Alex McGruer

Alex McGruer (Alexander Robertson McGruer, October 3, 1912 – April 8, 1993), the esteemed Scottish-Canadian naval architect and boatbuilder, forged an indelible legacy in the annals of yacht design through his mastery of graceful, seaworthy fiberglass cruisers that blended classic lines with modern performance, captivating sailors across the Great Lakes and beyond. Born in Clynder, Argyll, Scotland, into a lineage of shipwrights—his father Robert helmed McGruer & Co., crafting wooden racers for Clyde racing fleets—young Alex apprenticed in the family yard from age 14, honing skills on Dragon-class keelboats and 12-Meter contenders before emigrating to Canada in 1954 amid post-war fiberglass fervor. There, he founded Grampian Yachts in 1959 with partner Stan Hunter in Port Dover, Ontario, pioneering early hand-laid fiberglass production with the nimble Grampian 23 (1959, ~100 built), a pocket cruiser renowned for its offshore grit despite a 23-foot LOA, followed by the iconic Grampian 30 (1961, over 300 hulls) with its spoon bow, full keel, and balanced sloop rig that earned Transatlantic accolades in the 1968 OSTAR solo race. McGruer's oeuvre expanded to the versatile Georgian 23 (1968–1970, ~50 units via McGruer & Clark), a fin-keel racer-cruiser with surprising interior volume and a 249 sq ft sail plan for club racing; the robust Grampian 28 (1969); and the stately 34-footer (1972), all emphasizing durability, a high ballast ratio for stiffness (often 45%+), and accommodations prioritizing couples' comfort with V-berths, galleys, and modest headroom. By Grampian's 1970s peak, annual output hit 100+ boats, exporting to the U.S. and fueling the cruising boom, though economic headwinds prompted a 1978 sale to Yorktown Yachts and his semi-retirement to freelance design. A quiet innovator who favored empirical tank-testing over computers, McGruer's boats—characterized by moderate displacement (6,000–12,000 lbs), draft around 4–5 feet, and motoring diesels—prized safety and simplicity, with survivors today commanding $15,000–$40,000 for their cult status among vintage enthusiasts. Honored by the Canadian Yachting Association and enshrined in the Canadian Boating Hall of Fame (1995, posthumously), Alex's enduring ethos of "boats that sail themselves" resonates through restored Grampians slicing Lake Ontario waves, a testament to a designer's art that married Scottish heritage with North American ambition.