Fall 2009 (Issue No. 45)

1964 CUSTOM BUILT 19' -- BARN FIND

PHOTOS W/BORDERS CAN BE ENLARGED BY CLICKING

1964 CUSTOM BUILT 19'. Owner says, "This boat is what you call a BARN FIND. Kinda like those car collectors that find a brand new or very restorable 50 year old car buried underneath a pile of cow doody on a farm in the middle of nowhere. The title has it listed as a pleasure boat 1964 HM. The "HM" means homemade. It was built by a master carpenter and boat builder. He only made 5 boats his entire life. You can tell by the craftsmanship and the detail that a lot of love for boats, and thought, was put into this 19 foot cruiser. The build was completed in 1964, and the boat was titled and registered. He was running low on cash, so it sat for 2 years in storage before he could afford a brand new 1966 Evinrude 100hp Starflite with Electric start and Selectric shift, which at that time cost $1,295, the most expensive Evinrude at the time. Back in 1966 that was probably half a year's wages to the average person. That motor was designed to push a 22-footer back then.

"During that 2 year waiting period, he piddled around adding all of the finishing touches and fine detail noted on this little gem. He finally bought the motor, installed it very professionally, and kept every pamphlet and every piece of paper that had anything to do with what was installed on the boat. The following summer, the owner and his wife set out for his most anticipated dream voyage of an Alaskan adventure, leaving from Seattle on its maiden voyage. I was thinking Alaska!! In a 19-footer? Talk about having [edited] made of whale bone! This guy must have been nuts to make a trek like that in a 19-footer. I was told this was the only trip this boat had ever made. It turned out to be a flawless and wonderful summer trip, so I was told. I even have original photos of that Alaskan cruise.

"Summer ended, and though the builder was happy to finally realize his dream of taking that Alaskan trip with his 2 most cherished loves -- his wife of 30 years at the time and his new boat made with his bare hands -- he knew all good things must come to an end. The builder raised the motor with the tilt trim, loaded the vessel on the then brand new custom made roller Holsclaw trailer, rinsed her off, flushed the motor, and took her home. He did everything necessary to store the boat for the fall, and winter. Draining all of the fuel from both 20 gallon tanks, flushing all of the lines, leaving the tanks and lines bone dry. He inserted lubricant into each of the 4 cylinders of the monstrous 100 horse motor, threw a canvas cover over her, and there she sat.

"The builder passed away 4 months later in February of 1967, and there this new boat sat for 39 years undisturbed, unused, in a barn. The widow could not bear to part with it, although it sat, and sat, and sat. Then one day in 2006 she decided to clean up and started selling off everything. This boat was one of the items she sold. Another elderly gentleman bought her in 2006 with hopes of taking her out, in lieu of his gas-guzzling 52-footer. But there it sat, and sat, and sat, for another 3 years. Under cover but gathering dust, paint fading but the wood work inside looking good as the day it was installed. Finally after 3 years of hounding the man to sell me the boat, he finally relented in Aug of 2009.

"What sold me on the boat was the meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail this builder had put into her. I didn't even care if the motor ran or was frozen; it wasn't the motor I was after. All the way from the anchors on the steering wheel with the built in fuel gauge right in the middle of it, to the professional installation of the wiring, fuel tanks, all instrumentation, the working clock, to the gosh dang horn. This builder left nothing for the imagination. I got her home, bought 5 gallons of fresh mixed fuel, connected the fuel line to the motor, primed it, and BAM!! Fired right up. As the motor purred, I noticed no water was coming out of the exhaust and the fuel connector was leaking. So I had the impeller replaced and bought a new fuel connector. I was surprised to find out how easy and readily available parts are for this vintage classic motor. All the belts for the distributor still have the original manufacturer's stamp plain as day. The 37 year old hand pump to prime the motor, was as soft and supple as a new one. Plugs are original Autolites and still new. (Do they even make Autolites anymore?) Wiring, carbs, and everything under this motor cowling looks breathtaking. Any vintage boat guy will know what I'm talking about.

"This boat is bone dry and there is no dry rot, or mold, anywhere. I guarantee that. Constructed with Alaskan Spruce with fiberglass overlay. The exterior bottom paint looks like it was put on today. It is powered by a 100hp 1966 Evinrude with electric start, Selectric shift, and whatever number of hours it took to make that Alaskan trip. Model#: 100683R, Serial#: EQ2154. Motor recently serviced and installed new water pump impeller. Full vinyl enclosure in great shape, for those cold days and nights. Recently painted top deck and walkaround. Custom built dual axle Hosclaw trailer with coil suspension and rollers for easy launch and recovery; shows no signs of rust at all. Original tires, tows nicely. Fenders looked a little worn, so I painted them.

"It has a fairly large sleep cabin with head room almost high enough for the average person to stand up. Easily comfortable enough for 2 people, and a folding, venetian sliding door for privacy, and ample lighting. All of the vinyl interior is like new. I might add there isn't a whole lot of vinyl interior on the boat because it is all detailed in Alaskan Spruce. The sleep pads, the 2 captain's seats and one bolster is all that is upholstered on this boat. The original varnished woodwork shines. I did nothing to it except use furniture polish. The wiring compartment is unbelievable, and everything on this boat is in working order. It has dual windshield wipers, and the coolest steering wheel I have ever seen. It has a porta potti and is also plumbed for a head that sucks water from the lake and drains into a holding tank. (Not installed) I think back then, this type of head had just become illegal, so he capped the lines and installed a porta potti. The interior hull under the removable floor panels -- and there are many -- is still like new with high gloss marine paint. No water has ever leaked in this boat. You can have total access to the bare hull, from bow to stern, just by lifting the floor panels that fit tightly and securely. It has blowers for fuel fumes, which I have not experienced at all, or even know why that was installed because it's an outboard. It has a fold down table that holds the brand new vintage alcohol stove at the rear stern. The 2 - 20 gallon fuel tanks are vintage but look like they just came out of the box. All of the fuel lines are like new. It has a switch for each tank, plus a switch for reserve fuel and an off safety switch. It has what looks like new to me, fixed trim tabs, and also an electric tilt for the motor. I can't say enough about this vessel. YOU JUST HAVE TO COME SEE FOR YOURSELF." Asking $5000. Contact Daniel at ... (Seattle, WA)

[THIS BOAT LISTING IS OVER A YEAR OLD AND HAS "AGED" INTO BYB'S PUBLIC ARCHIVES AREA. OWNER CONTACT INFO HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE BOAT PROFILE. THE ORIGINAL BOAT LISTING STILL EXISTS IN THE "WHEELHOUSE" AREA OF THE BONE YARD BOATS WEBSITE UNDER THIS SAME NEWSLETTER ISSUE.]

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