For most people, Mecum is best known for muscle cars, rare classics, and headline-grabbing auction results. But every now and then, an auction comes along that reminds us that collecting and restoration extend far beyond the automotive world.
This month, Mecum On Time is offering something a little different: a massive collection of vintage wooden boats, marine engines, restoration parts, and nautical memorabilia that could keep enthusiasts busy for years. The American Wooden Boat Restoration Collection includes everything from complete runabouts to unfinished hulls waiting for a second chance.
In many ways, the collection feels like the boating equivalent of a giant barn find. Some boats are nearly ready for the water, others need significant work, and hundreds of parts and components offer restorers the opportunity to track down pieces that have become increasingly difficult to find.
Whether you’re a longtime boating enthusiast, a collector looking for a new challenge, or simply someone who appreciates old-school craftsmanship, the scale of this auction is hard to ignore. With more than 70 boats, roughly 150 engines, and hundreds of additional lots crossing the virtual auction block, there is no shortage of projects waiting for their next owner.
A Wooden Boat Auction Built for Restorers
According to Mecum, the American Wooden Boat Restoration Collection is being offered through the company’s online-only Mecum On Time platform and includes more than 70 wooden boats, approximately 150 vintage marine engines, and hundreds of restoration parts and accessories.
Unlike many collector auctions that focus on fully restored examples, this collection spans nearly every stage of the restoration process. Some boats are little more than historic hulls waiting for a second chance, while others are substantially complete projects that could return to the water with the right amount of work and dedication.
Among the highlights are several classic Chris-Craft models, including a 1932 Chris-Craft 18-foot Runabout, a 1930 Chris-Craft 17-foot Model 99, and a 1947 Chris-Craft 25-foot Sportsman Sedan powered by a Chrysler Marine flat-six engine.
The collection also includes more finished examples, including a 1963 Century 21-foot Coronado and a 1958 Century 18-foot Arabian. For buyers looking to spend less time restoring and more time boating, those vessels may prove especially attractive.
More Than Just Boats
While the boats are the obvious stars of the collection, many restorers may find the engines and parts just as interesting.
The auction includes a large selection of vintage marine powerplants from manufacturers including Chris-Craft, Chrysler Marine, Gray Marine, Hercules, Kermath, and Cadillac Crusader. Many of these engines have become increasingly difficult to locate, particularly for owners trying to keep older boats as authentic as possible.
Beyond the engines, bidders will find hundreds of original parts and accessories. Navigation lights, gauges, horns, emblems, propellers, dashboard panels, mooring cleats, wooden oars, water skis, and other period-correct pieces are all represented throughout the collection.
Anyone who has ever worked on a restoration project knows that finding the right part can sometimes be harder than finding the vehicle—or boat—itself. That’s part of what makes a collection like this so unusual.
The Boating Equivalent of a Barn Find
What makes this auction particularly interesting is that it doesn’t consist entirely of finished showpieces.
Instead, it offers buyers the opportunity to decide how much work they want to take on. Some lots are essentially blank canvases. Others are partially completed projects. A handful have already been restored and are ready for their next chapter.
That variety makes the collection feel a lot like the large barn-find collections that occasionally capture enthusiasts’ attention. The difference is that these projects happen to float.
For many collectors, the appeal of restoration isn’t simply ownership. It’s the process of bringing something back from the brink, preserving craftsmanship, and ensuring that another piece of history survives for future generations.
Three Separate Auctions Give Bidders Plenty of Options
The American Wooden Boat Restoration Collection is being offered in three separate portions through Mecum On Time.
- The Boats & Parts segment, featuring more than 70 boats and nearly 200 additional lots, closes on June 11. More Info.
- The Engines, Outboards & Parts segment includes more than 200 lots and closes on June 12. More Info.
- The final Parts & Accessories segment includes more than 230 lots and closes on June 13. More Info.
Wooden boats are becoming increasingly rare, and many of the original components needed to restore them are no longer produced. Whether someone is looking for a complete project boat, a hard-to-find engine, or the final piece needed to complete an existing restoration, opportunities like this don’t come along very often.
For collectors who appreciate craftsmanship, history, and the satisfaction of bringing an old machine back to life, this may be one of the more interesting auctions Mecum has hosted in quite some time.