1971 Saf-T-Mate Admiral. First boat I ever bought- I kept it even through a newer open-bow I bought and then sold when it turned out to be a lot of trouble. This old Saf-T-Mate was a lot of fun - 65HP Evinrude Triumph always started up quickly, even after sitting for the winter. The boat itself was a great little old-school looking runabout in its day. It looks exactly like this, harvest gold color and all.
My wife and I are into kayaking these days. If I had the time, energy, motivation and money, I’d like to restore the Saf-T-Mate, but I just don’t have nearly enough of any of those. My wife and I are into kayaking these days-- a much easier way to get out on the water. Kids are too old to be into tubing anymore. My motorboat days are behind me I think, but I don’t just want to consign it to the dump. So I thought I’d put a ‘free boat’ ad on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace or something.
It definitely needs a lot of work- a family of cats was living in it so it’s fairly trashed inside. As far as I know it might still run, but after properly winterizing it I haven’t tried starting it for 2 or 3 summers. And I don’t want to try, I just want someone to take it off my hands. I’m willing to put enough work into the trailer so it’s towable, but that’s about it.
So questions:
Would someone even want to take it in that condition? As I say, I think it’s worth restoring, just not by me.
I can’t find the title. Will I need to transfer the title if someone is just taking it for free? Is it easy to get a new title from the Secretary of State (I’m in Michigan)? Something I can do online, hopefully?
Goodwill will take it. They’ll certainly have guidance on paperwork and whatnot. They will take care of all the paperwork they can on their end. And you’ll get a receipt for your taxes, take a deduction. It probably won’t move the needle on your taxes all that much, but if you itemize, it’s something.
Really- even in the condition it’s in? A boat guy might take it just for parts, not knowing whether it even starts or not, but even though I wouldn’t be surprised if that old Evinrude fired up after two or three key turns, the rest of the boat needs a fair amount of work.
Beware! One problem with giving away something like that is someone may take it for the trailer, and dump the boat somewhere, minus the engine and anything of value. Cops find it, and trace it back to you.
Make damn sure whoever takes it is willing to pony up some identification, and sign something saying they now own it (Bill of Free).
Yes, good point @Gatopescado . I suppose I should treat the transaction as an actual sale with title transfer and all, even if I’m just giving it away.
They don’t care about the condition. At least that’s what it says on their website. Worth a phone call, at least. They’re just going to auction it off, and even if no one buys it, still their problem.
If you are selling the boat and trailer, list it as $500. Listing it as free never ends well, there will be people fighting over who contacted you first, etc. A notary can do the paperwork and handle things even if you cannot find the title. Project boats are a big deal.
I sold a utility trailer for $200, even though the bearings were destroyed and the frame rusted. The buyer eventually sold the trailer for scrap, all he needed was the title to use with a trailer he had built himself (a Pennsylvania thing).
There is probably a local weekly/biweekly/monthly consignment auction somewhere in your area. Call them up and see if they are interested in auctioning it.
Many local newspapers will, free of charge, run ads to sell something for $100 or less. Also, check with your local NPR radio station. They’re always saying they will pick up and sell your old car at auction, to help keep the station running. Maybe they’ll take a boat.
I was going to suggest this (my local NPR station does) and the National Kidney Foundation has long taken vehicles of any type, land or sea.
I’m not just posting this because my cousin was re-transplanted a few days ago; he did get 15 good years with his dad’s kidney, but his dad is 82 years old and so was the kidney, and it had failed.
If you don’t have the title, get a fresh copy from your state registry before you do anything else.
When you do sell it, whether for $500 or $1, ensure you follow your state’s procedure for officially notifying them of the sale. There will be some state form for exactly that purpose. Failing to file that form ensures it’ll be your fault when the boat appears in some ravine near a rural highway. Filing the form ensures it’ll be the other guy’s fault. The exact same thing is true with cars. States have these forms for a reason.
BTW, anyone nearby the SE Michigan area and want a project boat for free?
I still have a soft spot for that old boat, which I think is why I keep hanging on to it (besides just pure procrastination). Would love to see it get into the hands of someone who wanted a resto project.
