<p>I'VE BEEN searching for two seats and a console, but have been stuck in the wayback machine. What was once called a utility boat became a center-console in the 1960s. A blend of woven roving, mat and polyester resin, the center-console was a hand-rolled wonder. There were just a few brands, and if you can find one today, it's likely on life support. I shared my obsession with a sales pal for a reality check. It didn't help. &para; Bill is my vintage, and he shares my passion for center-consoles. He has two waterfront homes with docks, and keeps two seats and a console at each one. He buys them factory-fresh with full warranties and trades them in every few years like leased pickups. I think he's lost count of the numbers. While he claims his system works, the math bugs me. I understand the benefits of new boats, motors and warranties, but the prices-yikes. I've done my best to understand the modern markup, but it's hopeless. I walked past a boat store just the other day and eyeballed a late-model, pre-loved, 30-ish-foot example with a pair of supersize outboards. My ogling came to an end when I focused on the price tag pasted on its transom: just shy of $400,000. &para; I called Bill to rant about the unfairness of it all. "My 25-foot Mako with a pair of 150s-a boat many considered the best in its day cost me $19,000 brand-new, for God's sake," I groused. "I could have bought 20 of them for that kind of money. "Its day was 1980," Bill replied. "I hear this sort of thing all the time from experienced boaters." &para; Ouch! In yacht-sales tongue,"experienced boater" is code. "Yeah, I know," I said. "I have more good days behind me than ahead of me, but that's not the point." "Seriously, Coyle, when was the last time you bought a new boat?" he asked. "They're not slathered together with a mop and a bucket of resin anymore. Today's buyers insist on flawless finishes, high-tech materials, and plenty of horsepower and electronics." "Yes, yes, I know," I told him. "They're hard to miss. They're everywhere." &para; "You're cheap, Coyle," Bill said. I reminded him of the losses I'd suffered in past restorations. "It's really not the money; it's the value," I insisted. "Classic centre-consoles have a certain mystique. They're different." &para; I returned to the Wayback machine and forwarded Bill my findings. "Take a look," I said. "You don't see one of these above water every day. It's a rare ride." A few moments passed in silence. "Are you still there, Bill? Did you get it?" &para; "Yeah, I got it," he said. "I get it, and I got one," he admitted as he texted me an image of a small boat's soggy remains. It was the leftovers of a 20-foot Bertram centre console and...a cow? "It's in a pasture in North Florida," he said. "I bought it for $1,400 sight unseen. It just needs a bit of freshening up." &para; Really? And I thought I had a problem.</p>

DREAM BOAT

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Yachting US

QUEEN FOR A DAY

"In the World of Yachting" - 1926

CARIBBEAN FUN TIMES TWO

TURNING TIDES

STAR LIGHT, DATA BRIGHT

FAMILY-FRIENDLY

AN EVEN BETTER VIEW

SUN RUNNER

EVERYDAY ESCAPES

SUBTLY SWEET

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