Rare, Porsche-themed speedboat crests $40K on BaT
A unique Porsche came out of a 20-year slumber and just scored over $40,000 after fees on Bring a Trailer—and it isn’t even road worthy. That’s because it’s a boat. And it’s extremely rare sight, stateside.
The 16-foot 1995 Craig Craft 168 Boss isn’t really a Porsche, but its Boxster-like styling—namely its taillights, circular Bosch headlights, side mirrors, curved bodywork, and a Porsche emblem up front—earned it the nickname “Porsche Boat.” In case there’s any question about the inspiration behind it, “Porsche” is also emblazoned on the dash.
According to BaT, the boat had been stored for more than two decades. In 2015 it was acquired by the seller, who last year installed a GM-based 4.3-liter V-6 engine that’s paired with a Berkeley Jet Drive. It has had less than three hours of total run time.
The Porsche Boat’s fiberglass hull is finished in yellow and black and has matching interior trim, along with front and rear bucket seats, a center console, front storage hatch, laminated glass windshield, ski pylon, and Boss stereo with Kenwood speakers. The three-spoke steering wheel is mounted on the starboard side—that’s right-hand drive, for you landlubbers. The dash includes an 80-mph speedometer, a tachometer, and gauges for oil pressure, fuel level, coolant temperature, and voltage. There’s also a gas fume detector.
The nautical Porsche comes with a single-axle Shoreland’r trailer and clean Utah titles in the seller’s name.
So what makes this small speedboat so valuable? It was produced for just one year, and it wasn’t built in Germany or America, as we’d assumed. The Craig Craft 168 Boss was manufactured in Lincolnshire, UK, and reportedly only five made it to the United States. The boats were originally powered by 4.3-liter Mercruiser engines.
As far as we can tell (from scrolling through images posted on the internet), two of the 168 Boss boats to reach the U.S. were red, one was pink, one was turquoise, and the other was the yellow-and-black model that sold on BaT.
Seeing the price of that one skyrocket to $40,950 on BaT (that’s including the 5 percent buyer’s premium) is proof plenty that the three bidders who duked it out ’til the end know just how rare and valuable these are. The winner, Mike Malamut (of the Malamut Auto Museum in Thousand Oaks, California), accepted congratulations from other bidders and observers, saying the Porsche Boat “will go great” next to the Hemi-powered 1969 Philbrick 20-foot Runabout he bought on BaT a few years ago. Ultimately, he says, “I am a Porsche guy. Had to have the boat.”
It isn’t often you get the chance to buy a Boxster that rides on water.
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