I Have An Old Cedar Strip Kayak I Am Curious Of Its Value-please Help

[Robert Vasvary]

I was given this old beautiful old Kayak and I am clueless about refurbishing it or what its value may be.
From my brief research, I believe it is made from Cedar strips. I removed the Fiberglas laminate(if that would be the correct term) and I am in the process of sanding then I want to just apply several coats of lacquer.
I do not want to depreciate the value of it and I am curious if I should apply the fiberglass laminate first. If I just go ahead and apply the lacquer can I then apply the Fiberglass later?
Ultimately I would like to just sell it as a decoration in a lodge or rafting company and that would mean that I don't need the Fiberglass laminate.
Any suggestions about how to estimate the year built, value and restoration methods would be of great help.
If anyone is interested in buying it, this just let me know. Pictures are attached to this post. Thanks for any advice!

Robert V.

 

[Benson Gray]

If it was commercially manufactured or imported to the U. S. A. after November 1, 1972 then it will have a Hull Identification Number (HIN) on the starboard stern. We might be able to tell you something more about your kayak if you can provide this number. If it doesn't have a HIN then it was probably home made. It is usually best to do as little as possible if your plan is to sell it. The information at http://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/57/ describes how to value a wood and canvas canoe. Most of the principles described there will apply to your kayak but the price range will be dramatically lower. Most strip built kayaks in excellent condition sell on eBay for a few hundred dollars. This is likely to sell for much less, even if you repaint or repair it. Good luck with the sale,

Benson

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Not to burst your bubble, but it is not an antique, it simply hasn't been taken care of and has weathered badly with what would also appear to be some rot in the plywood hull at the bow. The idea of sticking a strip deck on a stitch and glue plywood hull is fairly recent, seen either on home built or plywood kit kayaks. It may not even be 20 years old and the "age" you are seeing is actually just abuse. Value? As is, you would be lucky to get $50 for it as a wall hanger. To get it sound and back in the water would take a lot of work and several hundred dollars worth of materials. The cost and effort to restore it will never be recaptured in resale value, and if you really want to build a kayak, it would be easier to just build a new one.

There are certain canoe/kayak construction methods which restore quite nicely, and some which do not. Unfortunately, old strippers usually fall into the "do not" category once they have reached a certain level of disrepair. Your boat has already passed that level. We see a fairly steady stream of old, trashed strippers on boat forums and it is nearly always the same story. If you really have nothing better to do with your time and money, go for it - but don't expect the boat's value to increase enough to even pay for the materials needed., and expecting that you can find someone to buy it and pay for the work is awfully optimistic at best. My suggestion if you want to build boats is to buy a copy of "Canoecraft" or one of the other stripper building texts, read it and maybe build yourself a boat you can be proud of.

People sometimes say I don't sugar-coat my replies enough. They're probably right, but sometimes reality rears its ugly head.......

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Like Todd said, that looks like a stitch&glue with a strip upper half, in poor condition.
It's not worthy of either additional work or money, and certainly not for the wall.

On the other hand, sense it currently has basically no value, you won't hurt the value by doing anything to it.

Dan