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1960 Glastron Sales Brochure Cover THE 1960’s WAS A SPECIAL TIME FOR DESIGN AND INNOVATION throughout the entire transportation industry. In the auto industry, designers and engineers were developing higher horsepower engines to meet the ever increasing demands of buyers in the performance segment – which eventually led them to create cars that not only performed better, but also handled better and attracted buyers with new and innovative styling. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and American Motors were all busy developing their own individual brands. The results of that period are now legendary. About this time of year, curious media and consumers would gather at the Detroit Auto Show for the unveiling of the new models, which usually changed dramatically from year to year. Not so much any more (although I’m sure the car guys would disagree). During that same period – from 1960 to 1970 – the Glastron Boat Company was also busy developing their individual brand as one of the leaders in the relatively new fiberglass boat industry.
But even though the designers and engineers all have an important role in the success of any company, the Marketing Department (and Ad Agency) is in charge of presenting the product to the consumer. The 18′ Bayflite Cruisette from the 1960 Galstron sales brochure.
Glastron did a remarkable job not only with innovative design and engineering, but also with marketing. Today, with some help from Minnesota correspondent Dane Anderson, we are going to review a tiny piece of Glastron’s development from 1960 to 1970 through the covers of their annual sales brochures. The trends, the creative photography and artwork tells an interesting story, and gives us a certain appreciation for the folks in the Marketing Department. I just love the language they used in the brochures in order to keep pace with the times in the 1960’s. Don’t forget, you can always click on the photos to enlarge them. For the 1960 sales brochure, all photos of Glastron Boats with Johnson Motors were photographed at Cypress Gardens, Florida in 1960 by Tram Pickett. Dane Anderson notes: “It was really a fascinating time for Glastron.
August thru April was the manufacturing run, then they’d retool and build prototypes and promo boats for the brochures. Shoot the brochures mid summer to get them printed in time for the winter boat shows.” “I’ve seen some pictures from the Glastron winter sales conventions. They’d go to Acapulco for a lampshade on your head drunken convention, Ah the Sixties” “Glastron was quite remarkable. A leader in design, they moved to V-hulls before most manufacturers. The major changes in hull shapes every couple years in the late 50s and early 60s was to stay ahead of the copycats who were simply splashing Glastron hulls to call their own (Redfish and others). The fiberglass boat industry was extreamly competitive during the 1960’s.” – Dane. And for a glimpse into the future, for 1971 Glastron / Carlson introduced the sleek looking CV-21 with Jet-Power.
Well I hope that wasn’t too long today, but after all we just covered 10 years of fiberglass boat design, development and marketing. In 12 short years, by 1969 Glastron sold over 60,000 boats – an impressive number. And the Marketing Department had a big part in that success. I am curious to know how many of our viewers remember these boats and if they have any connection to this period.
Let us know with a comment of a photo. Texx.
Great story – I ws born in ’64 and we did not have a cottage, so I have no memories of Glastron’s from those years, But, as you know Texx and as was featured here a few years back, my first “classic” boat was a 1965 Futura 500 V-164, in the red and white color shown in the 1965 brochure. It remains one of my favorite boats and is used very regularly throughout the season. It is usable, has decent performance and is quite visually striking. Very few were sold, likely because it is small and the I/O made it very expensive for the size.
Never the less, that boat ignited my interest in classics of all types, and I had pursued buying it for abut 15 years before I secured it – not because I knew anything about classic boats, but because I thought it was cool. Glastrons remain plentiful, inexpensive and fun boats for anyone wanting to either boat, get into the classic hobby or both. There is an active club on line and because of the Bond movie exposure, mot people know what they are. It is almost like “all” old wooden boats were known as Chris Crafts – Glastron was very large and very well marketed, which resulted in a sort of perception that sporty glass boats were Glastrons’. While I don’t mind a bit of whimsy from time to time, the absurdity of the marketing picture in the epitome of silliness – what the hell were they thinking? Obviously that people would remember the boat because of the ridiculous seen portrayed in the shot?
By the way, I prefer Ramsey Lewis’s “The in Crowd” (recorded live in the early ’60’s in some smoky jazz club, to Dobie Grey’s song – which is a totally different song of the same name, Have a listen. Al Benton Glasstron did indeed do a great job of marketing their products in the 60’s. Proof positive that marketing strategy is as important as the product itself. Fortunately they also produced a great selection of boats that lived up to their brags, that kept up with the times when fiberglass boat companies were all competing for the same market area. It appears that Glasstron’s success in the 60’s was based on good marketing strategy, combined with on-target research and development, along with building a reliable product that didn’t disappoint.
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Great story Tex! Don vogt Thx., Texx, a great article. Yes, I remember glastron, well. Was a well-regarded brand in those days, no doubt due in part to the crazy advertising. I have to be amused how they appropriated the various themes of the period in their catalogs, like “turn on”, etc.
Reminds me of a speech by abbie hoffman (you know one of the student radicals of those days) who wanted a revolution and denounced madison ave. For trivializing his call. He cited various examples and the one that comes to mind was an advertisement for a product that was “a revolution in toilet paper.” God, how did we are survive the 60s? No doubt these old brochures has to bring a laugh to an advertising guy like matt. Gene Porter Great trip down memory lane.
For a couple of years we had a mustard yellow 15′ deep vee Canadian Glastron knockoff with a 40HP Johnson docked in the swamp one house away from Matt’s new digs. Teen age son developed a habit of speeding out into the Potomac and then throwing a rod. The family flagship and rescue boat at that time was a 19′ Penn Yan whose V-4 outboard suffered the chronic vicissitudes of the early electronic ignition modules. For those “woodyboaters” thinking of dipping into the glass class, check out shipshapetv. Sean We did not own a cottage so, I was only introduced to Glastron boats in the early 1970’s. The hull logo clearly says “A CONROY Company” and I wished I knew that Uncle.
Of course, with a name like Sean Conroy (not quite Connery) I was also quick to identify with the 007 world record jump in 1972 with a GT-150. This despite it was supposed to be Roger Moore in that boat (I could let that slide).
I like the GT-150 to this day despite it being an outboard. However, if the time frame is the 1960’s and the subject is plastic, then I’m a Donzi guy (1964) all the way so, there is no Glastron planned for my future. Dennis Mykols Being born in 1946, I grew up on this type of marketing in the 50’s and 60’s, when I would just drool over all the cool cars and boats available each year. To this day it is were I got my love for “STYLE” in my cars and boats. I would love the marketing hype each September when the cars were delivered under a cover on the transport trucks, and the dealers would paper up the show room windows for a couple of days, as they rolled in the new model cars at night. Loved the suspense, and the unveiling. Now you know why I have had several boats named “STYLE” and have it on my classic car plates.
Murray Parnell I was in my teens in the 70s,we had a friend with a Glastron bow rider. We had a 64 Evinrude Gull wing.I dont remember too many boats with the wings but in my (38) boats I have a 58 Glastron Skiflite and a 58 Surflite and 84 CVX. We take the Surflite to many runs and shows and love the interest it brings I am restoring my 1972 MX13 Checkmate that I bought when I was 15,just picked it up from Ronnys Marine Yesterday with a fantastic new Metal Flake finish.Love the classic Glass boats with their wild designs,metal flake finishes and fast hulls in the 70s. Back then it was Big Blocks and Bikini Tops Murray P. Murray Parnell Hi Texx RPM is Recreational &Pereformance Motor Show It is a automotive flea market,Classic Car show,Bike show, Truck show,Tractor show and Classic Boat show This is the 2nd annual and The Trent Severn Antique & Classic Boat Association have partnered with Ronnys Marine to put on their Summer Boat show at RPM We are looking for lots of glass boats. To join our great display of wood boats.
Last year we had lots of Hot boats,Hydros, Checkmates, J Craft,Sidewinder,Flat Bottom Tunnels etc.The 60s and 70s were all about Hot Boats Go on Trent Severn Antique and Classic Boat site for pictures of last year or Ronnys Marine and check our the slide shows of many Classic Boat restorations Any Questions feel free to ask Murray. Brad Henry My parents bought a Blue Metal flake 1964 Thunder Jet V160 while on their honeymoon in Minneapolis Minnesota. It was their first major purchase as a married couple. My grandfather (a ND farmer) was not happy with their purchase. My parents believe that it was the first Glastron in ND. We ran that boat until the mid 70’s with a 100hp Mercury which was then replaced with a Johnson 115.
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In the early 80’s we sold the Thunder Jet and bought a Glastron SSV169 open bow. I wish we had kept the Thunder Jet, it was a great ski boat for its time and was very stylish!!