Another business at Winnipesaukee is on the block!

[jmen24]

Any insight on what this business was, just says boat storage and repair. Not familar with the appearance of the building to know for sure. Thanks

[dpg]

Isn't this the place across from the high school at the top of the hill in Meredith?

[Irrigation Guy]

Its halfway between Meredith and the Weirs(after Grouse Point and before the Tamarack), at one point years ago, there was a driving range next door.

Maybe this will refresh some memories----There are or were a bunch of classic wooden boats in racks on the property too(likely customers boats).

[sa meredith]

Originally Posted by LocalRealtor

Its halfway between Meredith and the Weirs(after Grouse Point and before the Tamarack), at one point years ago, there was a driving range next door.

Maybe this will refresh some memories----There are or were a bunch of classic wooden boats in racks on the property too(likely customers boats).

You brought back a memory with that post. I remember going to that driving range as a kid in the 70's with my dad. He was not a golfer, but would sit and watch me hit a bucket or two.
When you drive by now, if you look closely, you can still see the remains of a driving range. Almost like it was never renovated...just closed and abandoned.

[Shore Driver]

That area between the Meredith roundabout and Roller Coaster Rd is a strange deadzone commercially, it seems. Didn't the basket shop close too? Outside of Pirate's Cove, I don't see much hope for businesses in that little stretch.

[Airwaves]

I know the economy was no doubt the biggest factor in Harper's woes, but I also have to wonder if the SL didn't play a role.

Many of those beautiful old expensive boats are very capable of "high" speed and their owners, I would assume, want to put them thru the paces they were designed for. Something that can no longer be done on Winnipesaukee legally.

I would suspect that decisions whether or not to buy or have Harper's restore these old beautys was impacted somewhat by the legal restrictions of their use.

I agree with Lakesrider that most of the next generation does not appear to be interested in undertaking these kinds of projects, of course that could be good news for the tradesmen (and women) that can ride out the economy since they will be able to command a very decent wage catering to those that can play in that expensive field. Probably just not in the Lakes Region.

[NoBozo]

I have been interested in old mahogany boats for decades. First of all there are none ..or very few old boats left out there that have not been restored already. My observation over the years has been that the average person who owns these old boats is NOT average, and most do not restore their own boats. They are restored by people like Harpers, New England Boat and Motor etc. Restoring and maintaining old mahogany boats is very labor intensive and requires specialized knowledge (And Money) to get it done right.

For a Restoration Business such as mentioned above, to stay in business, they went to building Replicas well over a decade ago. Harper did this. New England Boat and Motor did this. Those replicas are not cheap. A Replica 1920s race boat can cost $250,000. And as mentioned above, who will be happy with a $250,000 Replica race boat that you can only drive for one weekend every other year (At Speed) at the Wolfeboro Antique Race Boat Regatta.

We have Sound Restrictions, and now Speed Restrictions.

Steam Boats on the other hand don't go fast and don't make any noise.. BUT they Pollute the air with all that dirty smoke while burning down the rain forrest to do it.

So I propose that everyone who wants to go boating should be RESTRICTED to a Solar Powered Kayak..?? NB

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by NoBozo

Steam Boats on the other hand don't go fast and don't make any noise.. BUT they Pollute the air with all that dirty smoke while burning down the rain forrest to do it.

Man you for got about the whistle.... get one of those loud enough and your busted.... you will have to get a silencer just to put on when your in NH.....

[VtSteve]

I think a number of things have changed. Us baby boomers and older have way different priorities than we once did. I know some that really got into the car restoration buying, some did spend a great deal on old boats as well. It's an expensive hobby, and one that is generally more appreciated by older folks. Same as our older cars from years gone by.

Perhaps it's the point in time where most of those that could afford it, have Beenn There, Done that. Wealthier folks got into he expensive replicas, many that have fantastic and updated interiors and are fairly easy to maintain.

The economy probably just sped up the process.

I just wonder how many of today's "new" boats would be worth restoring in 20-50 years?

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Man you for got about the whistle.... get one of those loud enough and your busted.... you will have to get a silencer just to put on when your in NH.....

YES: I remembered the whistle after I posted....but hoped no one would notice. The Whistle is indeed a problem with Steamboats. Those people seem to have a need to "Announce" their arrival. I have an easy solution to that problem. Annual inspections of whistles and appropriate Taxes according to how many DBs they emit. While we are at it, we need to consider the particulate matter emitted from the stack as well. This could also be part of an annual "Safety" Inspection. NB