post a pic of the hole after the weekend, any suggestions would be welcome!

Thanks again all.