TOPIC: 1958 Glasspar 15' Trident on period Dilly trailer

Friends,

I was given the above runabout/trailer by a young man from Hutto, TX, this AM, to restore.

It was bought new by his 78YY grandfather in the spring of '58. - the runabout & the trailer has a TX title & neither has not been licensed/registered in about 10 years. = it needs TOTAL restoration, though it's not too bad, given 53 years of use & the hot TX sun.

So, i'm looking for a person who KNOWS Glasspars & hopefully has actually rehabbed/restored one of these boats.- i've never even seen one "in the flesh", until now. - only a quite small color photograph.

Things like a photo of CORRECT upholstery & trim items would also be helpful.

Also, suggestions for outboard motor(s) would be appreciated. - it's rated for up to 70HP.

THANKS for reading this.

yours, satx

Hi, satx,

There is a brochure in the library on the 1958 Trident, maybe that will help you get started:

www.fiberglassics.com/library/Glasspar

Ken

Hey Ken,

Did you look at the 16' Del Mar in the old Glasspar ads? Sweet! Thanks for bringing them out tonight!

We need pics!!

I think that the Trident is a neat looking boat... I have a Glasspar Citation, and am rebuilding a Glasspar G-3 at the moment. They are nice boats, and in general, well designed... There are a lot of them out there- and GREAT owner support, through the Glasspar owners association ( www.classicglasspars.com ).

I'd assume that you've seen the brochure in the Fiberglassics library-


It'll give you a good idea of what it looked like originally.

There are some photos of a trident over on the Glasspar owners association page, but not many... It isn't one of the more common models.

As for power- It likely had something in the 35 HP range on it originally, That was pretty much top end power at the time... But, it could probably handle more. I had a 50 HP starflite on my '60 citation (a slightly larger boat), but went with a Merc 850 when I repowered, so I had a more modern, reliable motor. I'd think for that boat, something in the 50-60 HP range would be great. You just have to decide if you want 'vintage' power, or something newer.

-Andrew

andgott,

fwiw, there were some HOT OB motors out there then. - the Mark 78A Mercury for one. - i had a PAIR on a 17ft CarterCraft molded-plywood runabout from 1962-5 & that combo was FAST, as the CC was light!

as the Trident is rated for 70HP (i don't think that the 70HP manufacturer's rating is coincidence.), i wonder if a PAIR of Johnson Super Seahorse 35 OBs wouldn't just be "the cat's pajamas"?

yours, satx

What happened to the Carter Craft?? Do you still have it? They were built in Panama City, Florida 30 miles from my home. I skied many miles behind several Carter Craft boats back in the 50s and 60s!!

the savage ii,

SADLY, it came off the trailer at speed & was utterly DESTROYED, while i was away at boarding school in the early spring of 1965.= the 2 Mark 78a, "some boat stuff" & the trailer were sold by my dad after the incident.

yours, satx

Hello, Satx:

I've got a 1958 Trident. She's in terrific shape, and as far as I can tell she's original not restored. The exception here is the motor. It's a 1971 Merc 800 making it 13 years younger than the boat.

Let me know what you need and I'll be happy to help. I've got the boat itself (probably most helpful) plus an original 1958 magazine ad and sales brochure (interesting, but nothing you can't find images of online).

Scott

1958 trident,

just found your post. - SORRY!

are these boats fairly uncommon? - there seem to be FEW Tridents on "the worldwidewierd" & equally few in ther glasspar club.

mine is missing the windshield.
(the PO threw it away, when he started using it for a fulltime fishing rig.)- WHAT kind was it? and do you know of any for sale?

also. does yours have the correct upholstery & trim items? - i'd like to do it RIGHT, since i have to replace the seats/interior trim.

yours, satx

Hi Satx:

I believe mine is original/correct, though I can't be 100% sure. She sure looks it, and she matches all the brochure photos, etc. that I've been able to find. I've heard that the windshield is an old Chevy Corvette one, though I can't prove that either. It's a real shame that yours got tossed! I think the windshield is part of what gives the Tridents such beautiful lines. And to answer your questions, yes, they're on the rare side!

If you get desperate enough to make your own windshield out of plexiglass, let me know. I made detailed drawings of mine some time back for someone else who planned to do the same. I've still got them. Can you email me through this forum? If so I'm sure I could get back to you in a more timely manner. Regardless, I can take photos if there's something specific you want to see.

Scott

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