Well Peter, I dont disagree at all and you're no tire-kicker... Regardless of price, it is also great to see the boats used for their intended purpose. Now i feel bad paddling kevlar on my last trip, have to do it again in wood shortly
I'll remain skeptical on the high-end pricing. It makes me think that somewhere, somebody is being less than honest... I can believe Mark's "40 - 50 hours," but the "hundreds" sounds awfully fishy... there's just too much of a difference there. Think about how somebody could stretch things out... Is the paint being applied with a toothpick? Or are we counting the time spent watching the filler, paint & varnish dry? Perhaps the "moneyed clientele" is basically uneducated about the restoration process, and is willing to believe whatever the vendor tells them?
Maybe being brought up in Chicago puts a certain perspective on things -- there's no shortage of charlatans around here. Caveat emptor, or deja vu all over again...
Regardless of price, it is also great to see the boats used for their intended purpose. Now i feel bad paddling kevlar on my last trip, have to do it again in wood shortly
