And so it begins... (Bell Merlin II Repairs)

I can maybe be a little more helpful, @FartherWest . Pricing is going to depend on how much of a hurry you're in to sell it and how close is someone who knows what it is.

I'm about half a day's drive from you. If I hadn't already recently deleted my boat fund with the purchase of a Wildfire that I'm very happy with, I'd be having a serious conversation with with you and planning a road trip. I haven't seen your Merlin II, but if it's Black Gold and in nice shape I would be expecting to pay somewhere between $1500-$2000 for it. For reference, a few years ago, I paid $1k for a kev Clipper Solitude in perfect condition. Last year, I picked up the kev Wildfire (which needed some TLC) for the same.

Desirability (which yours has in spades) and condition are going to be key drivers of willingness to pay. I considered my two purchases above to have been fair prices, but awesome only because of rarity. Had your Merlin II been offered prior to either, I would probably have considered it worth (to me) paying a lot more.

You're in Bend. One of the higher income areas of the PNW, and probably the highest density of potential interested buyers, so.....

FartherWest said:

Hi Everyone, It's been a long time since I've been on the board. Life sort of happened.

I'm reaching out to you guys for your opinion - I need to sell Bell Merlin II and was wondering if you had any idea what I should list it for sale for.

I'm currently located in Bend, OR

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A quick query of North American Canoe Trader provided the following additional results for the last three years:

Merlin II, Kevlar, Houston TX, $2400
Merlin II, Kevlar, Euphrata, WA, $1750
Merlin II, Kevlar, Cambridge MN, $1500
Merlin II, Black Gold, Fitchburg WI, $1750
Merlin II, Kevlar, Minneapolis, MN, $2100
Merlin II, Kevlar, Cresswell, OK, $1200
Merlin II, Kevlar, Wheatland, WI, $2400
Merlin II, Kevlar, Poughkeepsie NY, $800
Merlin II, White Gold, Hazelhurst WI, $1500
Merlin II, Kevlar, Lockport NY, $1500
Merlin II, Kevlar, Heyward WI, $1450
Merlin II, Kevlar, Lawrence KS, $1350
Merlin II, Kevlar, Gainsville FL, $1650

^Notice how only one of those is in the PNW - or anywhere near.

Oh hey, @FartherWest - it just occurred to me that one of my paddling partners may be very interested in your Merlin II. I'll shoot him a heads-up if you let me know when and where you list it.

Very easy to replace. Use some unusual wood.

Some boat parts are hard to replace like an inwale on an 18 foot wood and canvas canoe.
I have had good success making repairs with marine epoxy mixed with some wood dust. I repaired an OT Guide 18 I bought in 1995. I repaired the inwales on both sides and some ribs with epoxy as a temporary fix. I added some reinforcement with a block of wood on one side. Then I paddled that boat all over the West for almost 30 years with no problems.