Strange coincidence today, Gayle. As I was preparing a Facebook post about the 25th anniversary of my father's passing, I saw your email about your farewell to your own father. He was blessed to live until 98 and you are grateful to have had him with you that long. My father, Othon lived from 1922 until 1992.
I have been intending to write you and send you some photos for some time now, but I perceived your message today as a sign from the Universe not to delay any longer.
Both my father and I had been indebted to your father for the long hours of creativity and fun that he offered us, through his design.
But let's rewind back in 1965. My father and myself, I was 15 years old at the time, “met” your dad through an ad in BOATING magazine. We ordered your catalogue and we chose the “Albert. E”.
We were not very happy with the idea of the inboard engine, so we asked your father what he thought of the Evinrude 90 hp Stern drive, instead. His reply was that it should be OK, so we ordered the full-size patterns. The boat was completed during the first 6 months of 1966 in Athens, Greece.
We took it by sea (an 180 nautical miles trip) to Kefalonia, the biggest of the Ionian Islands on the Western parts of Greece. Kefalonia is our place of origin and this is where I am living now. The boat with two people had a top speed of 26 knots and cruised happily at 20-22. We think we did a great job building it and it proved to be a great hull, making the passengers feel very comfortable both as far as the ride was concerned but also space onboard.
Although it was not a deep vee hull, it was extremely seaworthy and fought bravely with the Mediterranean afternoon choppy seas. It was also very robust and sturdy and having two layers of fibreglass and the advantage of the stern drive, she could be easily beached.
Moving the engine aft was a great idea and we regretted not getting the OMC 120 hp 4 Cyl. 4 strokes straight, instead of the 90 hp V-4 2 stroke we opted for. A friend of ours built his “Albert. E” with the bigger engine and this proved to be a better configuration.
The boat was christened “Ketty M.” after my mother's name and we had lots of fun with it for several summers. Years later, in 1977 the engine broke down and it was not worth repairing. Somebody somehow persuaded my father to modify the boat and put a Mercedes inboard diesel engine, following the original design.
The outcome was utmostly disappointing because on one hand the boat lost its spaciousness and on the other, she never managed to exceed 12 knots. Obviously, the engine did not have enough power. My father sold it to somebody who was looking exactly for this kind of performance and got himself, after my advice the British built Center Console Fletcher model Fish “n” Ski, in 1979, which I am still enjoying. I already had my own boat at the time, a Greek made Compass F3 racing hull of Swedish design.
“KETTY. M”, was not our first boat and it was not going to be our last. But, it will always hold a very special place in my heart as long as I live. I was very proud to say that I built this boat with my father following the design of Glen-L. Sharing this story with you makes me feel relieved. Like giving credit to where credit was due.
Another friend built in the early seventies your L-Dorado, here in the island. It was Dr Nikos Troianos a good friend of my parents. Lots of fun and skiing with it...
I have some photos from those days to upload. A bit late after 51 years, but better late than never. My sincere condolences for the loss of your father. May he rest in peace and may you live longer than he did.
