Classified Classics
This picture is so blurry when I look at it I feel like I just came out of a coma after 7 years. Really, how is it even possible to take such a bad picture, did he use a the first camera ever invented shot through the bottom of a beer bottle? Nice boat though. It's worth that much and when you compare to what other people are asking for smaller boats that are not in this caliber. Engine is bullet proof, beautiful graphics (I think, I can barely see with the picture being so blurry.), no brainer buy.
What I like about this boat is the design. It looks really sharp, especially in comparison to what you can buy new these days. Wellcraft quality is suspect but everything in the 90s was suspect, so for the right price and if you're doing some work anyway, you can make it better than new. This hull is actually pretty fast, not a rough water king but not bad either. I've seen them as low as $5k, so if you got it at the right price, this could be a sleeper boat. First order of business is removing the horn mounted on the side. The Scarab name still has some cache, so resale should be easy.
Nice little Donzi 18. Might be the best all around Donzi Classic. Great engine, the Alpha drive is a compromise but okay with a 350 Mag. You can find 2017s for in the high $50k range, which is pricey for what you are getting. Donzi quality has been decent to pretty good over the years, they were owned by several different companies, the 2000s were pretty good build quality, built by AMH, but this ad talks about quite a bit of work the boat needed. Tough to price. You could buy that 22 Scarab above for about $7k and do a full refresh on it for about $3 to $5k and be way ahead in terms of performance. The Donzi's are fun but limited, a straight line wave crusher but everything else it's not that great at. Plus, you assume all of the negative stereotypes that Donzi owners have, which are well deserved.
Let's start with the bad. Checkmate quality in the 90s wasn't the best. This one has bottom paint, which is expensive to remove and the color scheme is not my favorite. That engine is a pig. And the floor is carpeted not a liner with snap in carpet, so not ideal for saltwater. Now the good. The 21 Pulsare hull design is great, the boat is practical, is fast with modest power and has a roomy interior. I can guarantee the boat will need some work and you probably want to re-power, for the right price, I would recommend these all day.
This is ultra rare. One of the most regarded hulls, based on the Challenger 21, Superboat continued building them at a decent quality level. This one looks like it is not in need of anything, although any boat this old you want to look at closely, still, even if it did need work you won't find another like this. Should be incredibly fast the way it is setup and the sterndrive is what makes it so rare and unique. Very difficult to price, it depends on how bad you want it. This will blow the doors off a Donzi 22 Classic, if you're in the market for one of those. Way cooler too.
Monday October 9, 2017
You've been waiting for a boat like this but you have so much on your plate; you want to renovate the kitchen, the kids need back to school stuff, the IRS wants some of the money you owe them. Drop it all and buy this boat and you will get so much more back in personal enjoyment. The IRS can wait, the kitchen still works and kids are raised by the internet these days.
This boat is great for those old boat parades or meet ups. Everyone and I mean every idiot will want to ask you about this boat. So if you like attention and you have the self esteem of a dead squirrel this will be the perfect boat for you. Keep in mind this boat is probably completely rotten so it will need everything and the hull has bottom paint, so that will have to removed. When an ad says TLC, that means it's completely shot and needs to be rebuilt or replaced.
These are cool boats and the 260 is maybe the best consumer version of the Steve Stepp designs. Great size. Buy it and keep it forever. No matter how much work it needs just keep putting money into it and then hand it down to your kids. Hopefully you only have one kid that wants it because if there is more than one it could tear your whole family apart and make you wish you never bought the boat in the fist place. I am still recommending buying it though.
Monday October 2, 2017
This Baja Sport 270 is beautiful looking. It's impossible to price, it looks really clean but it's 26 years old. Think of how damaged the average 26 year old Stripper is as a person yet how good she might look. This Baja is exactly the same.
Seriously old school Fountain here. This is a full scale project. If you don't already own several Fountain T-shirts and a couple Fountain jackets, are really good with fiberglass and general mechanical ability, this boat is not for you.
Monday September 25, 2017
There are not many bigger names in the boating world than Cigarette. I don't know if this one is real, I wasn't even sure they made the 28 SS in 1972 but if it is, it is probably worth making it close to original. It will need everything though, and when I say everything I mean all your time and money.
We covered Liberators in our "Top Tunnel Hulls" article. This one looks awesome, even the color scheme. Some of the old ones look like Jimi Hendrix painted it when he was high on acid but this one is nice a simple.
I'm not sure what to think, I really don't like Wellcraft Scarabs but they made some of these smaller boats called "sprints" in the 90s. One was a jet, this one is a sterndrive. I'd take this over the jet. The interior is so bad that it's cool. The styling is actually really nice. I would have it for the right price. Probably super fun to drive. This is perfect if you're new to boating but you know PWCs are for losers and you know "mini jetboats" are for people who are really dumb and you just can't stand the idea of buying a Bayliner. Again, this boat is 20 years old, so price it like a 20 year old mediocre sports car. Like $2500, if clean. You'll be way cooler than anyone with a PWC, mine jet, or Bayliner.
Thursday September 21, 2017
Progression is a legendary boat builder. The 24 is one of the best single engine outboards you can get. It can handle any power and any water. This one is a steal.
This is a beautiful boat. The boats designed by Bruce Nescher were originally knows as Nescher boats, then Sleekcraft. Low and sleek. Way ahead of its time. Absolutely worth restoring.
I love these old Mirages. This is a serious project, but it's basically free, so you decide how much time and resources you have. It might take you a year or more to finish and you will age by about 10 years but that first ride will be worth it.
Monday September 18, 2017
Ah, a Donzi that is not a classic but looks like it is. The Minx might be the best compromise, it is a good size for a small block, a little more length than the 18 and a little faster than the 22. Rare boat too. The bad side is, yes, it still has the rounded keel like the Classics but with a stout small block, you can run pretty fast and it will handle the chop nicely. This one needs a lot of work. You're going to have to spend some money right off the bat on media blasting the bottom paint off. If you like Donzi's though, this is one of the cooler ones in my opinion.
Of course you should buy this. The first Saber, crazy big block, hot chicks. No brainer.
A Wellcraft Concept 23, this is a good looking boat. Quality is suspect on Wellcrafts but quality is suspect on anything built in the 80s, especially boats. This boat claims to have 200 hours but that means nothing, it will need everything. The good news is the gel looks good. If you're handy, you can probably make repairs, get the upholstery redone and have a sharp looking boat but you'd have to get it for a few grand to make it worth it.
Tuesday September 12, 2017
Now here is a classic. Formula in its hay day. Beautiful boat, won't set any speed records but you can give it a pretty good pounding in rough water. If you want to get into the Formula scene on a budget, this could be it. You'd have to stop at the Polo Ralph Lauren sale rack and pick up some Polo golf shirts, pop the collar, get some white shorts and some Sperrys and you are in. Don't forget the fake Rolex.
I don't like this one. Not the biggest Wellcraft Scarab fan but the older version with the squared windshield is cooler looking. This just looks heavy and slow. I keep thinking about those twin big blocks just chugging away and hearing the "cha ching" of a cash register, every minute costs about $300 to run this thing.
I love this boat. Mirage's were made on the west coast, near Seattle. This thing is fast, practical and a hell of a deal. The perfect size to for a family boat that can handle some rough stuff. It has a straight 24 degree deep vee and the 502s are bullet proof. This thing will be faster than a Formula 271 Fastech, more practical than a 27 Fountain, will be better value and none of the baggage. No need for pink golf shirts and fake Rolex's, just enjoy boating.
This is one of those boats you buy site unseen, run it a couple times, let it sit in your driveway for a couple years; then sell it for about the same you bought it for. Later, every time you get drunk you talk about the boat. So just buy the boat and let nature take its course. Seriously, looks mint.
Yes. This is why you like boats. Get a cooler, fill it with beer, put on some of your wife's jewelry and hit the waterway. Don't even think about it.
The Scarab nameplate is so confusing. There is Team Scarab that built race and pleasure boats designed by Larry Smith and they had some great boats and were raced. The quality was high and they used some high end materials at the time. Wellcraft boats, then licensed the name and or was authorized to build some Larry Smith designs but they weren't the same boats. Not that it is all bad for Wellcraft versions. This one is cool, quite a bit different than the 22 at the time, all orange and I do believe this model was used in the movie "Face Off." They aren't particularly fast, 70 MPH with a 502, reportedly. The dash looks like it was yanked from a Ford Taurus but for the right price, you could do worse.
I love these clever ads, trailer for $500, comes with free boat. No such thing as a free boat but at least the guy is realistic about the price, unlike some lunatics asking $6k for a pile of garbage. This is most certainly a project but if you're handy could be very cool. And hey, you got a trailer.
These old Mirages are the real deal. Made in Miami by a well known boat builder, who previously worked for the big offshore names in Miami. These were heavy and built for offshore racing. Although rare, many were raced for a long time. This one is already prepped for outboards, if you want a project and a legendary offshore hull, then this is it. I would keep it an outboard and try to lighten it up if you can. Could be the 32 hull, they made a 29, 32 and 36.
I remember being in San Juan when I was a kid and seeing one of these pull up to the beach with some shady dudes and some hot girls in it. Loved them ever since.
