Really ? Ernie Minney is retiring ?

[Calif. Ted]

I just learned that Minney's Yacht Salvage is for sale, it depresses me to think it may not be there forever.
Dave ? They do point out what a great franchise it could be, any thoughts on expanding ?
http://www.minneysyachtsurplus.com/

 

[jeepbluetj]

Saw an ad in "The Log" that says it's for sale. Great place. Will be a loss if they close.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Great store to browse in. But of all the many times I've visited, I've rarely emerged with something I went there to find; or, even by chance encounter. Hard to believe. I've done better in the straight-ahead consignment shops. The new one in Ventura, Mike's, looks very promising. (See at link below.) I've also had luck at Kelly Marine in San Pedro and the Sea Chest on Shelter Island, San Diego. (E.g., got a very nice pair of Nicro snatch blocks there a few years ago at a good price!) Now that WM is in the clothing and fishing supply business, principally; perhaps we'll see more of these useful shops reopening.

https://www.mikescms.com/

 

[Dave Groshong]

Working for Ernie was great! He taught me to grade and price used sails, what a fun job that was.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Now that WM is in the clothing and fishing supply business, principally; perhaps we'll see more of these useful shops reopening.

Good point, KG. The old (and tiresome) WM "bashing" often neglects the actual impact they made. 1) They made it possible to actually find boat parts much easier than before they existed; 2) those chandleries that did exist before WM disappeared [like coffee shops before Starbucks - except for what I've seen here north of the border at least on the island].

Same thing happened here: WM opened and chased out all the locals. Thing is WM closed here two years ago. The locals haven't come back, there are a few marine stores, but they have to mail order stuff for you if you can't do it yourself. They can get everything, but it takes a few days to "get it from the mainland."

Maybe it's just an island thing, but it's commerce: someone will be there for you or you'll have to do it yourself.

I'll miss the convenience of WM, but now that I've had my boat for almost 20 years, I've already "paid for" the WM near me, and now my favorite marine store is my local hardware store.

 

[Kings Gambit]

I came to boating from an ownership POV rather late in the game; late 1980's. However, Boaters World and Embree Marine (Clearwater/St. Pete, FL) were still around, plus there were a couple of chandleries in downtown St. Petersburg where you could get discontinued parts and many kinds of fasteners and sailboat hardware easily. I don't remember there being a WM in St. Pete at that time. But, the one in San Diego on Shelter Island which I visited whenever in town then was fantastic. I thought this was really the future of marine supplies and hardware, and I longed to see a store open in St. Petersburg, or near there, which eventually one did. But before WM came to San Diego and in the mid to late 1970's/early 1980's, there was Kettenburg Marine on Shelter Island that was truly a fine place to find boating supplies and hardware (at the store). It's gone now, of course.

"Kettenburg Marine continued to build exceptional, well designed vessels and in 1969 the company was purchased by the Whittaker Corporation of Los Angeles. Paul Kettenburg continued to guide the business until his retirement in 1979. The company was sold to Thompson Fetter in 1985 and subsequently dissolved in 1993."

https://sdmaritime.org/library-and-research/library-and-archives/archives/kettenburg-collection/

 

[Jackdaw]

Thats too bad, hope he finds a buyer. He wants US$3M for the business, real estate not included. If he does not find a buyer there is going to be an AMAZING G.O.O.B. sale at the end... the last day he'll be giving stuff away.

 

[jeepbluetj]

Great store to browse in. But of all the many times I've visited, I've rarely emerged with something I went there to find; or, even by chance encounter. ...

Yup. There was/is a problem with things like Loran units not being just tossed to make room for more useful stuff.

OTOH, I walked in there one day looking for some stainless hardware and walked out with 2 brand new ST40 winches. (new in box) - They were less than half what defender was asking for the same winch. Talk about an impulse buy.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Yup. There was/is a problem with things like Loran units not being just tossed to make room for more useful stuff.

OTOH, I walked in there one day looking for some stainless hardware and walked out with 2 brand new ST40 winches. (new in box) - They were less than half what defender was asking for the same winch. Talk about an impulse buy.

Yeah-- but did you need new winches?

 

[Skipper]

I just learned that Minney's Yacht Salvage is for sale, it depresses me to think it may not be there forever.
http://www.minneysyachtsurplus.com/

I'll go in on it with you. :-D

He wants $3 mil.
Without the building.
He's got about $500k worth of serviceable parts in there, and $2.5 mil worth of discarded junk, a lot of which has been sitting there for decades.
So it's worth $500k.
I hope they don't close. I've found more deals and goodies in there over the years than I can remember.
And the staff have always been great people. Just regular sailors.

Edit: I'm miscalculating. I forgot the giant customer base that he has, parts sources, business relationships.
Maybe it is worth $3 mil.

 

[jeepbluetj]

Yeah-- but did you need new winches?

The old ones weren't self tailers, so they were more cumbersome to use. And the new ones were really shiny. Very shiny, clean, pretty... Boat needed some bling.

I'm of the mind kinda with Skipper - $3M is too much. Dunno if they own or lease the building. If the $3M included the building I could see it. If it was $500K, I'd be saying a similar "I'd go in with you on that..."

 

[jssailem]

Boat needed some bling.

Those ST40's are more than just bling. They are an essential tool for the safe and proper operation of the boat. It is the captain's duty to assure the crew that the boat is ready to sail... At least that is the story I would weave for my bride that might ask "What did you do?"

 

[jeepbluetj]

Those ST40's are more than just bling. They are an essential tool for the safe and proper operation of the boat. It is the captain's duty to assure the crew that the boat is ready to sail... At least that is the story I would weave for my bride that might ask "What did you do?"

Indeed. That was exactly what I told SWMBO. But she always sees through me. "They were less than half off!" was the right statement to make my dear bride happy. She also no longer swears at how annoying it is to trim the jibsheets.

The new ST40s were actually less than Minnies had a pair of used ones for. Dunno how that happens.