Glastron

Glastron, the iconic Minnesota-based fiberglass powerboat manufacturer founded in 1956 by Bob Hammond, briefly ventured into sailboats during the early 1970s with a handful of small, innovative designs that leveraged their expertise in molded fiberglass construction—most notably the Glastron Alpha (1970–1975), a 15-foot lateen-rigged daysailer with a hard-chine hull, pivoting centerboard, and Sunfish-inspired simplicity, built in limited numbers (~100 hulls) for club racing and instruction. Other rare sailboat entries included the Glastron 14 (a 14-foot cat-rigged pram with a 70 sq ft sail) and the Glastron Scamp (a 12-foot junior trainer), both emphasizing lightweight, durable one-piece hulls with foam flotation and self-bailing cockpits. These models were marketed through Glastron’s “Sailboat Division” in Austin, Texas, and featured hand-laid fiberglass with bold color gelcoats (often orange, yellow, or lime green), reflecting the era’s pop aesthetic. Despite critical praise for build quality and performance, Glastron exited the sailboat market by 1976 to focus on powerboats like the CVX and Carlson lines,