Truth is, if I see two boats for sale, one a beat up old CAL or some such and a pristine Swan or Hallberg Rassy, I go right to the beater.
I suspect the reason behind it is the cheap fixer-upper gives me a sense of freedom...
My dad used to restore classic cars and the process of restoring a car to showroom condition is so full of constraints, rules, and general anal-retention to the max. Not what I'd call fun at all.
Me, I'm more of a chop and lower kind of guy...
That said, I know there are some boats you restore and other boats you can be as creative as the need calls for.
Which is one reason I like our CAL 34. It escaped being a "classic" and as such I can tear it apart and rebuild it to my heart's content till the cows come home. Of course, with the CAL 40, a stone cold classic I adore, I'd feel obliged to do everything in my power to keep it exactly the way Bill Lapworth envisioned it, right down to the late sixties decor and inspired use of Formica...
