Building boats from Hourston Glascraft molds

[Boatboy96]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share a bit of exciting news with the group. I’ve got the original molds for the 17ft Hourston Glascraft, and we’re planning to bring the boats back to life starting early in the new year.



These will stay true to the classic Hourston design – the deep-V hull, sleek lines, and solid West Coast look that made these boats legendary – but with some modern touches where it counts. The plan is to offer both composite and traditional layup options, keeping that proven ride quality while reducing maintenance and weight where possible.



For anyone curious about specs, the maximum recommended horsepower is 115 HP, which keeps it well-balanced for performance and safety. Perfect for everything from local salmon runs to lake days or cruising the Gulf Islands.



Pre-orders are opening soon



(We will NOT be building boats on spec. Only pre-order builds buyer direct)



— if you’ve always dreamed of owning a brand-new Hourston built from the original molds, now’s the time to reach out.



We’ll post updates as the first pre-ordered boats come out of the mold and share some behind-the-scenes build photos and details. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s exciting to see Hourston’s heritage getting another chapter.



If anyone has stories, photos, or history tied to the 17-footers, I’d love to see them — they’ve got such a deep legacy here on the coast.



– Ben

West-Bay Shipyards / Hourston Glascraft Revival Project

 

[kaelc]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share a bit of exciting news with the group. I’ve got the original molds for the 17ft Hourston Glascraft, and we’re planning to bring the boats back to life starting early in the new year.



These will stay true to the classic Hourston design – the deep-V hull, sleek lines, and solid West Coast look that made these boats legendary – but with some modern touches where it counts. The plan is to offer both composite and traditional layup options, keeping that proven ride quality while reducing maintenance and weight where possible.



For anyone curious about specs, the maximum recommended horsepower is 115 HP, which keeps it well-balanced for performance and safety. Perfect for everything from local salmon runs to lake days or cruising the Gulf Islands.



Pre-orders are opening soon



(We will NOT be building boats on spec. Only pre-order builds buyer direct)



— if you’ve always dreamed of owning a brand-new Hourston built from the original molds, now’s the time to reach out.



We’ll post updates as the first pre-ordered boats come out of the mold and share some behind-the-scenes build photos and details. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s exciting to see Hourston’s heritage getting another chapter.



If anyone has stories, photos, or history tied to the 17-footers, I’d love to see them — they’ve got such a deep legacy here on the coast.



– Ben

West-Bay Shipyards / Hourston Glascraft Revival Project

Great any orders from Pedder bay to replace their fleet?,What's the market for 17 footers? I’m a big fan of 18/19 footers with a cuddy, great for families and fishing 3 people. Have you connected with the guy who has the bigger molds? He was going to build them in WA if I remember correctly

 

[scott craven]

Understand it's early in the game, but is there a price point target ?

 

[Pineapple Express]

Cool project, I hope it goes well for you.

Wondering if you acquired the molds from Stuarts Yachts? They have a note on their homepage that they are/were going to be producing 17s from the Hourston molds too. Not sure if they ever got started.

Your Partner for a Safe Adventure on Water

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stuartsyacht.com

 

[JohnS]

Great any orders from Pedder bay to replace their fleet?,What's the market for 17 footers? I’m a big fan of 18/19 footers with a cuddy, great for families and fishing 3 people. Have you connected with the guy who has the bigger molds? He was going to build them in WA if I remember correctly

I really don't think there's much of an appetite for the 17's.. you're right on with the 18/19s

 

[Whole in the Water]

What about the 23 & 26 ft models? Great seaworthy hull design!

 

[Eden Island]

What about the 23 & 26 ft models? Great seaworthy hull design!

The larger molds were acquired by a guy who posted several times earlier. Last post by RDale July 30, 2024 in a thread with this same name https://sportfishingbc.com/threads/building-boats-from-hourston-glascraft-molds.83260/ -- which weirdly seems disconnected from this discussion.

@Admin - can these be connected?

 

[scott craven]

I really don't think there's much of an appetite for the 17's.. you're right on with the 18/19s

Before the days of the massive welded and glass boats that people are leaning towards, the 17' Hourston, D.E. type boats were the most popular boats built.
Just my opinion but I see a market for these as prices on big boats soar and fuel costs increase.
If they can be launched at a reasonable price I think they will sell.

 

[kaelc]

Before the days of the massive welded and glass boats that people are leaning towards, the 17' Hourston, D.E. type boats were the most popular boats built.
Just my opinion but I see a market for these as prices on big boats soar and fuel costs increase.
If they can be launched at a reasonable price I think they will sell.

yeah they are ideal for daily use. I think the problem is the cost of selling one is almost the same as selling big one at 10x the cost and profit margin. Don’t quote me on that.

NMI stopped making the very popular C-Dory 16, the last couple of years. They also seemed to have stopped making the smaller sea sports as well.

Tsunami Pangas has tried putting out affordable centre consoles, nothing in the 16-19 foot range. I’m not sure how they are doing.

 

[Marley]

Before the days of the massive welded and glass boats that people are leaning towards, the 17' Hourston, D.E. type boats were the most popular boats built.
Just my opinion but I see a market for these as prices on big boats soar and fuel costs increase.
If they can be launched at a reasonable price I think they will sell.

I agree. If they are a reasonable price I would be interested. When I see new 18' fiberglass boats at like 90K I am always shocked, and there are not may people that can afford a boat over the 150k range for bigger models. If you could hit the 50 to 60K range I think there would be a market. Store in your driveway, easy to tow, burn very little fuel.

 

[Boatboy96]

Hard to get anything past the super fans and super sluths. Yes the molds were purchased from Stuart. As of currently we will be only focusing on recreational use boats. Not rentals. Only building the 17’s for the foreseeable future. Had many opportunities to snag the other molds over the past years. Unfortunately the market conditions and the high cost of storage didn’t make that worth while. When we had looked at them before, originally at the old Hourston location. The other molds seemed like they needed a lot of refinishing and were close to end of life. Whereas the newer style 17 molds still have lots of life left in them. Hence why I think Stuart bought them separately originally. Pricing will come Monday. Then we will shortly thereafter open pre-orders. Ultimately, the success of the reintroduction of the 17 model. Greatly depends on the support of the local boating community and people’s willingness to support Canadian industry. Including the extra price point over a mass produced “bass pro boat” .

 

[Dorman Point]

Hard to get anything past the super fans and super sluths. Yes the molds were purchased from Stuart. As of currently we will be only focusing on recreational use boats. Not rentals. Only building the 17’s for the foreseeable future. Had many opportunities to snag the other molds over the past years. Unfortunately the market conditions and the high cost of storage didn’t make that worth while. When we had looked at them before, originally at the old Hourston location. The other molds seemed like they needed a lot of refinishing and were close to end of life. Whereas the newer style 17 molds still have lots of life left in them. Hence why I think Stuart bought them separately originally. Pricing will come Monday. Then we will shortly thereafter open pre-orders. Ultimately, the success of the reintroduction of the 17 model. Greatly depends on the support of the local boating community and people’s willingness to support Canadian industry. Including the extra price point over a mass produced “bass pro boat” .

Do you have the mold for the original deck arrangement, circa early 1990s, or only the “newer” style? I have an early ‘90s 17’, which I love. These boats handle like a sports car with the right power. I prefer the older style deck to that in the pic included In PE’s post #4, and am wondering if purchasers will have the option to choose from the two styles.

 

[Boatboy96]

Do you have the mold for the original deck arrangement, circa early 1990s, or only the “newer” style? I have an early ‘90s 17’, which I love. These boats handle like a sports car with the right power. I prefer the older style deck to that in the pic included In PE’s post #4, and am wondering if purchasers will have the option to choose from the two styles.

Thanks for the interest. We only have the new style deck mold. As of right now we are keeping it simple and doing the one style. It will have a slightly newer windshield design as well, but it will still be very similar to the one in the photos above.

 

[Aquaholic]

Will you have one finished for the boat show in the early new year?

 

[Boatboy96]

We have the tough parts figured out windshields ready to go etc. Waiting to gauge interest when the pre-sales open. But granted that goes well we should have a floor model for the boat show. The shipyard is busy. This is a passion project. Keeping boat building alive on the west coast is important to me personally. The success of the 17 will again depend on people coming through and pre ordering one.