Rescuing the original Mark V 39 " Heart of Gold II"

[Robmill0605]

The story:

I met Mark Van Abbema several years ago when he was living on his boat " Heart of Gold II" on Ft Myers Beach Florida. I had always admired his design of this sharpie/houseboat. We became friends and I was aboard his boat several times and was struck by the openness and headroom of the design. Mark designed and built this boat, and brought it from Missouri to Florida several times. He lived on her quite comfortably for several years on a sandbar across from Bonita Bills Marina and bar. The tide would go out and there she sat on her flat bottom, high and dry where no other vessel could go. I loved it.
I built a hatch for one of his other designs which his Mom was living on at the beach for the summer, and I asked to be paid with a set of plans which I thought " some day" Ill build her.
Mark sold her, and went on to other things back home and I lost track of her,

That is until today.

I found her for sale on Craigslist, and in a very desperate state. She had been hauled ashore for a couple years and used as a sign to advertise a local business on the beach. Mark designed her to have no thru hulls to maintain watertight integrity. The owner drilled several holes through her forward anchor well and planted a palm tree in her.
That's right.
She was being used as a planter.
I surveyed her today and bought her on the spot. She will be shipped across the bridge to my shop in a couple of weeks where I intend to do a full on restoration and live on her at Bonita Bill's.
You can see her story , construction and sister ship here on Mark's Site here: .http://markvdesigns.tripod.com/boatbuilding/
I will post the restoration of her fully as I go.
This is how i found her, in front of a bar.











Her anchor well being used as a planter

[simplystrick]

such a shame, glad you are going to bring it back to life

[David G]

Well done and good luck!

[StevenBauer]

Great find, Rob. Looking forward to following your rescue.


Steven

[JimD]

What a great thread. Will be following this one closely

[Mike Vogdes]

Good ole craigslist... What a story, this thread is worthy of a sticky.. Good luck with the rebuild.

[Robmill0605]

Thanks. Ironically I always admired and wanted this boat. I'm sure Mark will be happy to see her restored. I'll do my best for her.

[John B]

Great news.

[Robmill0605]

Here she is in better times.

[John B]

I always thought she was an elegant boat. Do you think there's rot , or is it all just remedial/ paint and those plugs needed?

[Robmill0605]

The aft cockpit lockers are completely rotted and will need to be torn out rebuilt. The hull itself looks solid throughout. I was concerned about the " planter" in the anchor well, but that is also ok. The interior has no apparent leaks and so far looks good.

[Robmill0605]

Interior pics of her sister ship, headroom throughout is 6ft 9 inches:

[Larks]

What a surprisingly pleasant shape and design!! Congratulations on the purchase, I'm another really looking forward to watching this thread as it progresses. Could you post a few pics of the interior as she is now? I take it from the transom that she had an outboard engine??

And a centreboard!! That was a bit of a surprise, thanks also for the interesting link.

[Robmill0605]

What a surprisingly pleasant shape and design!! Congratulations on the purchase, I'm another really looking forward to watching this thread as it progresses. Could you post a few pics of the interior as she is now? I take it from the transom that she had an outboard engine??

And a centreboard!! That was a bit of a surprise, thanks also for the interesting link.

Sure,I'm going aboard her today and will take some more pics of the damage and of the interior as she sits right now and post them tonight. It does not have a centerboard ( was never installed) however it is outboard powered. I've been awake most of the night , thinking;

"I really did" just buy her.

It begins.

[George Ray]

Looks good, best wishes.

[wizbang 13]

Good for You!
I CRINGE when I see potted plants on a boat, any boat.
Even the cute flower vases used to "stage" boat show boats.
Get em off and keep em off!

[JimD]

...I CRINGE when I see potted plants on a boat, any boat.
Even the cute flower vases used to "stage" boat show boats.
Get em off and keep em off!

I think they look great on livaboards that rarely leave the dock. Gives the owner a homey feel.

[Hwyl]

I hope Mark is doing OK, and that he chimes in. I remember the excitement I felt when I saw the boat featured in WB, I was seriously considering a liveaboard travelling boat at the time.

He built her on here but before my time.

[openboater]

I drove by the sister ship tonight, next time I'm up there I'll remember the camera.

Good luck on the rebuild. I'll follow the thread.

[Mark Van]

Wow, what to say. I am very pleased that you bought the boat, I was wondering what happened to it. I guess that the rumors of it being a "billboard" were true. Incidentaly, Two days ago (september 12) was the 10 year anniversary of her launch. At least now I know that it is in good hands. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
I hope you don't mind me still using it for my avatar.
Mark

[Larks]

Happy 10th anniversary the pair of you!! Sounds like a very propitious beginning to a new life for her!! A very nice coincidence!

[Robmill0605]

Wow, what to say. I am very pleased that you bought the boat, I was wondering what happened to it. I guess that the rumors of it being a "billboard" were true. Incidentaly, Two days ago (september 12) was the 10 year anniversary of her launch. At least now I know that it is in good hands. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
I hope you don't mind me still using it for my avatar.
Mark

Hey Mark!
I'm so glad you responded. When I saw her on craigslist I just about flew out the door after her. I'm having her moved to a secure site for the restoration close to my new shop. I still have her building plans, and thank you for the offer to help with technical advice. Please continue to use her for your Avatar. She's your brainchild after all. Send me your email in a Pm please. I'll make sure she goes another 10 years as a boat, not a billboard.

[Robmill0605]

I drove by the sister ship tonight, next time I'm up there I'll remember the camera.

Good luck on the rebuild. I'll follow the thread.

Thanks! That would be great.

[Robmill0605]

I had a busy day today went aboard her and inspected her closely. I also found out that she was about to be destroyed. Cut up and put in a dumpster if she did not sell because the town was having a fit about it being on a sidewalk as a billboard. I also found out that she was picked up by a big forklift and dragged down the street with no intention of her ever seeing the water again.
Inspection of the bottom showed some scrapes but that's it. A testament to Marks robust construction. I took along a bilge pump and pumped out all the rain water out of her stern lockers. This is the area will need a total rebuild. The hatches and framework are rotted but the hull and frames seem fine. After I cleaned out the beer cans and trash people walking by tossed in her cockpit I got a better look.

The cockpit lockers are trashed:








Sorry Mark, I know it's hard to see her this way.

[Robmill0605]

What a surprisingly pleasant shape and design!! Congratulations on the purchase, I'm another really looking forward to watching this thread as it progresses. Could you post a few pics of the interior as she is now? I take it from the transom that she had an outboard engine??

And a centreboard!! That was a bit of a surprise, thanks also for the interesting link.

The interior is full of junk. The head had a composting toilet that ripped out. The fuel tanks ripped out. The stove ripped out and even the throttle controls just literally torn from the bulkead. The sliding aft door and all of its tracks willl need to be rebuilt as well as the window frames.

Here's the tour:

Aft stateroom







Thankfully the gas heater survived .

[Robmill0605]

Going forward the composting head is gone, the propane water heater is there however. I'm guessing it was an expensive unit




Even with all the trash and junk you can see how airy and open the boat is. This is looking forward, to the galley and helm.




The galley. I have the stove that they removed, but it too is trashed. Oh well.




The dinette

[Robmill0605]

The throttle controls removed by tearing it out of the hull. Nice huh?




The solar panels are gone, the mast is junk but the coachroof seems ok. All of the coachroof trim will need to be replaced also.




Last but not least, is the forward anchor well ,and the storage well full of dirt for the " planter" I have a lot of work to do. Next is hauling her the hell out of there!

[Paul Pless]

I surveyed her today and bought her on the spot. She will be shipped across the bridge to my shop in a couple of weeks where I intend to do a full on restoration and live on her at Bonita Bill's.

What a lucky boat to have been found by you Rob.

Serendipity!

[Larks]

Doesn't look too bad at all Rob, if the hull is nice and sound and the superstructure still solid you've done very well indeed!!

[gstanfield]

It amazes me that thye just ripped stuff out with no concern for anything, yet they leave the VHF there along with that pricey heater.

Nice project, enjoy it. The boat is fortunate you came around when you did

[Mark Van]

It's actually not in as bad shape I expected. The aft locker were beginning to rot when I sold it, so they would have had to be replaced anyway. The galley stove was from an old motor home, and it was totally worthless, so you arn't out there. I'm surprised that they left the water heater and cabin heater, that was about $900 worth of stuff. I am looking forward to see what you do to her, you are a much more meticulous woodworker than I ever was.
Mark

[Mark Van]

Here are a few pictures of what it looked like just before launching.

[nedL]

It's great to see her living on. Mark, I remember when you began building her, ----- I guess time flies.

[Robmill0605]

I've made arrangements to have her moved and managed to get a secure site with power right next door to my new shop where I build furniture. I'm semi retired now, so I plan to work on her almost full time until she is restored.
Upon closer inspection I've determined that the only way to get rid of the cancer is to completely tear out the cockpit and rebuilt it. I plan on keeping her and living on her so I'm going to do whatever it takes to do it right.

[Robmill0605]

Doesn't look too bad at all Rob, if the hull is nice and sound and the superstructure still solid you've done very well indeed!!

I think so too. The bottom of her hull is two inches thick and her sides are one inch thick.The superstructure is sound. It's a great start and ironic that I was actually thinking about building from scratch from my plans, so I'm ecstatic about having her!

[Reynard38]

Was the boat built in Florida? I'm curious what woods were used in the construction. Looks like yellow pine in the cabin.
I'd have to pull that palm out of the anchor locker and plant it at your shop as a memento of where the boat came from!

[Robmill0605]

Was the boat built in Florida? I'm curious what woods were used in the construction. Looks like yellow pine in the cabin.
I'd have to pull that palm out of the anchor locker and plant it at your shop as a memento of where the boat came from!

LOL, great idea. I think I will. The boat was built in Missouri. The trim in the cabin is black walnut. I believe the framing is SYP.

[Corky]

I read Marks travel log with great enthusiasm, which in turn caused many hour of constirnation while at work. Dreaming at work is greatly frowned upon, and if caught in the act one could be labeled as ----- well a daydreamer. Such is my label that I have, to my benefit (IMHO).
This boat and Marks adventures are what dreams are made - for sure, and it is such a great thing to be able to watch the resurrection.

Thanks for saving such a neat boat, sharing the rebuild with us here, and keeping the dreams alive.

Kudos!!!


Corky

[openboater]

pic's of the sister ship as promised. I was running short on time so here's what I could get quickly. I'll try and get back up there and introduce myself to the owners and ask for a tour. The pics don't do justice to how great she looks in red trim. Vibrant !!

She's on the Oneida river, just east of Three Rivers. Junction of the Oneida, Seneca and Oswego.

[Mark Van]

It was written up in the "Designs" section in WoodenBoat #167, July/Aug 2002.

Launching day, September 12, 2001.

[Bob Adams]

Good for You!
I CRINGE when I see potted plants on a boat, any boat.
Even the cute flower vases used to "stage" boat show boats.
Get em off and keep em off!

So sayeth Mr Roberts!!!

[Robmill0605]

Hey openboater!

Thanks for the pics. Because of the weather here in Florida I'd thought about how she would look with a canopy over the cockpit. Looks great!
I really like it since I plan a few (OK a lot) of sun-downers on her. and I think it would protect the cockpit from the afternoon rain and heat we get every day in the summer. I put a couple of gallons of bleach in her cockpit lockers today to kill whatever nasties are lurking there. I'll go pump it all out and open it up to dry out tomorrow. I won't really know how bad until I get her to my shop and get into it.
The plant and the dirt are coming out from her holds tomorrow also.

[Tom Lathrop]

Hello Mark,

I'm very pleased to see that Heart Of Gold II is being rescued and I know that you feel the same. I hope that Leah Gent has also found a good home. There is some serendipity here since both boats have rested for a spell at my home dock. I'm lucky to even have a workable dock since Hurricane Irene's visit last week. No matter though, all is well and all my boats survived in good shape. Can't say the same for many others though.

[Mike Vogdes]

From the pictures posted she doesn't look to be so bad... I'm curious to know what the line on the cleat at the helm is for?

Mark,
Did you have a composting head aboard and if so how did that work out?

[Larks]

I'm curious to know what the line on the cleat at the helm is for?

I'd vaguely wondered that too, as it's not in Marks original pics.

[Indicott]

Hi everyone!
It was such a treat to get a link to this thread about Mark's boat. Rob, I'm really glad you are taking time to not only purchase the Heart of Gold II but to put the effort into bringing her back. My hat's off to you!

I was on Mark's boat April Fools day 2002 in Ft. Meyers Beach harbor to see how she looked in real life. Mark came ashore in his dingy and rowed my wife and I out to the boat for the grand tour. I bought a set of plans that day and built the sistership shown in some of the photos above. I have a picture somewhere of both boats together when we stopped in Ft. Meyers Beach on our way south in the winter of 2004-05. Both Mark and his design were the spark we needed for what turned out to be the adventure of a lifetime. Building and then cruising our own boat! My boat has over 10,000 miles one it and I know Mark's had more than that. Not bad for a flat bottom homebuilt! The Leah Gent now renamed Pepi is currently behind the River's Edge Mansion B&B on Erie Canal. A fitting berth seeing as how we originally built her for that stretch of water. Hopefully one day you will get the Heart of Gold II back in the water for another picture of the two boats together.

Good luck!
Brad

[Robmill0605]

Hi everyone!
It was such a treat to get a link to this thread about Mark's boat. Rob, I'm really glad you are taking time to not only purchase the Heart of Gold II but to put the effort into bringing her back. My hat's off to you!

I was on Mark's boat April Fools day 2002 in Ft. Meyers Beach harbor to see how she looked in real life. Mark came ashore in his dingy and rowed my wife and I out to the boat for the grand tour. I bought a set of plans that day and built the sistership shown in some of the photos above. I have a picture somewhere of both boats together when we stopped in Ft. Meyers Beach on our way south in the winter of 2004-05. Both Mark and his design were the spark we needed for what turned out to be the adventure of a lifetime. Building and then cruising our own boat! My boat has over 10,000 miles one it and I know Mark's had more than that. Not bad for a flat bottom homebuilt! The Leah Gent now renamed Pepi is currently behind the River's Edge Mansion B&B on Erie Canal. A fitting berth seeing as how we originally built her for that stretch of water. Hopefully one day you will get the Heart of Gold II back in the water for another picture of the two boats together.

Good luck!
Brad

Hey Brad, thanks for the encouragement. I met you and your wife and I was aboard Leah Gent with Mark when you and your wife visited Ft Myers Beach, and were staying in the marina next door to Bonita Bill's! Too funny. I greatly admired your craftsmanship and it only reaffirmed my desire to someday owning this design.
Keep in touch, and thanks again.
Rob

[Indicott]

You just reminded me of how much I miss Bonita Bill's!! The two places I had the hardest time leaving were Oriental and Ft. Meyers Beach. Memories.........

[Mark Van]

Here is a picture of both boats in Ft Myers Beach.

Bonita Bills is in the background at the base of the bridge.

[hutchcraft]

As the present Captain of the former Leah Ghent now named Pepi I will be very interested in watching this rebuild. Cindy Jones is the owner and I'm her brother in law and we use her boat to take guests of our B&B out on intimate dinner cruises, cocktail cruises and fall foliage tours on the Erie Canal. The Leah Ghent was built by Brad Indicott and sold to Warren and Robin Kelly and now to Cindy. Check it out on our web page www.riveredgemansion.com.