How much is a fully restored boat worth?

[wdr2064]

Hello all,
I have been considering buying a 1988 or newer Ranger (no wood in hull) and totally making it new. I’m talking blasting the trailer putting Polyurea on it, new axle(s) etc. Totally taking boat apart and replacing everything with new including wiring, motor, trolling motor, electronics, plumbing, pumps etc. Of course professional paint job and so on. In other words totally make it better than new with all modern items. The question I have for you is what do you think it would sell for if it really is done absolutely right?

[CastingCall]

If you "paint" it (automotive paint), likely a lot less than if you restore the original gelcoat, or re-spray with new gelcoat. And even then, it will probably sell for slightly more than a similar boat with normal wear.
Probably not a money making proposition.

[wdr2064]

Yes I understand the “paint” part. It needs to be for marine fiberglass. There is a shop in my town that only “paints” boats including doing warranty work for some manufacturers. They would be doin that job.

[Ben Danbleume]

You'll never get your money back on a full restore of a bass boat. You'd probably have more in the boat than it sold for new.

[plki]

1988, no wood?

[crank68]

Putting any kinda paint on a boat with gelcoat on it would be my last resort...

[Wave to Wave]

It depends on the brand and quality of work. A Ranger, done well, can have decent value, if you do some work yourself and don't spend like crazy, you'll have a like new boat after. The new engine and rigging is definitely worth something. It all depends on your expectations. What guys ask for junk is always amazing, good boats sell quick for good money.

I would disagree with others about the paint. Paint is way better than re-gelling. Re-gelcoating is an insane amount of work when it's not in the mold. Paint is way easier to apply, will have a superior finish (both single stage or 2 stage) and hold color way longer. Most marine line's of paint now offer both single stage and 2 stage: base / clear options (Awlcraft 2000, Alexseal, and Imron Marine, to name a few) Plus the metallics look great. They can be buffed and repaired easily too.

Single stage paint: Imron




Awlcraft 2000


2 stage


Awlcraft SE 2 stage marine:

[wdr2064]

I agree with you on the paint. There is a LOT of confusion on that topic. I have 30 plus
years of paint/coatings experience and there are way more products and applications
out there correct and incorrect than the vast majority of people are aware of. Not
worth it to argue. Just to sum it up I have done jobs that have been much more durable
than factory jobs and never any that were worse. Your examples are beautiful!

[90bumblebee]

Except non of those are heavy flake, bass boat paint jobs

[Wave to Wave]

Except non of those are heavy flake, bass boat paint jobs

Paints have really nice metallic options, and you can do a flake paint. But if your original flake is in decent shape, it can be restored, but once it starts fading, it is hard to keep up. Paint has amazing retention. Re-flaking out of the mold is way more difficult than painting, and won't look nearly as good. Just my opinion.

Fine metallic paint:


Awlcraft 2000, flake, clear:


Imron MS 100



Clear primer, Imron clear over flake

[1bluemcm]

Those are some beautiful paint jobs. Eye opening, to say the least, thanks.

When it comes to restoring virtually anything, a big part of it is picking the right thing to restore. You can restore a Yugo to better than new, and it's still a Yugo.... In the vintage bass boat world, if there is such a thing, I suppose if there is a model that is somehow unique or more desirable for some reason, you might have a more worth while proposition but to turn around and sell anything for profit, I think it's a long shot unless you are really, really careful about sourcing parts at good prices and probably doing all the work yourself to save in labor costs.

[TrackerPro16]

Cars, boats, airplanes or motorcycles. You will seldom 'make' money doing restore's unless you are doing it for someone else and are getting paid by the bid job or by the hour. There is a reason people say to buy the project when it is 'nearly' done or finished.
As far as flake paint goes, it takes some practice to lay ANY flake down without streaking, burying it too deep or having it rise to the top. Heavy flake is worse. Finding a paint shop that can do it is the hard part. Maaco is not going to get it done properly...

[CastingCall]

I guess my comments about paint vs gelcoat stems from what I've seen from "DIY" jobs - certainly none of them looked like the pics WtW posted! And the few boats I've seen for sale that had "new gelcoat" were done by a pro and looked like factory. So to be fair, that's not really apples to apples. In the end, a good paint job or a re-gel will likely not increase the resale of a typical bass boat enough to colver the costs, right?

I've painted a couple old boats on the cheap (roll & tip with topside enamel) that turned out really "nice", was inexpensive to do, and looked good from 2 feet away - but not going to win any awards. It did allow me to sell them quickly and easily since it covered dock-rash and other blemishes. But it didn't net me anymore $. Wish I had the equipment and skill to do some of those paint jobs shown!

[HVAC86]

A fully restored boat would be worth not more than book value reguardless how nice you make it.

[wdr2064]

Hello again. Thanks for all the feedback and Kudos on the beautiful paint jobs! I was not really asking about making a profit. I was just curious what you folks think it would be worth. I know for myself that the actual hull designs haven’t changed that much over several years. I have also always paid cash for my boats and have purchased two brand new. So over the years the most important items to me are a brand new motor, electronics and so on. If an entire boat was actually done over really, really right and made new or better than new I would certainly consider it for about 10k less than similar from the dealer showroom floor. Thanks again for all the great input!

[crank68]

On the bass boat the OP is talking about “paint” would be my last option. Restoring the existing finish “sanding/buffing” would be my first option. If that finish was too far gone then I’d look toward paints...in a situation as the OP has posted I would always “try” to restore the original finish.

[Wave to Wave]

On the bass boat the OP is talking about “paint” would be my last option. Restoring the existing finish “sanding/buffing” would be my first option. If that finish was too far gone then I’d look toward paints...in a situation as the OP has posted I would always “try” to restore the original finish.

I would agree restoration as first option.

[90bumblebee]

the most important value is what’s it worth to you? As mentioned before, aging bass boats are worth their book value no matter how much we equip the rig w/new technology.

In fact, it seems to me that once you heavily invest your time/money into an older bass boat, you’ll forget it’s re-sale value as it simply will not match what you’ve invested. That being said, I personally think it’s worth it. For me, the time I’ve spent with my dad working on the rig is priceless, fishing out of it will just be a bonus

[Lil Mo]

I you are keeping the boat for yourself, it’s much cheaper to fully restore than to buy a new one. After the restore, you will have a virtually new boat that will last as long as it’s previous life span. I know when it’s time to restore my old Tracker 1800 that’s the route I’m going.

[wdr2064]

I kind of figured just adding up numbers that it is indeed cheaper to do a full restore rather than buying new. Of course, if you keep track of the countless hours spent that may not be the case but I just think it would be a fun project! Also, I think if it is restored correctly and documented that it will be worth significantly more than "book value" to the right buyer. Certainly would be to me if I was the one doing the shopping. New boats values TANK