Recent Posts

Success, the Glastron is mine.. half a day on the water blaster and it almost looks nautical. Fortunately the motor turns over and has spark. not a bad for something that has sat under a tree for about 5 years.

Hi Mate,
Have her call me, I'll convince her!

How is your beautiful Holden looking?
She's a real head turner, that's for sure!

MERCMAN.

White & blue Javelin

Returning to Lismore from Coraki after a days skiing. Passing under the Woodlark st. bridge.
Dad driving with Mum, myself, youngest brother, in boat, two brothers and sister out the back.
Very badly flood damaged photo.

Mid 60s

Returning to Lismore from Coraki after a days skiing. Passing under the Woodlark st. bridge.
Dad driving with Mum, myself, youngest brother, in boat, two brothers and sister out the back.
Very badly flood damaged photo.

In late 2019 I took my boat of the day, 10ft flat bottom with a jacked up/out 10hp Merc (quite quick) to Lismore and played around my old stomping grounds.  Launched at the Ballina st bridge early one morning with the intent of running to Ballina, didn't happen, my back up crew, car support to pick me up in Ballina ended up in hospital with a unrelated issue.
SO, just ran from the ramp in Lismore upstream to BoatHarbour,  end of tidal influence and back, that Wilsons creek, as I knew it once, is narrow,  thought same last time in the Pride Premier, back to Lismore and up the other branch to where the old bridge lays in the river(creek) and back.
Many memories of skiing the same area,  mid 60s , don't know how we turned around, no wonder we clipped willow trees.
The skiing starting point was below the dog track , but, the boat ramp there has been removed and the area completely overgrown.  We skied from there to Coraki, skied all day, and skied back,  large family, not enough room in boat so had to drag a couple behind,  many stories flicked through my mind.
Great bit of river,  totally underused today, pity. 

I'm back, possibly for a short time, hopefully a long time. I've been offered a barn find complete Glastron V173 with a Merc 115 thunderbolt motor for $500.

Question is how do I convince the minister of financr that its a bargain. Pics to follow.

I really like this series Jav, nice proportions, graceful flare in the bow, nice 'old school' tumblehome at the rear. It is a 'pretty' boat, yet with a manly rugged appearance and a roomy cockpit.
Some serious thought went into the design and assembly of this boat, using a clever marriage of top to hull so as to produce the shape with the complex curves joined as they do, the large S is necessary but breaks the free-flowing transition along the sides from flare to tumble.

The longitudinal air tunnels underneath doubled as stringers and the floor is simply mounted to the tops of these inverted U-channels.  In the late 50s-early 60s it was considered to be advantageous to trap or induce air under pressure to the planing area (to help lift the hull and release water tension I suppose). A couple of US performance boatbuilders (Switzer was one) even had an air-vent designed into the foredeck which, at speed, ducted pressurised air down to under the hull.  I haven't seen any boat makers using this technique in the last 50+ years so I expect it did not give any advantage in non-stepped hulls

This Javelin was an innovative design in its day and still looks great now.
Ken.

Early model Savage Javelin with large "S" from Western Australia.

1960's Savage Javelin