Man who spent $2 million restoring ship he bought on Craigslist 'has no regrets' despite selling it for just $20

A man who spent millions of dollars restoring a vintage cruise ship has revealed he has 'no regrets' after selling the boat for just $20.

Christopher Willson, an American man, decided to take on the renovation project of a lifetime when he came across a 293-foot vessel with 85 cabins on Craigslist back in 2008, and purchased it in 2010 after attempting to secure a long-term lease for the boat.

Originally named Wappen von Hamburg, the cruise ship was built in Germany and was the first ship the nation was allowed the build in the aftermath of World War II. It first came into service in 1955 and underwent various owners and name changes over the years, before being renamed Aurora by Willson.

Christopher's journey with the Aurora ship began back in 2008 (Christopher Willson)

Willson declined to state how much he'd paid during a recent interview with Business Insider, and he and his long-term partner set about restoring the vessel with the ultimate goal of turning it into a public museum.

He even began documenting his renovation project on his YouTube channel called Aurora Restoration Project.

However, Willson's dreams of seeing the Aurora returned to its former glory days are now well and truly over, as a series of setbacks and forced relocations let him feeling 'trapped' by the ambitious project.

By October 2023, Willson made the decision to sell the boat onto a new owner for just $20 (£16) after spending close to $2 million (£1.6 million) on the project. He had invested the majority of the money himself, through revenue generated from the ship's YouTube channel and money made from various tech projects.

"I'm pretty sad about the whole situation, but I believe things happen for a reason," Willson told BI when reflecting on the time and money he'd spent on the boat.

The restoration project has since fallen into disrepair (Kristina Werner-Meris/California Department of Fish and Wildlife/US Coast Guard)

"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."

After passing the baton on to a new owner, the Aurora faced further issues. In May 2024, it was confirmed that the ship had started to sink after a hole was discovered on the its waterline.

“It has been determined the ship has suffered a hole and is taking on water and is currently leaking diesel fuel and oil into the Delta Waterway,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office revealed in a statement in X at the time.

The Aurora was eventually re-floated in the June, but Willson has since added it was later 'razed' by contractors.

"It's sad to see," he added. "If we could have moved to another location with a dry dock, it would have been a permanent fixture in a nearby community."