Overhaulin'

How can I get an appraisal on my canal boat (mid 1960's) that was made in England. The mfg is out of business

It is a Creighton "Gull". It looks like a camper however it is actually a mini houseboat that is built on a trailer, ie: the trailer stays with it all the time. It is 17' overall but the cabin portion is about 15'. It sleeps 4, has a closet for a port-a-potty, a gas stove burner, a sink. a slide open sunroof, a dining table which converts to a bed, a bunk bed which converts to a couch... It was licensed in Indiana when I bought it as a "House-car". The title had been lost so I retitled it. I have state issued boat #'s for the front, and a trailer license plate for the back. I've had it in the water and it is certainly sea-worthy. I have the original brochure for it too! There was a similar craft made called a "Car-a-Boat", (also in England). It is made of fiberglas on the bottom half, and tin covered wood on the upper half. It appears to be one of the few left in existence, and most defineatly the only one in the states. I want to find it's value for insurance and possible sale of it.

Public Comments

1. The best way to ascertain the value of your boat is to hire a professional surveyor to come out and write a Condition and Valuation survey of your vessel. Two reputable surveyor associations are NAMS and SAMS and they have surveyor lists on their websites that are broken down into regions.
2. The easiest way to find the value of anything is to look around and see what other comparable items are selling for. In fact that is how the marine surveyor will do it. He will ask you what you think it is worth, what you paid for it, and compare that value to what other boats of that type and condition are selling for. You can do the same thing yourself. If you wish to get a a second opinion of the boat's condition a professional marine surveyor is well worth the money.