Restoring A Classic

From our InTheBite archives. This boat was posted in our online classifieds. If you want to see the boat for sale click here

Lost River Marine has been known for the last 30 years to produce quality work, so it had not been very difficult for this customer to bring his newly purchased vessel to their facility with no concerns regarding quality workmanship.

The purchase was a 44’ Express Garlington from 1991. It had a pair of tired Lugger diesels, overworked Rupp outriggers, the original tower with cloth tops, an over worked genset and outdated electronics. Not only that but the vessel’s paint was chalky, faded and damaged, the teak had been beaten by the sun showing every sign of neglect. Some had said that the boat wasn’t worth the $50,000 but that’s where Lost River and the owner had seen its potential to turn a beaten boat into a pristine gem.

After the smoke cleared, this Garlington 44 Express was now outfitted with a new pair of Caterpillar C-9 Acerts, 7F Gears and controls. Powering all her electrical needs was a K3-9.5 KW marine heat exchange-cooled generator set from Phasor.

After a paint job, LRM hired High Seas Fabrication to put on a new tower with hard tops outfitted with LED lighting and two pairs of electrical teaser reels wrapped with a hard glass enclosure. From there, a full electronic package was added along with new covering boards, teak decking and more.

All dressed to impress, this 44 Express runs an impressive 36 knots burning 58 gallons per hour at top speed, cruising at 31.4 knots and burning 29 gallons per hour. She has been restored to new condition, earning a replacement value of 1.3 million, with less than half of the money invested.At the docks, some have asked if it was a new boat and found out to their amazement this Garlington was built in 1991.

The owner and crew could not be happier with their decision to purchase this vessel and having Lost River Marine handle the task of bringing this boat back to perfection. Not only has she become a real head turner, she is running her Due Course and raising plenty of fish.

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