Dock Talk #1: w/ANdrew McKellar - "Obsessed"

When is enough, enough? When is it too far gone? When does this passion become an unhealthy obsession?

There’s one thing I hate to read... “no engine or drive, has rotten floorboard. Come pick it up before it goes to the landfill”, followed by a picture of a Cobalt.

I just don’t understand.... How? Why?

I get it, if you pay someone else to do your transom and floorboard, it gets expensive, real quick. But to do it yourself, it’s really not too bad, or difficult. A floorboard could be done on a weekend. A transom takes a little more work and knowledge.

Anymore, there are plenty of resources to give instruction/tips & tricks for these jobs. I mean, who isn’t searching YouTube for DIY projects?

You see, the Donzi world has a cult following. People will pay premium price for a 1960’s-1980’s Donzi that NEEDS restoration. You’ll see a Donzi hull with no power train and in desperate need of interior for sale a with an asking price if $4000 and the listing last less than a week.

Why doesn’t that exist in the Cobalt world? What makes a Donzi enthusiast different than a Cobalt enthusiast? I mean after all, you hear it all the time; Those old Cobalt’s are solid, they’re great boats. It seems like most everyone respects the brand and has the opinion that they’re great.

Yet almost weekly I’m reading that same ol’ post, different seller - “Trailer for sale, must take boat. Boat has no power train. Is junk”, and it’s a Cobalt.

Believe me, if I could save ‘em all, I would.

In fact I just picked up another one. I saw it listed on Facebook Marketplace for $200. No power train, no trailer, “All there” other than the helm had been cut out. At first I thought, yes! This boat has several parts I need, it’s the perfect parts boat! But upon arrival, I realized, it really is “all there”. I can’t cut this thing up, I’m gonna build it.

But of course, for me, this passion borders an unhealthy obsession. How do I know? Because that night I got home from that 500 mile trip, saw one posted for free with no powertrain just three hours south of me and the first thing on my mind was, do I have blocks to leave this boat on and use this trailer to go pick that one up?

The wife has been pretty understanding. At some point it will become a problem...

The next issue is, everyone pulls the power out first. I get it. You can sell the powertrain for more money if it’s separate from the boat. But for guys like me, that means hunting down a donor boat that has a complete power package, and you know it can’t be a Cobalt or I’ll be trying to save that boat too.

I’m just one man, I can’t save ‘em all... right?!

My hope is that one day there will be hundreds of people, like me, who are so obsessed with classic Cobalt’s, that they just can’t bare to see them sent to the landfill and will make that 500 mile round trip, just to park it next to the 4 other classics awaiting restoration.

Hundreds of folks who have that new R8 for their daily, but a CS7 for their Sunday cruiser.

By all means, don’t misconstrue any of this to believe I don’t also love new Cobalt’s.... I have an equally unhealthy obsession with the new ones.

They just don’t need saving.... yet.