I find myself the proud new owner of a 1959 Lone Star runabout, complete
with a '59 Mercury Mark 55 motor. Now, I really got the thing for the
trailer, because I need a trailer for the new rowboat I am building in the
garage, and the whole package came to about half the cost of a new jonboat
trailer. It looks like the boat and motor are restorable, from what I
could tell under a foot of snow (it'll be a good six weeks before melt-out
around here) - the motor needs a new distributor, at least, and the boat
wants a fair bit of TLC, but things look sound (i.e. the hull is whole, and
the motor isn't seized or anything). Money's a little tight for the time
being. I figure I have several options - try to restore it, try to find
someone who *really* wants to restore it as a boat/motor unit, try to find
some antique outboard fancier who wants the motor and trade the Merc for a
newer motor that runs, donate the whole kit and caboodle (sans trailer -
that is mine) to some good cause, or use it as a planter. What would you
guys do?