Penn-Yan Captivator

Offered for sale for $5295 (or best REASONABLE OFFER) is this fully restored 1957 Penn-Yan "Captivator" 14 foot Wood Runabout with a 25 HP Evinrude engine. Named "Pippen" for a Lord of the Rings character, the pictures tell the whole story, but you have to see this beauty to really appreciate its lines. First purchased to use as a weekend boat, I was not happy with the prior work done on the boat and proceeded to do it all over again. These vintage wood, but fully usable(!) boats are nearly impossible to find in this shape and while not a true museum price, presents as a true work of art and function. It is meant to be used, not just observed! We were fortunate to see that even the splash rails (always a problem and usually rotted or missing), were in excellent shape and required very little work to bring to new condition.All fittings of brass and bronze (everything was there...nothing missing) were removed, stripped of some old paint and polished to like new condition. They shine like gold! All original wood seating, including the helmsman's side chair(!) was carefully removed (there are actually two sets of seats included...one with an arched top, the other with a straight square top), sanded to 220 grit smoothness and then double stained with a beautiful special walnut toned oil stain. All metal work on the boat (all original) was removed and hand polished. At that point, we carefully turned her over and began work on the bottom. We removed all old paint, checked for any cracks and epoxied the few hairline ones we found for water tightness. The entire bottom was power sanded, double oil primed and allowed to "cure". Then the bottom was finished with three coats of a marine alkyd enamel paint that the Coast Guard uses on some of their vessels. Very hard finish that remains flexible without cracking. It was rolled and tipped to a glass like final finish and the deep blue color is gorgeous.Next, we worked on the hull after removing the original windshield (in near perfect condition). This Penn-Yan has the famous "TRIOTITE" hull construction that is a three part "sandwich of wood, a thick vinyl membrane and a second layer of wood. Rather high tech for the times. The prior finish was OK, but I decided to re-sand every square inch of it to remove any minor flaws, runs, small scratches, etc. It was then double stained with the same special walnut oil stain and allowed to dry thoroughly. Then, 5 coats of Marine spar varnish in high gloss was hand applied, sanding between each coat. The end result was a mirror finish that will stand up to Florida's sun for years to come.A new brass stem band that runs from the top of the bow on the boat down to below the water line was installed. All the original chrome work was polished, checked and reinstalled. New wiring from the bow to stern was installed by a professional marine services company and works perfectly. Included was a new light switch box at the transom seating that I hand made to house the on/off lighting switch and provides for access to add the stern light wiring. We have the original stern light but decided not to install it yet due to the fact that we did not plan on being on the water after dark. It is included with the purchase but will need a new top light and bulb. It even includes that "always lost" wood plug that protects the light wiring as it leaves the light post. Neat. At the stern, I found two identical brass/bronze surface cleats that were installed on starboard and port sides along with two brass chafing strips to protect the wood finish.We did find two small soft spots in the transom bottom corners, but these were carefully removed out to good wood (less than the size of your palm), new white oak planks of a full 1 inch thick were fitted into the corners and fully epoxied in place for water tightness. This was done by a very fine wood worker in the area. A second oak plank was installed on the inside of the transom for added strength, although it was not really necessary. When the final transom paint was completed, it resulted in a perfect repair that you cannot detect no matter now closely you look.The entire interior was then addressed. We washed down all the oak and cedar ribs with denatured alcohol to remove any linseed oil residue that was applied by the prior owner. Then, each rib section was hand scrubbed, sanded and double stained. Once dry, three coats of the same high gloss Marine spar varnish was applied, sanding between each coat. It is just beautiful.When the wood seating was reinstalled, my wife made all new foam seat cushions for comfort. The letter "P" was embroidered on the top of each seat by a professional marine service and they looked simply fantastic. It is the same font as the transom letter, too!The engine is a 1996 Evinrude 25 hP workhorse. It was professionally serviced with all new fluids, tuned and runs strong. The limit of this boat is 33 HP, so it is a perfect fit. According to the marine services company who did the work, this engine may not have even 100 hours on it. More likely, many fewer than that! It really scoots the boat through the water but will not get you into trouble. Since the restoration, the boat has only been in the water about two hours. Two hours! It handles beautifully through its tiller and gets plenty of stares and thumbs up! We even got that when we were pulling it.Finally, the original trailer included) was refurbished, with new wiring, new lights, grease hubs and new tongue paint. The tires have virtually all of their tread and pulls effortlessly. A new Interstate Deep Cycle Battery and new 6 gallon fuel tank is included. Asking price is $5295 or best REASONABLE OFFER. This price represents only what we have into the boat.That is it. Enjoy the pictures and I am happy to answer any questions. A full video is available on Youtube at this link: https://youtu.be/cpyc4aA132U.