The Modern Privateer

2013 Custom Dennis Schreibert Schooner — $265,000

You step onto the deck of Running on Empty and the first thing you notice is the solidity. The fiberglass flex you feel on production boats is gone. You are standing on 46 feet of welded steel. You look up at the twin masts of the schooner rig and realize this isn’t a toy for harbor hopping; this is a machine built to cross oceans and high-latitudes.

Currently located in Florida, this vessel is a complete anomaly. Most steel boats on the used market are rusty, amateur projects from the 1980s. This boat was completed in 2013. You are getting modern systems, fresh steel, and a stunning custom interior without the four decades of corrosion issues usually found in this category. It was designed by George Sutton and built by Dennis Schreibert specifically for “safe worldwide cruising.”

For Boat 3, we are pivoting from “weekend cruisers” to “end-of-the-world survival ships.” The most expensive material to build with today isn’t fiberglass—it’s skilled labor. And nothing requires more skilled labor than a custom steel hull.

To weld, fair, and finish a 46-foot steel schooner in 2025 would cost north of $1.5 million. It is a massive undertaking that only the most dedicated dreamers attempt. But because the mass market is terrified of rust and intimidated by schooner rigs, these steel fortresses often depreciate brutally. That is where the “Smart Money” adventurer steps in. You get a hull strong enough to hit a shipping container and keep sailing, for the price of a used center console.