I recently talked myself out of some work when I 'opened-up' a 17' x 54" boat repair job I have pending.  The boat was brought to me late last fall with the new owner in 'no hurry' and a $2000 spending ceiling for a repair, with him doing all the finish work he could.  Together, when he brought it over, we did a quick survey of what might be involved in getting this boat right again, settled on a maximum sum to spend. I put the boat inside to dry for the winter, and the owner went off to Alaska this spring to work, shooting to have the boat back come fall this year on his return.

   So I recently cleaned everything up and began poking around, looking more closely.   There were the normal issues like checked plywood, and a lot of neglect and just plain age.  Bottom was rotted, both inner chines were gone, three floor timbers and two side frames.   Outer chine caps  gone, stem gone and the Previous Owner had started a "restoration" using a sandblaster on the sides outside (don't do this)...Poking around with my pocket knife, looking at the stripped out fasteners and the rusty carriage bolts, the open scarf joints, etc...I could see where the agreed on sum would be consumed.  I could also see a few weeks of sanding and painting to remain, after the structure was repaired...

  After some 'ethical thinking' I had to call the owner.   For the sum we agreed, I could have done the work required and made a little profit, I guess. His boat would have been back together with the needed repairs,  but he would still have had lots of sanding and grinding to do, lots of his time to invest into this boat and his end result would have been....an older repaired and visually 'used' looking boat.   

  I put these considerations to him, and 'opined' he would probably be 'ahead', as long as he had no sentimental attachment to this particular older boat, to have a new unfinished boat built for himself and go on from there.   Less time and work for him and a much better end result..   I talked myself out of $ome work here..but I feel like it was the right thing to do, to let him make the call after giving him my take on it...

   There is always a compromise to any boat project.  Sometimes the decisions are difficult and sometimes either way is right (enough).  He's got another month or two working in Alaska to mull it all over.   His initial response was like "Yeah, I think you are right...I probably will be better off starting over"

   Don Hanson