By JEFF OVERLEY
The Orange County Register
NEWPORT BEACH – It started as a restaurant and later became a museum. But unless a buyer steps up soon, the "Reuben E. Lee 's" next gig might be firewood.
The faux riverboat, a landmark off East Coast Highway since 1965, will be vacated by the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum at year's end. The museum is moving to the Balboa Fun Zone, which it bought last year.
With time running out on the "Pride of Newport", as Reuben is also known, museum officials this week lopped $100,000 off the boat's price tag, lowering it to $195,000 from $295,000.
At 189 feet, the boat is a bargain for its size. The only catch? It doesn't move.
A buyer must haul the boat out of the harbor and, tougher still, find a spot for it. "There's a lot of interest, but not a lot of people with 190 feet of boat-slip space," said David LaMontagne, a museum trustee.
In the past three months, 75 inquiries have come in, and the museum has sought out other parties, LaMontagne said.
Among them: a restaurateur who wants to use the intricate woodwork as decoration; a Hollywood prop company; an Ensenada, Mexico, hotelier; and a Mexican company that demolishes wooden piers and uses the materials to build homes.
If a deal can't be struck, museum officials may hold a "demolition party" fundraiser at which guests munch hors d'oeuvres while bidding on smokestacks and engraved panes of glass.
CONTACT US: 714-445-6683 or joverley@ocregister.com