If it were up to Mitch LaPointe, he would take back his 1953 Chris-Craft Commander Cruiser after the two years he spent restoring it for George Cochran, a Chicago resident.
"I guess I'm still in seller's remorse," he said, chuckling over how well the 35-foot classic wooden boat turned out.
Now back on the water after more than 20 years in a dilapidated barn, the boat has been restored more completely than LaPointe ever could have afforded himself.
LaPointe's Classic Boat & Motor in Spring Park on Lake Minnetonka seems like an unassuming business. It doesn't even have a sign out front, which Kathy LaPointe said would only keep their phone ringing nonstop. Its advertising is pretty much limited to a website and word of mouth.
When the business has a walk-in client, the LaPointes invite the visitor right into a converted living room with two large desks covered with papers and plans for classic wooden boats.
Still, the operators of the 27-year-old business are constantly busy. "We're busy in the winter, and in the summer we go crazy," Kathy said.
LaPointe's Classic Boat & Motor specializes in dealing, restoring and repairing classic wooden boats, primarily Chris-Craft, Garwood and StanCraft. With its home office on Lake Minnetonka near Lord Fletcher's restaurant, plus a 10,000-square-foot shop in Glencoe, the business imports boats from around the country and even once brought in the only black Chris-Craft Racing Runabout from Guatemala.
However, the 1953 Chris-Craft Cruiser has a special story.