Carp DeVille - Page 4

This is one of the most exotic and sought after of the Glassics. It is a 1956 Lone Star, Meteor. The pink boat shown is at the end of a multiyear restoration and is of the highest quality. The boat cost $1,600.00 new, about 3 times the price of an ordinary 15 foot boat. The motor and trailer were sold separately, typical of the time period. The '56 was the most detailed and expensive Meteor made and is the most collectible, subsequent years were cheapened with less trim and bench seats in an attempt to improve sales.

No production figures are known, but it is believed to be very low. These were built in 1956, '57, and '58. At present, there are about 25 Meteors known altogether. This is a topic, literature collector / Boating world columnist Lee Wangstad can discuss in detail. He has interviewed the boats designer, Bob Hammond, who left Lone Star in 1956 to found Glastron.

Bob Hammond designed the Meteor as something he had planned to build for himself, but his doodles were discovered by Lone Star Management and a prototype was immediately built for the boat show circuit. Reaction was so strong and favorable that it was rushed into limited production. The press coverage at the time was extraordinary and it is very well represented by the surviving literature.

Bobs personal Meteor is shown in the sales literature reproduced here (lower left). It was purchased directly from the Lone Star factory, I have a copy of his receipt. His boat had been damaged in a fire that temporarily closed production that year and was rebuilt at his home. It was orange and white.

Power on my boat is the sought after 1957 Mercury, Mark 75. This was the first 6 cylinder outboard Mercury ever made, and the most powerful and expensive outboard ever produced to that time. There were two versions that year, this was the earlier with the so called wave style logo. The motor runs well.

Electrical wiring of the boat, fuel lines, tail light lenses and a steering component are being finished at present to complete the restoration. My plans call for a hidden stereo to be lowered from the passenger side dash with a linear motor. Original antenna placement has been updated with power antennas. Naturally all instruments, and hardware are NOS or rechromed / restored original pieces.