Livingston Tender

[First Light]

I have a foot Livingston Tender that needs a new home. It's in good condition for it's age.

Comes with 2 sets of oars, a 4 year old 30LB thrust Minn-Kota electric motor, and a battery.

For sale to all AO members/friends for $200.

Downside: Even with help I cannot load photos, sorry.  I also live in Colville so location could be a problem.

Any help anyone can give me with this is greatly appreciated. It' just too much for me to load into the truck anymore.

[amazing grace]

Pm sent. Thanks T.

[headduck]

Great price for a well loved platform. 

[First Light]

Yes it is! Second only to Arimas IMO.

Sadly, our Sea Hunter is up next.

 Just physically unable, unsafe, to do it alone anymore.

[headduck]

Wow. Coleville.

That is the sticks.

Gotta be breathtakingly beautiful. 

[First Light]

Ahoy headduck. Drop the e, it's Colville.

Yes, the area is breathtakingly beautiful.

 Mountains covered with forests, not houses, is what we see at sunrise and sunset. No crowds here.

[Yachter Yat]

   Hi First Light:  I didn't see a size on that tender.  Do these Livingston Tenders come in different lengths?   

Yat

[First Light]

Ahoy Yat!

Sorry about the length.

It's an 8 footer.

I'm not sure but I believe Livingston came in everything from 7 feet to the upper teens?

Perhaps others can give us better  info. I think they made in Seattle back in the day.

[davidsea]

  I had an old Livingston sales brochure somewhere but can't find it.  Dave Livingston is a legend in boat design, with successful projects from several other large builders.  From memory, they were offered in 8-9-10-12-14-17' lengths.  The 8' length is confusing, since some early ones were 7.5' and the others 8' but all were called 8-footers.  The 17' was a different breed - more of a true catamaran, set up for twin engines.  The company was sold several times, and ended up on the East coast as a RIB builder, I think.  The Sorenson tenders were Livingston clones, built here in Seattle, but that company was sold to a Bremerton builder familiar to all of us, which was offering an 8' and 12' - don't know if that's still true.
  I've owned 2, a 7.5/8' and a 14, which was lots of fun with a lightweight Chrysler 35.  The small one I still own, and will be selling it this spring.  Good shape, but almost never used and takes up too much space.

[markymark]

Were they built in Grays Harbor at some point?

[KEM KAI]

Gave my 8fter away and now miss it.  I'm thinking of getting another. So good a platform for 2-3 people free diving, very stable. Dive spots are only 5-10 minute ride away.  Used to carry the small anchor and tow it around as I dive. Unfortunately Colville's a little too far from Hawaii.

[davidsea]

Were they built in Grays Harbor at some point?

Hadn't heard of Grays Harbor, but they were built both in Arlington and somewhere further North.  I think one of the owners/builders was Mirage Marine in Arlington, and Bayliner produced them as well.  Dave Livingston was at one time a designer for Bayliner and did some of their larger yachts as well.

[markymark]

Glasply made a nice tender as well.

[Tom C]

Livingstons were made in Arlington. The next door neighbor of the site I'm working at is a retired Bayliner engineer, and used to commute to work with Dave Livingston from West Seattle, back in the olden days.

[Yachter Yat]

   So.....Livingston went out of business?  What.......were they bought out by Defiance or somethin'.   

Yat

[davidsea]

  Livingston - or more correctly, the Livingston brand - has been sold at least 4 times.  I suspect the molds are long gone.  Sorenson, the 'clone' brand not built from the same molds, was purchased by Defiance and was offered in at least 2 sizes.  No idea about current status, but since Defiance seems to be eliminating production of small boats, future seems iffy.  Most big-boat owners seem to want inflatable tenders (which I really dislike), so the future of hard-shell small boats seems to be tinnies.

[Tom C]

The good news is that there were so many Livingstons built over the years that it is no great challenge to find a viable used Livingston, in any size you desire, today, for short money.

[croaker stroker]

...

https://santabarbara.craigslist.org/boa/d/santa-barbara-livingston-14ft/7799960486.html

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/boa/d/costa-mesa-14-custom-livingston-center/7799122069.html

https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/boa/d/las-vegas-small-fishing-boat-tender/7803596682.html


The 14 footers are pricy. 

First Light is offering a "gift" at $200.

There are quite a few on Craigslist.

[davidsea]

  That 14 with a late Honda 50 must be WAY over-re-built, or there are other problems.  I had that Honda on my lightweight 16' tinnie and could run 40MPH.  It's the lightest 4-stroke 50 around at 215#, and my Chrysler 35 (rope-start) on the 14' Livingston was lighter @ 135#, but that 80# difference can't explain the difference in speed....my 14 would run 34+ MPH with a light load.  The top-end handling was ahh...twitchy, but at high 20's no issues.

  BTW:  If you want an 8-footer, buy FirstLight's - $200 is a DEAL, even if you have to drive to get it.   Mine won't be that cheap next year.

[Yachter Yat]

That 14 with a late Honda 50 must be WAY over-re-built, or there are other problems.  I had that Honda on my lightweight 16' tinnie and could run 40MPH.  It's the lightest 4-stroke 50 around at 215#, and my Chrysler 35 (rope-start) on the 14' Livingston was lighter @ 135#, but that 80# difference can't explain the difference in speed....my 14 would run 34+ MPH with a light load.  The top-end handling was ahh...twitchy, but at high 20's no issues.

    Yup!   My 16 SC with the Honda 45 (same block) would have passed that Livingston like it was standing still.


Yat

[headduck]

The troll motor and battery will almost set you back 200...

Maybe a package deal with the Arima when it goes ... It's a great companion boat.