Hi Tim, thank you for reaching out.
I just love this boat you guys built. I plan to keep forever and will live aboard most of the time when my kids leave the home. The previous owner before me had it for near 30 years and did a lot of care and upgrades. He loved that boat too but died and I bought from the widow (I would have liked to meet him). I was looking for a boat to do the Great Loop in, and I came across this one. The price was in my range and looked similar to the Kroger’s I’ve always drooled over. I studied every photo in the sales listing and looked for any info I could find online, which is not much out there, before deciding to fly out and view - I live on the other coast. The boat had been out of the water for 5+ years and in various incomplete projects, but it didn’t take long to see the value. Despite the state of repair, this old boat was built right, right from the start. You could tell just walking the decks, taking the helm, and climbing around the engine room, the boat was worth the time and energy.
Can you tell me anything about the build at the time, or of the original owner? Was he a pretty interesting guy?
Is there any other similar style pilothouse Durbeck’s out there like mine, or is each one a little different? How many total builds?
I’ve decided to keep the generator as is, for reasons exactly as you stated, it marries well with the main drive. I’ll build a good sound box instead