Automotive instructor and Bass Fishing Club sponsor Tim Schaap is, as he puts it, a “proud Craigslist freak.” 

He has spent a lot of time searching the site for the perfect purchases and to this day still uses the cars he’s purchased in his automotive repair class.

While roaming the message boards on Craigslist, he came across what looked to be a perfectly put together fishing boat.

“People say I’ve mastered the art of Craigslist,” Schapp said. “This boat just adds to my resume of great buys.”

He was able to get the boat for a price close to half off of its original value; however, that seemingly great deal came with a catch.

The interior of the boat is comprised of a wooden frame to support the structure. That wooden frame, though, is rotting away.

Upon learning this irregularity within the boat, Schaap still purchased it at the asking price.

“I knew that I was dealing with a perfect product and not a rust bucket,” Schaap said. “I also knew that this could be turned into much more than just a regular purchase.”

What Schaap also learned was that he could turn this into a learning experience. With his students in the Bass Fishing Club, he has started to disassemble the hull of the boat and show his fisherman the ins and outs of boat repair.

Schaap has even called in the help of professional boat repairman Billy Kosick for help, and to further show his kids a glimpse at the future of working in the trades.

Kosick was more than happy to join Schaap’s repair mission as he has been wanting to get into teaching his craft for years now.

“Teaching has always been a world I’ve wanted to join,” Kosick said. “I have never seen a group of kids this excited to get their hands dirty and it is exciting to me.”

Originally, Schaap and Kosick had planned to meet again in three weeks since they estimated that’s when the boat would be ready to go to Kosick’s workshop.

After the first day of working on the boat, though, both Schaap and Kosick feel that the work done by senior bass fisherman Damian Kukuc and the rest of the club has been so amazing that they should be ready to meet again on Nov. 4.

“The work and this boat in general is just exciting,” Kukuc said. “This is going to be the best boat the club has ever had on the water so we want to get it out there as soon as possible.”