Buying A Barrel Back Bub? Now May Be The Right Time.

It looks like things are selling again. Just in the past month 2 very nice Barrel Backs have sold through the Antique Boat Center. I am also hearing from many of the dealers that the more high end boats are starting to get traction again. We are reporting on this for two reasons. One, as many of you know I own a 1941 Barrel Back. So I am keenly aware of how the market is going. The other reason is that Barrel Backs are to many considered the blue chip investment in the hobby. They are always on someones list. They are also the iconic boat for the hobby. So it stands to reason that they hold there value the best.. Until the financial world comes to a crashing end..mmm they’ll never happen…. And when it did last year. Barrel Backs did in fact hold the line..kinda..ish… But as a barometer of the high end of the market, a good first indicator since they are the icon boat… If you are in the market for one, now is the time. I am sticking my neck out here. But we at Woody Boater believe that we have seen the bottom of the market and these boats will creep back up. Some that have been priced like it was 2005 won’t go up, but they will start selling. What I can tell right now the prices are as follows

16 foot racers in restored condition $30,000-$45,000
17 footers in restored condition. $35,000-$60,000
19 Footers in restored condition. $55,000-$110,000
23 triples in restored condition. $80,000-$140,000

These prices seem rather broad, I know,, big price gage here. Well, each boat is different. It’s all about who did the boat and how it was taken care of and history. For example, a boat done by Dan Nelson is going to be worth a ton more than by  Lenny in his garage… Barrel Backs need to have been  restored correctly. To the tee, so to speak. Because the owner is buying an icon, it must be true to that heritage. Stay tuned, we will be reporting more on this as the summer rolls on. but for right now, it looks promising.