As a teenager my buddy and I used to go to a local marina out in the boondocks and rent a little tinny for $5 a day. Grandpa gave me his 10HP to use.
One Spring the marina owner decided to clear out all the old boats on shore that had been abandoned. He gave abandoned titles for them. All went quickly except for one old 25' hardtop inboard cruiser that was a 1930's vintage. He charged $100 each for Summer and Winter storage, and launching and retrieving was included. The deal was if you didn't take it with you you had to pay the $100 for the Summer dockage (or on the hard till it was seaworthy). If you kept it, you needed to pay for Winter storage too, or get it off the property.
I had my Dad look at the boat and he nixed it completely. At the time I was saving to build a wooden runabout, but i thought in the long run this might be cheaper. Since Dad said it probably wouldn't float and the engine was probably stuck, I took his advice.
We watched the new "owner's" endeavors all Summer. He painted it inside and out, put in new plugs and wires, changed the oil, etc. In other words minimal investment. On Saturdays when we rented the tinny we would always stop over and talk to the guy. When he said he was launching next week we made sure to be there for the christening.
It was a double planked hull. She took in a few drops around the stuffing box, but that was all. The engine wouldn't start but it had no spark. A tractor dealer down the road had a coil and once that was installed the engine started right up and purred like a kitten.
The guy kept it at that marina for 3 or 4 years and then the marina owner died and the place was closed. All the boats left and I never saw that one again.
Life is full of missed opportunities...
