By Shannon Knight, Sunnyland Chapter
Meet Crush, a 1977 Glastron CVX-16 Deluxe, complete with its original Mercury 115 engine, affectionately known as the “Tower of Power.” Glastrons are famous for their sleek design and vibrant paint jobs, and Crush is no exception. These boats even made appearances in James Bond films, like “Live and Let Die,” where they performed jaw-dropping stunts.
We found our Crush in Florida in 2016 at the ACBS Sunnyland Festival. A flash of orange caught our eye, and it was love at first sight – a “crush”! Even better, the boat was being auctioned to support a great cause – the chapter’s well-run youth apprenticeship program called SCAMPY. We couldn’t resist and brought Crush home to our lake in Michigan.
Shannon and husband, Scott.
That summer, Crush turned heads on their lake and won hearts at the Michigan Chapter’s Algonac Boat Show. However, as the summer unfolded, all was not perfect. The engine had low compression in two cylinders, and the transom was rotten. “This is why it’s a always a good idea to have a “back up boat” when you own a classic!” says Shannon.
Determined to give Crush a second chance, we found a vintage Mercury outboard specialist in Michigan to restore the engine. Husband Scot, an experienced woodworker, took on the challenge of replacing the floor and transom himself, learning fiberglass skills through YouTube, Facebook groups, and our wonderful circle of ACBS friends.
Now, Crush shines again and we look forward to showcasing her at boat shows. Crush is a great ambassador that attracts people who grew up on classic fiberglass to ACBS
We still have our 1976 CV16SS we bought new when we returned from our honeymoon. Red and white with Mercruiser 140. All original. Have had many, many hours of fun.
Nice work! I’ve got a 74 CV 16 in metalflake green with a 77 1150 Merc, I’ll be in for a rebuild at some point as I have lower compression in cyl #3. Keep it running!
Had the same boat, same year, same color with the Merc 90 Tower of Power. It was fun