TOPIC: Are we "hoarders?"

A line in another post got me to thinking, "...these things aren't getting easier to find..." Are we stockpiling vintage boats and glassics?
With that in mind, how many on here have MORE THAN ONE BOAT? How many of them are finished? How many 'in progress?' Waiting to find parts? How many setting outside, waiting for someday? What about spare outboards?

OK I'll start, "Hi, my name is Jim, and I'm a boat hoarder." I own 4, one late model, one lummie that is done, and two glassics that I can't work on without a garage, or spare time, so they're just sitting. But,,, someday,,,

I wised up and got rid of a bunch of old boats. Soon the last one will be gone, and my Power Cat will be done, and I will be enjoying the fruits of my labor. Unless I pick up that old Carlson Contender...

Frank

Hi,my name is Jack and I am a boat hoarder.I have 5 boats,over
100 outboards and a half acre of aluminium and pot metal.Its
great to see I am not alone.
Jack in AZ

Hi I'm Doug and I'm a boat hoarder. As of now I have 23. Only one is completely finished and lake ready at the moment ('58 Lonestar Malibu), as two of my other lake ready boats are down for a while waiting on some updates and repairs I decided to go ahead and start on. All are outside except one, some are covered and some not. I certainly will be hoarding more as time goes on I'm afraid. I even got baptised this past Sunday wering my fiberglassics T shirt under my robe!

In my humble opinion (which we all know what that is worth!) the simple answer is YES, but it really is a complicated question.

If you own numerous classic/antique boats (cars, air planes, tractors, any grown up toys..) and you allow them to rot to dust rather than sell them to someone who wants to restore, then maybe you are a hoarder.

If you have every intention of restoring and using your boats, but currently lack time, space or money and you store the boat in such away to prevent further decay, then no you are probably not a hoarder.

But worse than a hoarder, again in my opinion, are those folks that buy old boats (or other toys) from others at below a fair market price only to resell to a collector at an insanely high price. And the collector that buys these boats, paying way too much, then restore and the squirrel them away only to be viewed by a select few (the Jay Leno of boats). These two groups are the folks that have driven the cost of collecting classic anything beyond the reach of the average Joe.

I experienced this first hand for 20 years of classic car restoration and collecting. Dealing with sellers that knew nothing about what they were selling (because they had just bought it themselves) except that it should command a high price. This not only drives up prices but these “flippers” usually doing nothing to trace or preserve the history of the item and often make cheap and improper repairs to allow them to sell at even higher prices. We all know the story…..

I have never been able to be accused of hoarding, since I lack the space, and the money to do so and most importantly a spouse that makes sure my toys are either working and used or gone!

Hi, My name is Bernie and I am a boat hoarder (I guess...) I currently have 4 boats, A 1966 Powercat that I drove last weekend, a lummie with a 1957 Johnson 18HP that I caught 5 bluegills out of Saturday, a 1995 28' Harris pontoon that I was out in yesterday and a 1970 Glastron Carlson Contender with a mongrel Mercury inline (100 hp powerhead mated to a BP midsection mated to a stock gearcase) that is somewhere in east Texas still waiting for a ride to east Tennessee. Thats not to mention the 85 hp Johnson that I am parting out on my engine stand in the garage, the GlassStream bass boat at my son's house or the identical twin lark '50's we have for sale on craigslist or the 2 Caravelle I-O's that we are trying to get consolidated in to one working boat to sell.


Lets see, thats really (one, two, three....uh, seven?) boats and one, two, three, ....uh eight?) motors....

Well, maybe I do have a boating problem....

Hello, My name is Tom, and although I don't consider myself a hoarder, I do feel like I have the "old boat disease". Whenever I find or see or hear about an old boat that's for sale, my mind starts racing, and I'm either on the phone or in the truck to go check it out...and 9 times out of 10, I either drag it home with me, or wind up geting it, and whatever other old boats, motors, or trailers that they have. Not to mention the ones that I see on the way to get the one I called about.

I remember going to Pratt, KS to get a boat I won on ebay once, (about a 4 hour trip one way) and wouldn't you know, on the corner where I turned to go to the guy's house, there were 4 boats setting there..long story short, I made 4 more trips to Pratt, KS, to get more boats and motors.

My situation is slightly different, as I am a boat dealer. So if I don't have boats available, I don't have any to sell, so I have to keep the inventory up. At this point, I have approx. 85 boats. Several are walk-thru's and tri-hulls, which I have no use for, and there really isn't much of a market for. However, I do have a few classic boats that I have been holding on to to restore someday. About a month ago, I finally decided that I don't even have time to work on my fishing boat, let alone the time to restore a classic boat, and I'm really not a "show boat" guy, so I decided to sell them off.

Since then, I have sold approx. 10-12 of my "keepers" at what I feel was a fair market price. I do admit I make money on them, but not enough to make a living off of. By the time I figure my time and fuel costs, I might make between $50.00-$250.00 on them.

I guess for me, it's all about gathering them up and making them available to people that have the time, money, and desire to restore them and get them back on the water...

Hi My name is Jim and I have a boat disease. I buy and collect to restore and use for my own personal feelings of pleasure (shared with my beautiful wife and loving children of course).
As well I purchase boats, motors and or parts (new and used) to save from the scrap heap so that I can enable my fellow boat hoarding individuals (c'mon you know who you are) so that they can also enjoy p-l-e-a-s-u-r-e with these esteemed toys for grown ups.

Yes I do this partially for a living because A, I love it and am very passionate about it and B, because since losing my job of 14 years it helps me pay the mortgage and other bills instead of sitting on my duff whining and waiting for someone or our govt for a hand out. My name is Jim I have 7 boats (1 usable 2 nearly usable), a barn full of motors and parts, I am an American and I can earn my way and be the "boat a holic" I have always wanted to be and help enable others!!!

It feels so good to get that off my chest.

My name is Todd and I am a boat hoarder. (hello, Todd) I have been working very diligently and am now on step 5 of my recovery program. I am down to 2 classic runabouts (both running, but undergoing some maintenance), a 14 ft sailboat and a windsurfer. I recently sold a bigger sailboat but I am looking for a replacement. I really don't need any more glassics (but the Flying Ray might make me slip back into the darkness - call it demon glass). I have some miscellaneous parts that I will most likely part with over time. I am limited by cash, lack of time and fear of zoning. Shall we all meet back here tomorrow?

I'm not a hoarder. Really, I'm not- I'm a collector!

The first one was a 1960 Glasspar Citation. I loved the lines, and the price was right.... I had restored a lot of boats before- Mostly woodies, though, and sailboats. This was my first 'glassic'...

Then, because of connections I made researching the Glasspar, a Custom Craft Tiger ray found it's way into my possession. I couldn't resist it- Fins, 'tail lights', jet intake scoops- the whole works. Who could pass THAT up??

After that, they just started finding me. I have resisted- And turned most of them down. But, every so often, one comes along that can't be passed up. That's why I ended up with the Lake 'n Sea.

They certainly are not getting any easier to find, and the ones that are found seem to be in worse and worse shape. They are getting old, after all...

-Andrew

Thank God I'm a hoarder! Putting together a very nice 1959 Lark and scrounging around my shop for the past few days I discovered treasures I didn't know I had!! LOL. Complete wiring harness, box, ignition switch with key. Latest find is the choke switch and mounting plate for the ignition key and choke!! Wish a had a better memory or computerized inventory. Oh well, at 71 yrs I'm just happy I can still play with the toys. Mike in sunny Oregon. (some of the time)

I'm a hoarder and proud of it! And whenever I hear anybody whine that it's too hard to find boats and motors these days, I tell them it wasn't all that easy when I was chasing all over God's green earth building my collection.

I have too agree with Bill,But I guess I am a hoarder but I like them all, and we are getting them done.I do not mind having duplicates for the collection.I need to get a little more picky but I still drag the weird and ugly home and i again proved it this week, with a larson sea lion with the hardtop,ugly but i like it,it will get done,so actually there is nothing wrong with hoardering,i think,Bill

Hoarders? Funny ...never thought of it that way before. (watching too much TV? ) I pretty much mess with older inboards. More than one boat? ...who's counting? Currently I own:

A 62 Higgins-Port Royal with a 327 AMC/Hudson power (project).

A 64 Correct Craft-American Skier with a 170 Interceptor inline 6 banger (restored...boat in my pic).

A 66 Correct Craft-Barracuda SS with a 318 Chrysler Polyhead power (big-time project).

A 68 Correct Craft-Barracuda wih a 360 Chrysler (user boat).

A 70 Correct Craft-Wildcat with a 318 Chrysler "LA" motor. (Project and for sale)

and a late 50's 12 foot Aerocraft with a 1954 10 horse Johnson Seahorse.


Going back to the "hoarders" reference, for me it's not about the money. I rarely buy a boat just to pedal it and make money.... Usually I need a part/or parts from it to complete another project. Yes, I occasionally sell something, but most of the time I end up swapping for other things.


btw .. there is no known cure for collecting.... Thank Goodness!

Hi. My name is Brian, and I am not a hoarder. I wait until I can't move anything in the shop, sell a mess of stuff, then start all over. I can't say no to an old boat. Most of what I take in should have gone to the dump. Instead I spend hundreds of hours bringing it back to life. I love what I'm doing, but am glad it's not what pays the bills. I currently own 7 boats. Have restored many, and after running them and getting in more projects have sold them all. I am more into saving and working on them than owning a mess of restored boats. For me its the restoration process that interests me. I can drive only one at a time. I am working my way to retirement boats, a double or triple cockpit mahogany runabout, and a bugs in the teeth racer. Or I may just get a nice rowing canoe and call it quits. I'll know it when it happens.

Me a hoarder? Absolutely not.
I'm a collector.....31 and counting.
Never sold a one.
Hubby says I've never met an old boat I didn't love.

All are housed in two warehouses and protected !!

woodboat
Corinne
(in Dixie)

Hoarder....hmmm....well ultimately I sell everything so no, hoarding doesn't seem to be my M.O..

I have 7 at the moment but they come and go...It's the endorphin rush of finding a new one - making the deal - planning the resurrection - ferreting out the original brochure - anticipating how it's going to go. Coming down to this corner tavern that we have here and telling everybody about the latest score...getting reinforcement from the enablers...like a lion who's just made a kill and has fed well...then in a while the need to go out and hunt again ...


But nothing quashes all that fun like actually starting a restoration.

The realization that it'll never be as nice as I see it in my minds eye...that it'll suck up all available money just as sure as if it were self propelled three card monty. Once it's done where will it go? Only room for one in the garage...I don't have out buildings where boats can wait in snug shelter for their turn.
I'm not in the storage business - I am a generous contributor to the college funds of several storage lot owners.

Once they're done they're seldom worth their cost. I've done two. I like to convince myself that I broke even on them - but I didn't.

No...I'd say the fun in this for me is the hunt - the tidying up - the dreaming - the selling...

Peter
lather - rinse - repeat
in Denver

My name is Ken and I was a glassaholic.

My first drink was a Whitehouse that was free. Then it was all down hill. I found Fiberglassics trying to id it. Then the addiction started... like a fungus, it grew.

I would buy boats from Craigslist, Ebay, and then hide them. My back yard had to be fenced so the neighbors wouldn't see. I put one a each friend's house when I ran out of room. And I didn't tell them about the others...

My relatives started asking me about them and I finally had to admit it: I was a boat-addict. So, my long road to recovery was to start by selling some.

Anyway... I'm happily down to to 8. I realized that there isn't enough time to maintain a fleet. I haven't had a drop (I mean bought one) in 2 years.

I'm working on my $25 boat: a 1979 Glastron SSV176.

My weekly driver is a 57 Feathercraft.

I have 2 Crestliners.

A Viking catamaran for future restoration.

An '85 VIP Kona to blow the cobwebs (go fast) when I need to.

I think that's all, unless I have a few more I've forgotten about.