Description
Minney’s Yacht Surplus is a Southern California institution
where boaters can buy, sell and trade boating equipment.
It is owned and operated by Ernie Minney of Newport Beach.
Ernie was raised aboard his father’s 65’ schooner Kelpie and
after graduating from Cal Maritime Academy in 1959, Ernie sailed
aboard Kelpie with his dad and brothers on a years cruise to
Tahiti and back.
Shortly after returning from Tahiti, Ernie and his dad George started
Minney’s Yacht Surplus which quickly became the #1 source of good
used boat gear and sails in Southern California. In 1977 Ernie
skippered his lovely 68’ schooner Shearwater on a family cruise
that ended up being a 40,000 mile circumnavigation.
Ernie is an experienced ocean racer and has served as watch
captain on many of largest ocean racers on the West Coast.
Ernie’s surplus warehouse usually has over 1000 good used
sails in stock. Ernie personally measures and appraises every
sail that leaves his store. He’s a tough buyer and an easy seller.
To this date he has held the line and his highest priced sail has
never been more that $1500.00. Can you imagine the surprise
when the owners of a large ocean racer in Australia unpacked a
brand new North $35,000.00 Kevlar-Carbon fiber mainsail from
Roy Disney’s monster race boat Pyewacket that they paid $1495.00 for!!!!