FOR THE LOVE OF OLD BOATS

“Boats truly are a labor of love.” The February article “Decisions, Decisions” is great. I have spent the past four decades bringing boats back to life and have plenty of stories to tell. Old boats are like classic cars in a lot of ways. Sure, you can go out and buy a brand-new Corvette from a Chevy dealer tomorrow, but it sure wouldn’t have the beautiful lines of a ’65 Stingray—they just don’t build ’em like that anymore. Same with boats. Nothing against a new boat, but to me they just don’t compare to the styling of the old girls. And as you pointed out, if you start with a boat that is sturdy and was built right to begin with, you can update the engines and all the other stuff pretty easily and still have that beautiful look with modern components. Do you really want to draw a crowd in the marina? Pull up in a restored old Rybovich, Merritt or G&S, and you’ll get plenty of attention!

Dave Masterfield

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