I have a classic Sawyer Cruiser–white, 35+ years old, excellent condition. I have considered selling it since it’s a large boat for one person to deal with. But in reading notes here I am starting to think that I have a gem. Anyone have any ideas as to its value? It was given to me by my father so has been in the family since originally made.
Hemlock Canoes apparently has
a used one for sale, don’t know if its your model, but here’s the link:
http://tinyurl.com/22mdw5
Cannot say what it is worth now
but in 1974 I paid $325.00 for a new one in glass.
Sweet paddling boat for two.
Jim
Sawyer Cruiser
Sawyers’s Cruiser, was a 1967?, Lynn Tuttle design; a downsized USCA cruiser for smaller teams. It was a fine tripper that enjoyed quite a reputation in the BWCA.
As previously noted, it went for ~$300 in glas w/ ALu rails in the early seventies.
The cruser suffers from the flat keel line syndrome - At one time designers thought straight keel lines helped tracking and fporward speen. Interesting thought, but incorrect.
Cruiser is a bear to paddle upstream in current,which is how I like to test canoes.
Thyen Sawyers lamination engineering and layup work was always a little behind Wenonah and Mad River, never top drawer.
Starting with the premise that a dry hull in the water is worth $350 and depending on condition, I’d guess price that hull is between 400 and 900 bucks.
There was a thread
on this topic last week. The price will likely depend, at least in part, on the materials used and weight of your hull. I doubt that any composite canoes can increase in value as “collectors items.” If they could, the cruiser would be on the short list of canoes that qualify. I think you do have a gem. The cruiser is the sweetest paddling canoe I’ve been in. It’s narrow and swift, but without the hard edges of comparable Wenonahs.
Sweet Canoe
Yep, I think it depends on 1)where you are, 2)what layup the boat is (extra bucks if its kevlar and thus light weight)and 3)How good a shape it is in. If its been garage kept is in good shape, is kevlar and you are in flat water tripping country, I’d guess or 700-800 dollars would be close. If its goldenglass, got some wear and tear or sun damage, and you are in shallow/rocky river country maybe 400-500 would be a fair price.
I paid around 700 for a goldenglass boat in Austin, TX in 1981. Wish I still had it. Let it go to a nice guy who had a young son and wanted to try canoeing with him. I didn’t have a spot to store it indoors any more and it needed some tlc. I think I got 350 for it as the gel coat had some tiny cracks, only visible to me probably, but it needed sealing or painting, etc. and I pointed that out to the purchaser.
It could be a little tough to turn without a skillfull bow paddler and was a bit much even for a tall lunkhead like me to handle solo in a high wind, but it was generally a very sweet paddler and I’ve got a ton of great memories of trips in that boat with dogs, kids, inlaws, outlaws you name it.
Heck, if you are in Texas, just let me talk myself a little further into a nostalgic fog and you can sell that boat to me :-).