Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-11-22
Ruying BiHaBoat
BY JAMES J. MONTAGUE


Bill wanted a boat, and he wanted
it for $500, and he wanted it deliv-
cred in Panama inside of three weeks.
His brother came to me about it. He
came to me because / lived within a
few miles of boat yard where they
That. in his estimation, Qualified me
to act as first aid in his distress.
+ felt that he had come to the
right man Not only did ] live near
boat yard, but / frequently walked
through it, and picked out boats that
I'd have bought if I'd had $780, 1t
never occurred to me that $500
wouldn't buy any sailboat in the yard,
For a Sailboat was what Bill wanted,
No engine, nothing but wooden hull
with canvas on the spars, how could
anybody have the nerve TO charge
more than $500 for such contri-
vance
So Bill and I went to the boat
yard. We were a little dashed when
we found that the boss, whom hap
pened to know, did his bossing from
a mahogany panelled office, and that
you had to send in your name before
he would see you had imagined
he would be pottering around in the
yard in overallS, with a paint brush
and caulking tool in his hands
But he was very friendly, and when
we told him the sort of sailboat we
wanted, with respect to size and rig,
he allowed that we might find some
thing of the kind for sale.
I looked out of the window, and
my eye lighted on a very trim little
craft about % feet long, with a mast
which protruded through canvas
scarf, which was muffled about its
base like a faScinator.
"That's about the idea, right there, !"
I said. How much do you suppose
a boat like that would cost?"
The boss reflected, using a pencil
and a pad to assist him.
"That boat, without SAIL he said,
would cost to build about $4,000. Oh
course if you didn't want mahogany
planking and trim, and could get
along with iron instead of lead for
the bulb on the keel, you might get
one like her for about $4,000. The
sails would cost anything you wanted
to pay for them, depending on the
kind of material That is anything
over $780,"
Lets be on our way" said Bills
brother.
But wasn't so easily satisfied
we might as well get some OF the
other figures on the boat we're going
to buy" I said, and asked the BOSS
what it would cost to get a sailboat
of that size down to the Panama
steamer.
..sIt's 20 miles, and the toWage
charges are usually 500. Then it
costs another hundred to crate her
up. don't know what the freight
rate to Panama is but if you'll wait
I'll have my secretary telephone and
find out"
we didn't wait. I had seen an
other sort of boat yard a little
farther down the beach, where used
sailboats were stored. We went down
there. ss
A man was putting a pretty little
blue boat into cradle SO she could
be pulled out later on. We asked II
she was for sale and he said she
was. We asked him how much, and
he said 5000.
Z "See that I said to Bills brother
"I was sure you could get a good
boat for reasonable price. We just
happened to get into a rich man S
boat yard
It was getting late, and dark, so
we. gave up the quest for the day
The next Saturday Bills brother
turned up with a hopeful smile and
a check for 5000, and we. went down
to inspect the boat, now high and
dry.
There was sort of furry look
along the keel, and on the underside
generally. I investigated it with my
finger tips, and feeling the planks
sort of give way before them, struck
one. of them sharp blow with my
fist. 1t went right through the bot
tom. We came away from there, too.
For five or six Saturdays after that
we visited every boat yard within SO
miles, There were plenty Of boats
for sale, but Judging by their condi-
ton they must have been constructed
by the Pilgrim Fathers Every time
we found a nice, neat, stable looking
craft and asked the price it was up
ward of $1,000.
.sBut that isn't a new boat" I said
to one owner who had just quoted
the above figure.
"All boats are as good as new, if
they're worth hang" he said. And
you won't find any of them for sale
If wasn't buying bigger one ]
wouldn't sell this"
"Why don't people sell them?"
why don't they sell their children?
Children last so years and boats last