CONTINUOUSWAVE

Give me an appraisal of the value of a 17-foot Boston Whaler boat which may be a NEWPORT, based on three photographs [see below].

The boat condition is good.

In 2022 new wiring, new fuel tank and fuel hose, and a Mercury 90-HP FOURSTROKE engine were installed.

The tandem-axle trailer has new disc brakes, new bearings, new tires, and new wheels.

Your sideways pictures are hard to see. I fixed the orientation for you.

The 17-footer being appraised is NOT a Newport as it is missing the cap and bow deck. A 17-footer with a non-OEM interior would be referred to as a 17-Custom.

While you have invested about $15,000 in the boat, its market value is about that. Add the adjustment for location in California and the appraisal increases to maybe $20,000 if you find the right buyer.

Note your engine installer did not do you any favors. The lower holes should be drilled out. The lower set of upper holes filled with plugs and epoxy. The engine should be raised two holes up as well.

A tandem-axle trailer for a 17-footer is not particularly an asset.

The two swivel chairs do not match.

The gel coat color look like pure white instead of Desert Tan.

The modern 90-HP engine looks huge.

With an auxiliary 5-HP, there is too much transom weight.

Getting top dollar will require finding a buyer who happens to like all these oddities.

Buying a new, modern engine for a 47-year-old boat and trying to immediately get back that substantial investment at a resale is always hard.

I think $15,000 is a reasonably good estimate, but you need a buyer who is not a purist, someone who likes the boat for what was done to it.