1929 Triple On Ebay, Worthy Of A Discussion.

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Sweet ride

In yesterdays comments someone brought up the Triple thats been on ebay for a bit. These can be very sweet fun boats with modern power and certainly look the part. So is it worth 12,000? Lets break it down. Trailer, 3000 So its really 9,000.. You would need a trailer anyway. Looks like some chrome work has been done so thats good. The varnish looks reasonable. Actually nice. Has an engine and appears to have all her parts. Thats the good news.

Love!

Lets get right to the point here. THE BOTTOM. Your gonna need a new one. And some time on your own to put the boat all back together, so this is NOT a starter boat. This is a boat that someone with some skills should do.

You can expect around $40K to have the bottom done correctly professionally.  So you are looking at a $52,000 boat just like this with a new bottom. Which is not so bad.

OUCH

NOW, this is the most important part of this “discussion. DO NOT BUY IT, TAKE IT HOME AND START WORKING ON THE BOTTOM. IF<IF you don’t have the skills to follow through, or you will have a $1K box of parts and wood clogging up your Garage.

So I ask. We all agree it’s worthy. But how you approach it is the key? The floor is all yours. OUCH, Wait, not the one with the hole in it. The floor as in the metafloor!  HERE IS THE LISTING ON EBAY! 

20 replies
  1. Greg Lewandowski
    Greg Lewandowski says:

    Does the engine run or turn? I see a lot of dark wood that has been varnished over to look good. Quite a few strange things going on in the bilge. The hardware is a mess. The price is definitely attractive, but it could be a sugar coated pig and I don’t like the attitude of the seller!

  2. Tparsons56
    Tparsons56 says:

    It looks like the price has now come down to $9000.00 with trailer. With a new bottom, engine rebuild or modern power and probably new fuel tank the costs are going do escalate quickly. Still it is a cool triple if done right.

  3. Ralph Cattaneo
    Ralph Cattaneo says:

    Be sure to look the N.J. TITLE over very CAREFULLY…Hull number EM127 ? The make is listed as CHR ? The owner listed is not the seller, and it’s marked with a caution note” Boat may be subject to other filed liens”. I walked away.

      • Ralph Cattaneo
        Ralph Cattaneo says:

        Tom, I made an offer to the seller and it was excepted, I purchased it using PayPal on November 11, 2020. I called for the Title and when it came and found all the discrepancies, I contacted both PayPal and Ebay and got my money back. Ralph

  4. Troy in ANE
    Troy in ANE says:

    More questions than answers with this one.

    I have never had a complete bottom job done, but Mike at Lake Oswego advertises $1000/ft “Replace inner bottom, outer bottom, and immediate frames.”. This is a 23′ boat so according to this a bottom job should be 23K, almost 1/2 the 40K you are proposing. Am I missing something?

    I think you will be into the 40K mark by the time you get the engine and gauges worked out.

    • m-fine
      m-fine says:

      Figure more like $25k plus any work needed on frames, which could be substantial, and then there’s the varnished over dark planks that may need replacement, possible transom work etc. and suddenly $40k came and went before you even think about engine and gauges.

      Might makes sense for a 1940’s big Sportsman, but no way I would dive into that mess for a 1920’s triple.

  5. Jeff Funk
    Jeff Funk says:

    $40k for a new bottom? Where you getting your work done. The price is actually pretty good IMO. Seen worse for a lot more money.

  6. Murdock
    Murdock says:

    Train wreck and dubious, if any, value at the end of a very long road.
    Don’t want to discourage anyone here from opening their checkbook mind you, but be sure you open your eyes first.
    Even if you don’t need outside help, this is like buying an old E-Type Jaguar in boxes strewn around a garage.
    The final result in your mind’s eye is glorious, but the human toll, financial drain, relationship’s strain and final result is costly.
    Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt. Too many times.
    Listen to our resident sage, Jimmy Staib. His advice? Ditto.

    • Ralph Cattaneo
      Ralph Cattaneo says:

      Tom, I made an offer to the seller and it was excepted, I purchased it using PayPal on November 11, 2020. I called for the Title and when it came and found all the discrepancies, I contacted both PayPal and Ebay and got my money back. Ralph

  7. Briant
    Briant says:

    Stay with me on this one…..a few people have taken an old MGB with a smashed front end, whacked off the rear and then made a matching trailer for their nice car.

    So i am thinking that Matt needs to buy this poor boat when the seller gets good and tired of insulting everyone and drops the price to $3000 or so….

    Then, with some creative thinking and a few beers, morph the trailer and boat into a single unit, cover the cockpits with bay doors that open and lock etc, remove the engine etc, and bingo…

    He will have a nice display trailer to haul all of his shirts and other store sellables to Dora etc.

    Heck, this boat is even big enough to add two bunks for sleeping in to save hotel bills!

  8. steve bunda
    steve bunda says:

    Project boat that has potential if you are a DYI . But ! Many unknowns , thus a auction without a reserve may be best for all concerned . Let the market determine the value.
    I have restored many cadets or 22 foot flat decks . And there is over a dozen on the market now . If this model is one that you desire . look at all of them and weigh all your options.

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