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

[Steve in Idaho]

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.....

 

[M Clemens]

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

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

 

[Steve in Idaho]

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

 

[Steve in Idaho]

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.

 

[ppine]

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.