The restoration now has over a million followers. The Hunter 490 was built in England from 1972 to 1977. The tiny boat with a sail area of eleven square metres and a ballast of 136 kilograms was considered a safe and fast yacht at the time.
Mr Baum, how did you come up with this number of followers?
It started with little films about the preparation of the cabin. They were already doing quite well on Instagram and TikTok. I said to myself: then I'll film the exterior refit. The message was: having a boat is not expensive. That obviously went down well.
How did the boat purchase come about?
A spontaneous decision with my best friend Lando. We wanted something that we could sail easily, sleep in and attach an outboard motor to. We found the boat on the internet for 1,300 euros with a trailer.
What then had to be done?
We first tore out the carpets that were stuck to the shell and painted them.
No idea, no plan, that's what the posts say.
Yes, when we bought the boat, it wasn't beautiful inside or out. Refurbishing it was a project for us. But approaching it with perfectionism would have spoilt the fun.
And when are you going on the water?
We want to learn the sailing licence theory this winter and practice in the summer. We wouldn't need a licence for the Müritz, but we would like to have an electric outboard instead of the petrol engine. We struggled with it during the trial run, it tore off the motor mount in reverse and I was only just able to save it.
A DJ console is also on board.
There's nothing better in summer than peace and quiet on the water. But on the Elbe, for example, we like to lie down on the sandy beach between the groynes. And sometimes we turn up the box.
Can you summarise the project?
Yes, the appeal is that anyone who wants to should have the confidence to carry out such a refit. Of course, mistakes happen when you work with colour and hardener for the first time, for example. One morning, for example, we realised that the paint we had mixed was just a hard lump after one night. However, such experiences are not expensive for a small boat.
Do the users' comments help?
Yes, but you also need a bit of courage to post something in the knowledge that many experts will then say what I'm doing wrong. But I also get a lot of constructive help that way.
What about the online whingers?
Yes, it's not nice, but I can deal with it. I like the constructive, I don't care about the non-constructive.
"Toter Hase 3" - what does the boat name mean?
The woodland plot where we do our project every year once had a dead hare in a pond, which we then buried: Dead hare 1. Then there was once a collision with a car, that was dead hare 2. And the boat is now dead hare 3.
Were there any comments on this?
Yes, it's bad luck to re-baptise. But with a good sparkling wine, it'll be fine. I hope so.
