I spent $2 million restoring a cruise ship I bought on Craigslist. The project took over my life, but I don’t regret it.

I did a massive amount of image searching and was surprised. The ship was named Wappen von Hamburg, the first ship Germany was permitted to build after World War II.

It was one of history’s most pioneering cruise ships and no expense was spared in its creation — down to every last detail.

The boat had four lounges and an area where luxury cabins once existed, though all had been removed. There was a main lounge and entry, 85 cabins, and several random rooms, including a dining area accommodating about 250 people.

I couldn’t figure out how such a beautiful ship with historical significance made it to the California Delta.

It was difficult to find a home for the ship

My first thought wasn’t to purchase the boat — which I eventually renamed Aurora — but to assist the owner in finding a solution.

It was illegally moored on state land, and there was a deadline for its removal that was already six months overdue.

Back then, I didn’t own the ship yet, but I was helping to find a solution and fix it. My goal was to find a safe home for the boat, which I did.

In late 2008, I got a one-year lease for the ship at a former army base in Rio Vista. However, we had to figure out what to do when the lease expired.

I eventually secured a long-term lease on Pier 38 in San Francisco in 2010.

In 2011, we found a place to house Aurora at a Stockton, California, marina.

We had big ideas for Aurora. We thought it was in a safe place and wanted to get it into better condition. But ultimately, the marina owner lost the marina.

It felt like we were jumping from one frying pan into another.

I ended up feeling trapped by the boat

After the owner left the marina, there were a lot of situations that would temporarily stop progress on the Aurora.

A dredging issue in the channel where the Aurora sits also made it impossible to relocate the ship. Being stuck in that situation made me question whether I was wasting my life trying to manage a mess I couldn’t control.

For years, I felt a little bit trapped. So, in October 2023, I decided to sell the boat and move out.

It took me about five years to reach that decision, compounded by other issues, including a power company shutting off the marina’s electricity, leading to the boats on the marina slowly experiencing issues. One vessel sank next to us, followed by another shortly after.

We did so much with Aurora.

The main area and seven cabins were restored, and the main entryway was well on its way to completion. The lower entryway was fully finished and beautifully detailed. We also received donated furniture from the Island Princess, the ship featured in “The Love Boat.”

I spent shy of $2 million of my own money fixing up the boat. Though we never asked for donations, many people contributed small amounts here and there — I kept a record of the donations from the very beginning, which totaled around $4,500.

The rest of the money that went into the boat came from revenue generated by selling T-shirts, creating a YouTube channel for Aurora, and money I made doing various tech projects.

Before I got involved with Aurora, I spent 12 and a half years as an electromechanical engineer in disaster recovery. Over the years, I earned my income through the cryptocurrency markets and continued to work in tech doing contract work. I also took part in corporate auctions for high-tech companies, buying items and reselling them online.

The whole project morphed into something really cool for a long time. The knowledge I gained from that ship is quite impressive. I would have stayed out there and been part of that boat forever.

I’m pretty sad about the whole situation, but I believe things happen for a reason. Although I don’t regret a single minute of my time on it, I knew I needed to leave before I started to feel regret.

It was time to move on and start another project.

This year, I was offered a 300-foot sailboat, but I think I’ll stay on land for a while.

I’m now looking for something like a theater or perhaps an old church to be my next project — something historically significant with some character.