Old boat

[QueryingMind]

Back in the early-mid 70's, my parents purchased a fiberglass boat with a mercury outboard motor. I believe it was referred to as a Glastron boat. Anyway, about 30 years ago, it was parked in their yard in central Texas never to see the water again. In the hot TX sun it has deteriorated significantly. Now, it falls to me as to determine what to do with it. The idealist in me remembers it as being some of the best times of my childhood....so, should I get it restored and if so, where do I start. The realist in me says it's probably not worth it.... Please tell me what I should do under both circumstances.... where do I find someone to restore it (I do not have the time or the expertise to do it myself.) If I decide not to restore it, is there any place where it can be donated for restoration? If not, is there any value in tryng to sell it - where do I start? If not, how do I LEGALLY dispose of it? Please assist me. Thank you

 

[Slager]

No, it's not worth having someone restore it. In perfect working order it's not worth more than a couple thousand at most and hiring out the restoration could easily cost $10k or more. The only way it's worth it is if the sentimental value is greater than the money poured into it. You could restore it yourself and it might only cost 2k and a couple hundred hours of work, the guys here on Iboats can teach you all you need to know. Only you can decide if it's worth the expense. If you hire it out, you'll need to look for a fiberglass boat repair shop.

Before you do anything you need to find the title. If you can't find a title or get a copy from the dmv, it isn't worth much of anything, and can be disposed of at a dump, the motor could probably be sold though. If you find a title, you could try selling it on Craigslist, but don't expect to get much. You could browse through some Craigslist ads to get an idea of value, just remember the current condition has an effect on value. You might be able to find a place to donate it, but they would likely just strip off the motor and hardware and send the hull to the dump.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Only you can decide what to do with it. Do you want to keep it and restore it for sentimental reasons? Do you have any desire to actually use the boat?
The cost to restore it will be lots more than you will ever get for it. Depeding on the condition it may not even be restorable. You could cut it up with a chain saw and haul it to the dump. You could post it as a free boat on craigslist. If you can post some photos you can get more opinions about what to do with it.

 

[Corjen1]

As the other guys said, only you can decide if its worth it... What does the boat mean to you? Somethings are beyond dollar bills. If so, go for it.

Here is mine...before:



After:



Was it worth it....to me yes.

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard.

30 years in the hot texas sun without cover. my guess is insect and decay long since took care of any structure, and the sun took care of any gel coat or interior.

age and neglect took care of the motor and any other mechanical system.

what is it worth? probably nothing.

if you want to restore it for sentimental reasons, we will help. first you have to become the legal owner

if you want to dispose of it, use a sawzall and cut it into little pieces and throw in the trash.

 

[QueryingMind]

Thank you all for your help....

 

[fhhuber]

If its bad enough to just junk>>>

Its pretty easy to get rid of at most central Texas landfills.
Bring the boat and title to the landfill and they will charge by the pound.
Generally its better to just get rid of the fiberglass hull this way, take the scrap engine to a repair shop and they may give you some money for the core. Take the trailer (and engine if the repair place didn't want it) to a scrap metal yard and you might get a few $ even if its a rusted piece of junk.

A couple of years ago I took a hull to the Bell County landfill. got to watch the dozer run it over.

Its worth the small price (less than $30 for a 18 ft hull) to avoid the work of chopping the hull apart.