Edouard. Off topic but definitely a worthwhile topic on a cold winters night. Reading the article brought back a flood of memories of my youth and the first attempt at restoration. When I was 17 I purchased a very sad looking 1959 Cruisers inc. 16ft wooden boat for $50. I found the boat sitting on blocks in the neighborhood where my Family had purchased a beach house on the east end of Long Island several years before. Since most of the homeowners had boats, I was able to borrow a trailer and bring my the boat home and secure it back on blocks. It did not have a motor or any controls, what it did have was lots of leaves, acorns, pinecones and families of mice living in the bow. After eviction, shop vacuuming and sanitizing my Father & I gave it a good look to see if I bought a $50 flowerbox or would it float ! We decided to turn it upside down and check the bottom to be sure. So with our neighbors help we flipped it and checked the hull with an ice pick. It was solid, I had no idea what I got myself into. I had just started college and had a part time job cleaning a clothing manufacturing facility. So paying for supplies was a slow grind, but I would ask family, friends & neighbors if they had any old painting supplies & sandpaper whatever I could get for free I would use including an old belt sander that I found at a yard sale along with a half gallon of coral blue bottom paint. Marine grade poly & deck paint were paid for by selling a bike, scrap radiators & heater cores from my fathers side work at the house. With a lot of hard work 18 months later my boat was ready. It looked new and I was so proud. But it was the middle of the Summer and I'm sitting in a boat in the yard having a beer with my Father and don't have a trailer or a motor ! or enough money to buy either and refuse to ask my parents for money since they were paying for college. So I covered the boat with a tarp and walked away.. When I get a real job I will buy what's needed.
after several weekends went by we were headed back to the east end on a Saturday and my Father was not taking the usual route, so I asked my Mother "where are we going" she said "your Farther wants to see something" so after driving for an hour we arrived at the Lindenhurst boat basin ? I was totally clueless ! The three of us went inside and my father told me " Tell the man what type of boat you have because we are buying you a new trailer" I turned to look at my mother and she had her checkbook out and she was smiling. I said "no but she said "yes" and it was final...Paid in full, we were to pick it up the following weekend. We got back in the Buick and continued on. I said Thank You to both of them and as soon as I get a full time job i would save up for the outboard motor and a bottle of champagne. My Mother said "Oh no! we are not waiting that long, Your Grandfather told me if you finished the boat he would buy you a new motor. So when you get the boat on the trailer it goes to the marina for the new motor!" Again I said Thank You and realized, they were planning this all along just to see if I could restore the boat.
We spent many summers Fishing & cruising in our vintage wood boat, we even had a garage built so it would be out of the elements in the winter months.
When I started working for NYC I moved up to a bigger boat and sold the wood boat and never seen it again, but I will never forget the story behind the boat called ANTICIPATION. I don't have a clear photo of my boat, but I looked on the internet and found the same boat, mine was in better condition......
Tony
