Re: 1958 Texas Maid 15ft Boat Value???
I gave $1500 for the boat and it came with a 1972 mercury 50hp parts motor. I searched CL in a 200 mile radius for a month and spent hours and hours researching what I wanted. I had just sold a 1971 Chris Craft XK22 and I wanted something cheap, simple and old that would work well for catfishing. I decided on aluminum, pre 1970, outboard and this boat fit the bill.
This boat is unique because it has lived a very sheltered life and obviously been stored inside most of it's life. The trailer is an old tilt style that is in very, very good condition. The motor looks excellent and ran out really well despite the fact the top cylinder was coming apart (there was almost a 1/4" play in the wrist pin). The boat is very original looking and the paint has a nice patina to it. The seats are back to back fiberglass with nice gel coat. I'm not sure if the seats are original, but they look the part. The steering wheel is nice and still has a texas maid emblem in the center. The boat is original cable steer and I know a lot of people upgrade this, but I think it's pretty cool and plan to keep it that way.
I plan to spend this year proving out the motor and fishing and playing with it as much as I can. I'm very happy with the purchase even though I had to tear into the motor. For me it was all of the small details and condition for it's age that sold me for this boat. There are a lot of $500 to $800 boats out there, but I really think this boat was worth the extra money. My second time out with the boat a guy at the ramp said "that's the kind of boat everybody needs". I think he appreciated the boats simplicity and basic approach to fishing / boating. That's exactly what I wanted and I'm glad someone else could appreciate it. I love the old aluminum boats and really love the old outboards. I would love to have an old 35hp Johnson as a backup motor...
All original and I am excited to get it running again soon. It has been a few years as well.