Yes Jim it has been a while since I last posted. I've been baby sitting a friends 57 Carver that has kept me busy over the past 2 years. I haven't done much 'shopping' for others lately, but I have noticed an increasing deterioration of older boats sold to buyers who can't afford to 'own' them'. It is so sad. I love the classic Hatteras and Chris Crafts.
A friend of mine is flying up to see this 43 Hatteras on Tuesday. (Few things aggravate me more than brokers who take incomplete cell phone photos for boat listings and then combine them with pictures taken 10 years ago). In the case of this particular boat, the most accurate recent pictures on the listing itself are of the salon depicting black outdoor furnishings inside. The rest are from the original listing in 2002.
I do know the boat was inside dry stored for more than a dozen years. (don't know why). She has been in The Great Lakes since new. The 350 original engine hours on her 671TIs are reported as accurate, and we believe the interior woods are unmolested. For some reason, this boat stayed on the market for at least 4 years before being sold to the current owners. We have high hopes that the original paint, engines, and hardware are good enough, so the boat can be brought back to original with only cosmetic and system maintenance expenditures. That will be the best case scenario. After a dozen years in storage, and 3 years of un-ownership, I'm sure there are leaky windows and maybe more wrong.
After being listed for more than 10 years, It was sold to a 'partnership' 3 years ago to owners who probably should never be allowed to own a center console. So we don't know what we will find. It could be a dog or a hidden gem. It's worth the $104 round trip from Ft. Lauderdale to Chicago to find out.
