Nobody would have thought it possible back then that the Glastron brand, which was once made famous in Europe by Bruno Tibus, would have achieved such cult status today. The pioneering spirit and sales success of the general importer from Rhumspringe at the time are also the basis of the renaissance of the GRP classics from Texas, whose worldwide fan community - united in the Classic Glastron Owners Association (CGOA) - A piece of American boatbuilding history lives on. Also in Europe and especially in Germany.
Every year, Glastron owners from Northern Europe come together to take part in the Annual European Classic Glastron Meeting, which is now firmly established in the CGOA calendar. The community is growing: while there were only four boats at the first meeting in Denmark in 2007, 13 were counted at last year's meeting in Neu Darchau on the Elbe. For the next meeting from 17 to 19 June 2011 (again in Neu Darchau), 29 owners of Glastron oldies have already registered.
The journey of more than 1000 kilometres does not deter the owners. Once they arrive, even adults and small children alike look forward to travelling down the Elbe together in a group. The prize for the longest journey in 2010 went to Wim Blommaert from Belgium. He trailered his CSS 23 over a total distance of 1300 kilometres to northern Germany.
The field of participants consists of the most diverse gems of Glastron history: from Spanish or American Larayas to glittering Carlsons, jumping GTs - made famous in the 70s by an action scene in the James Bond film "Live and Let Die" - to very old models such as the V154 Futura by André Gladbach from Cologne.
Whether the boats have been restored true to the original, are still in their original condition or have been heavily modified depends on the owner's taste. Frank Marcus from the Netherlands, also known as "the Flying Dutchman", for example, even fitted a V8 in his CVX 16 SS, which just about fitted into the engine compartment. Further modifications, which of course served to increase the top speed, followed: "hot-foot foot throttle" and a "nose cone" on the Z-drive.
The threads of the Glastron fan community in this country have come together in recent years with Aaron Schreiber from Hamburg. The owner of a Carlson CVX 16 had chosen Lauenburg as the location for the meeting. Peter Schröder, who had become aware of the Classic Glastron clique via the CGOA website (www.classicglastron.com) and internet forums, made contact with Aaron and immediately played a leading role in organising the Glastron meeting in 2010.
It was also Schröder's idea to move the start and finish of the meeting a few kilometres up the Elbe to Neu Darchau, which offers ideal conditions for a meeting of trailer boat skippers with the "Elbufer" campsite (the "Glastroner" has had a second home there for 25 years), the cosy "Zum Göpel" restaurant and the nearby harbour with slipway. The friendship between Peter Schröder and campsite owner Thomas Lütjens spread to the whole community.
Having fun together, exchanging knowledge and tips - that's what the Glastroner meetings are all about. Whether Aaron Schreiber is diving through the waves with his CVX 16, which he had shipped to Germany after buying it in England and then completely restored with the help of his father, or whether a CV 23 no longer has any contact with the water, it's a real pleasure. Of course, minor breakdowns are part and parcel of old boats; most Glastrons are already over 30 years old.
Cor Baarda from the Netherlands had unintentionally converted his magnificent CV 23 Jet into a "bathtub". A high-pressure hose came off the jet drive and within a few seconds the boat had a lot more draught as the water ran into the boat without stopping. After a short repair on the beach, the journey could continue and the so-called roostertail could once again be seen from many hundreds of metres away. Even the fish are happy about the Glastron meeting, as there is still a camera on the bottom in front of the Geesthacht lock showing numerous photos of the boats.
Matthias Gennermann was so enthusiastic about the Glastron brand that he bought a V174 Jet in addition to his SSV194. The tank capacity of his blunderbuss was 90 litres, but he still couldn't manage a distance of more than 100 km. After he had already been towed a few metres, Peter Schröder rushed to the rescue. The 5-litre canister was filled into the tank and the lever pushed through again.
An exuberant atmosphere, endless topics of conversation, with "petrol talk" naturally taking centre stage. Every Glastron meeting is characterised by the lightness of being. While some people sit on the beach and have a barbecue, others - everyone at everyone else's - go for a drive. Lars Mende even set off from Berlin on his scooter at 5.00 a.m. without a boat just to look at the boats. Unfortunately, his almost original CV 16 SS had no towing vehicle at the time. Like Lars, a few other onlookers also found their way to Neu Darchau. They had read about the meeting on the Internet.
The fact that the Internet is by no means as anonymous as it is often described is particularly evident among Glastron fans. It all started online. The "Thread for Glastroners" at boote-forum.de already had more than 3000 posts after less than two years. The regular round table reveals secrets such as: Who is actually hiding behind the nickname "Shark72", or why is "fieb" actually called "fieb"?
Even in winter, people are in regular contact. As soon as a Glastron is offered for sale somewhere, everyone knows about it a few hours later. Sometimes someone even finds their new winter project to build this way.
Many Glastron owners remain friends beyond the meeting, meeting up for dinner in the evening or going on holiday together. Enthusiasts like Peter Riemann, who already owns a V 212, even fly to Mallorca for a weekend to buy a rare Hammond, like the Glastrons designed by Bob Hammond.
Contact: classic-glastron@web.de
