Historic Wood Boat - A Cautionary Tale

Interesting story in today's Seattle Times:
98-year-old boat steals owner’s heart — and life savings | The Seattle Times

"Marc Landry, 58, has used up his savings trying to restore it over the past eight years. He’s now homeless, staying with various friends in town, going to the food bank."

As I hope we are all aware, there is nothing rational about owning a boat but... Wow! This poor man seems to have lost it, in more than one way.
Bruce

Wifey B: Persistence? Stubbornness? Commitment? Stupidity?

Our best qualities to excess become our worst issues.

What's particularly poignant is that there were 3 successive owners pouring $300K and untold hours into a boat that sold for $20K, then $12K, and finally has liens and legal bills just to destroy.

He had a dream and followed it good on him I say .

Who are we to judge ??

Some years ago, if this is the same boat, it was hauled in LaConner at Skagit Bay Boatyard, now Latitude Marine, where I was working at the time. Me and another shipwright did a full bottom caulk job on it. The seams were big enough to "throw a cat thru" as we used to say. But with lots of oakum we got her tightened up. The name SKUA is what tipped me off, otherwise I wouldn't even know if it was the same boat. I think it launched while I was off on "vacation".


Given a few minutes to think about it, I am certain now this is the same boat we worked on. Looking at that distinctive stern was the kicker for me. And the name of course, unusual.

A money hole

If you want preserve historic boats, better open up your wallet.

The legendary ferry Kalakala (made of iron, steel and copper) was demolished in 2015. One guess for restoration costs was $15 million.

The schooner Wawona, built from Douglas fir, was sawed into pieces in 2009. Restoration costs also were estimated at $15 million.

Wood boats aren’t meant to last.

WFT! Nobody told me that! I'm screwed.....

Don't let seeking perfection prevent you from getting on the water. I bought an old wood snapper boat, replaced two planks, got the wiring sorted and then splashed. Ran it for four years and just fixed things when they broke. Lots of fun had on that boat.

Crazy wooden boat owners! Who knows he may yet pull it off.

gaston said:

He had a dream and followed it good on him I say .

Who are we to judge ??

Click to expand...

I will..
I live in the same town and used to keep a boat in the Port of P.T. ..

The Port has to do the same thing time and time again as people bring boats at the end of their lives here and a number of them get scrapped at a loss to the port.
My take is the guy is a looser that doesn't want to live by the rules set by the port, is constantly late on his financial obligation to the port and racks up additional costs to the port to fight frivolous lawsuits he files. Then he whines that he cannot work because he is Canadian .. boo hoo..ship the piece of crap back to Canada, get a job and pay your own way.

Just because something is old and has some history it is not the burden of the masses to pay for his bad choices in boats.

Lets not forget we have Hemingway's old sunken tub also taking up space here that is going to take millions to just get to the point it will float again..I can see the current owner losing interest in it and the same thing happening to it too.

It may sound harsh but the port deals with this on such a regular basis they may need to set a president to keep this from becoming the dumping ground for these boats.

HOLLYWOOD

Which Hemingway boat is there? Curious.

78puget-trawler said:

Which Hemingway boat is there? Curious.

Click to expand...

one he supposedly spent time in the sea of cortez.. not sure of the name of the boat.. not a Hemingway fan . Last time i was in the big shed at the CoOp it was inside.. I never though a wood boat could put out so much stink from the outside as to make a HUGE metal building smell like the bilge of a rotten wood boat
HOLLYWOOD

Sure its not a Steinbeck boat? I think I know the boat, used to be tied up on the Swinomish Channel near the RR bridge on the north end.

78puget-trawler said:

Which Hemingway boat is there? Curious.

Click to expand...

Famed literary boat getting $2M makeover in Port Townsend | KOMO

That would be the one. Steinbeck boat from LaConner.

78puget-trawler said:

That would be the one. Steinbeck boat from LaConner.

Click to expand...

oops.. wrong author.. same old boat!
HW