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The Hidden Reason This Sunken Schooner Is Priced at $100,000
13 February 2026 · 8 min · 58K views
Endeavour J-class yacht heels hard in open water
What this video covers
A 100-foot wooden schooner named Vagrant sits submerged in Osaka, Japan, listed for $100,000 — and the asking price is examined as a deliberate filter rather than a market valuation.▶ 0:10 Vagrant was commissioned by Harold Vanderbilt in 1910 and built in 60 days at the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company for $26,800, equivalent to roughly $900,000–$1,000,000 today.▶ 3:04 Nathaniel Herreshoff designed her without computer modelling, relying on intuition and structural instinct, which gives her provenance that new construction from original plans cannot replicate.▶ 2:08 The core argument for her structural survival rests on wood preservation chemistry: oxygen and drying cycles cause rot, not submersion itself, and cold, stable water suppresses the fungi and bacteria responsible — the same principle that preserved Shackleton's Endurance under Arctic ice for over a century.▶ 1:19 The Samson Boat Company's restoration of Tally Ho, a 35-foot wooden boat, required years of full-time labour and crowdfunding; Vagrant at 100-plus feet represents an exponentially larger undertaking, likely costing millions over five or more years.▶ 6:22 The $100,000 price screens out casual inquiries and signals the seller understands what follows.▶ 7:03 The honest conclusion: the boat is probably not worth millions as an investment, but may be worth the effort as stewardship of a significant piece of maritime history.▶ 8:07
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