TOPIC: A question of value

Hi all. I had been a member of this site once a couple years ago and found all the members to be a wealth of knowledge. I am the proud owner of a 1962 dorsett skibird that curently has no floor and is in need of a transom rebuild. My question is what would the estimated value of the boat be completely restored and painted back to factory correct colours. I have done many hours research and have hard a near impossible time even finding this boat. As a note i have very little interest in selling my completed glassic i am just curious to find out a value and the rarity.
Thanks in advance to all.
Mime

.M.: Our LIBRARY is showing the Ski Bird is the smallest Dorsett at 14 ft. Does not have any racy lines like the Calif counterpart Glasspar G-3., Performer HAVOC, Nylox, etc.. Outside of any family sentimental value, I have not heard of any collector interest..

Working on it yourself would be a good learning skills.. Hiring
a pro would be very hard to re-coup your investment. IMO .

All of the Dorsett talk is about the cabin models.. ,or a 17'
with Luxury trim. www.fiberglassics.com/library/File:Dorsettb61007.jpg

The answer to the value of a classic fiberglass boat is simple, although probably not what you want to hear: "It's worth what you can get for it." Ideally, you'd find a buyer who appreciates the rarity and wants it as bad as you did. Unfortunately, the rarity prevents "comps" to get an idea of worth.

Although after restoration, the value will not equal the cost of restoration, classical glass appreciates or at least holds it's value. Compared to a new boat which will have a fair market value of somewhere near 40% of it's original cost after 10 years, your boat could well appreciate enough to cover the restoration cost...a break-even scenario when you eventually sell. There's not a new boat owner in the world that will ever experience that.

For the purposes of establishing a selling price, the best way would be to insure it for the maximum they will allow. Then you would have something to point to when negotiating.

Thank you to all for the replys. Like i said i dont think I will sell, just a curiosity. I used to work in a glass shop so i have the skills to undertake it solo and i got the boat for free dollars so there is just time invested so far.
I will post some pics of the restoration and hopefully it comes out as nice or close to some of the gems all of you have posted on this awsome site.
Mike

Mikes Dorsett,

A belated WELCOME ABOARD to you.

Over the years, I've owned at least 50 rigs of various sorts. - Some of our members have over 50 boats RIGHT NOW!
(Being "bounced around" by the Army's MP Corps is not condusive to "having a lot of boats".)

MPs "travel"; that's the ONE thing that you CAN count on, other than (In the words of CSM Edwin F. Farmer, long ago "promoted to Eternal Glory",): "You will get hurt or killed on this job, sooner or later.- The lot of a 'sheepdog, that stands between the sheep & the wolves' is NOT often pretty or peaceful. Prepare for that mentally OR go do something else for a living".
(Sacred to the memory of all the GIs & especially the US MILITARY POLICE, who have bled & fallen for LIBERTY.)

IF I counted my time at 10 cents an hour, I would have LOST money on every one that I sold.
OTOH, you CAN get a value "for insurance purposes" from an appraiser of watercraft.- FYI, I once "fixed up" a 18 foot Texas Maid & was STUNNED when the company's own appraiser in Dallas (Our "homeowner's insurance carrier DEMANDED it & paid for him to come "check out" the boat, motor & trailer.) "valued it" at 6,000 bucks!
(I think that in 1975 that I may have had as much a 500.oo total in the purchase price AND materials.)

yours, satx

To put it bluntly, I hope your not thinking of retiring after the sale. Unless we have a big trend where everyone wants an old sculpted from fiberglass classic boat most of us will never get back the actual dollars spent. But If you ask me if it was worth what I have in it. I would say yes. I don't want to own a new bass buggy. I want to be different. I am also close to broke so that is why I first bought an old boat. It floated. It took a little while for the bug to bite me. But now I'm the proud owner of two pre-1960's boats and several outboards. I have good friends and a wonderful wife and family. I am rich beyond belief. If I would sale my boats I think I would not be quite as happy. My 58 MFG is worth at least $1,500 to me. But if I would sell it I would be lucky to get $600. My 59 Winner is the same story. In fact I can almost guarantee my neighbor next door laughs at me and my old boats, and trucks because he looks a s classic as old and junky. I look at his new Challenger as a piece of junk. Hey if your new car has 6,000 miles on it and the front tires are bald you have a problem because the dealer will do nothing to fix it. Keep the boat , it will really grow on you. And you will get compliments on it from new bass buggy owners. Happens to me, often.

robert-lorigan,

EXACTLY SO!
Also, I would much prefer "No easy monthly payments" on a $$$$$$$$$ boat, when I can pay 2-300.oo or less cash for one & put 500.oo in materials into it.

yours, satx

This Skibird has been in my yard for the last 3 years, i started all gung ho to fix it up and have a classic gem to be proud of. I took the floor up, templated the stringers sculpted the the new center stringer, and i have the template for the transom done. Being that i was 25 at the time with a new business starting and establishing i never had the time with funds or funds with time. Three years later i now have both. I am very excited to get under way. I also bave a fully rebuilt 1970 evinrude 33hp. ski twin for the transom. I think with the cowl and the boat refurbished it will be a winning combo on the water.
Thank you all for the warm welcome and I look foward to picking all of your brains over the upcoming months.
Cheers
Mike

Picking our brains will be slim pickens! None of us are captains of industry or wealthy eccentrics who buy old boats because we're bored. However, we have a wealth of past mistakes that you would do well to avoid and therein lies our value as mentors.

No monthly payments is "where it's at." Also, there's something magical about resurrecting a boat from the dead...a feeling of accomplishment. When finished, some of my boats draw crowds at the marina, even though they are berthed right next to $50K+ jobs. That doesn't hurt my ego.

Value is subjective: I once had a guy offer me $8,000 for a boat I didn't particularly want to sell but since it was only worth maybe $3,000 to someone who knew anything about old boats, I did what anyone would do in the same situation. I said, "Make it $9,000 and you have a deal. He still owns it.

The whole point is fun. Once I became a world class $500 boat restorer, I also became an international chick magnet and the third most interesting man in the world. It could happen to you...and that beats the hell out of golf!

This my MFG used just for fishiing. I draw a different crowd even on land. Kelsey , Bob Jr., Paige and Cristen. Megan is less than a year old and nor in the pic. All Lorigans and the lower pic is of My Babe.