George Olson, iconic boat builder and boat designer, considered by many to be the father of the Santa Cruz ULDB's, died of cancer last week at age 69.
Olson, a longtime surfer and surfboard maker in the early days of Santa Cruz ultralights, was the creator or co-creator of such designs as the Jester Dinghy, Moore 24, Olson 25, Santa Cruz 27, Olson 29, Olson 30, Olson 34, and Olson 40.
In 1969, starting out with a masthead maxed out Cal-20 plus named SOPWITH CAMEL, George Olson set out to create the longest boat for 2,000 pounds displacement he could. The result was the 24 foot GRENDEL, a 24-ft fiberglass rocketship built over a male mold. GRENDEL proved a terror on the water, winning the 1970 MORA season championship and that year's 500 mile MORA Long Distance, which finished in Ensenada.
Ron Moore rescued GRENDEL's mold from a canyon behind a burned out barn in the Santa Cruz hills, and a partnership was formed between Ron and John Moore and George Olson to create the ultimate Wednesday night race boat for Monterey Bay. By jacking GRENDEL's mold apart with 2x4's at Moore's Reef(boat shop) in Santa Cruz, a foot more beam was added and the glass and resin started flowing, ultimately creating the Moore 24 prototype, SUMMERTIME.
Wednesday nights would never be the same again. (Today, GRENDEL sits in a slip on "O"-dock, and with a casual glance, you cannot tell her dark green hull apart from a nearby Moore 24.)
George Olson's other finest design was the Olson 30, a boat he designed in 1978. On a delivery of Bill Lee's MERLIN back from her record breaking '77 Transpac , Olson came up with the idea while sailing with Denis Bassano and Don Snyder, who lent their initials to the prototype's name, the SOB 30. The resulting boat was christened PACIFIC HIGH, and was launched in 1978.
As a result of PACIFIC HIGH winning many local Santa Cruz races, Olson constructed a semi-tweaked plug for a production boat. The draft was reduced, the freeboard increased, and the teak decks of the prototype were replaced with fiberglass and gel coat non-skid. Olson and partner Ln Neale started Pacific Boats in an industrial area of Santa Cruz in 1978 to build the Olson 30, and the shop remained open until closure in 1987.
For 30 years Olson 30's have been, with the Moore 24, synonymous with the best downwind surfing ever.
Condolences to Ln, Adrian, and Christine. A memorial will likely be held sometime in the Spring.
Sail on, George. Thanks for the Memories. Those Monterey Bay swells are beckoning.
~sleddog
Olson, a longtime surfer and surfboard maker in the early days of Santa Cruz ultralights, was the creator or co-creator of such designs as the Jester Dinghy, Moore 24, Olson 25, Santa Cruz 27, Olson 29, Olson 30, Olson 34, and Olson 40.
In 1969, starting out with a masthead maxed out Cal-20 plus named SOPWITH CAMEL, George Olson set out to create the longest boat for 2,000 pounds displacement he could. The result was the 24 foot GRENDEL, a 24-ft fiberglass rocketship built over a male mold. GRENDEL proved a terror on the water, winning the 1970 MORA season championship and that year's 500 mile MORA Long Distance, which finished in Ensenada.
Ron Moore rescued GRENDEL's mold from a canyon behind a burned out barn in the Santa Cruz hills, and a partnership was formed between Ron and John Moore and George Olson to create the ultimate Wednesday night race boat for Monterey Bay. By jacking GRENDEL's mold apart with 2x4's at Moore's Reef(boat shop) in Santa Cruz, a foot more beam was added and the glass and resin started flowing, ultimately creating the Moore 24 prototype, SUMMERTIME.
Wednesday nights would never be the same again. (Today, GRENDEL sits in a slip on "O"-dock, and with a casual glance, you cannot tell her dark green hull apart from a nearby Moore 24.)
George Olson's other finest design was the Olson 30, a boat he designed in 1978. On a delivery of Bill Lee's MERLIN back from her record breaking '77 Transpac , Olson came up with the idea while sailing with Denis Bassano and Don Snyder, who lent their initials to the prototype's name, the SOB 30. The resulting boat was christened PACIFIC HIGH, and was launched in 1978.
As a result of PACIFIC HIGH winning many local Santa Cruz races, Olson constructed a semi-tweaked plug for a production boat. The draft was reduced, the freeboard increased, and the teak decks of the prototype were replaced with fiberglass and gel coat non-skid. Olson and partner Ln Neale started Pacific Boats in an industrial area of Santa Cruz in 1978 to build the Olson 30, and the shop remained open until closure in 1987.
For 30 years Olson 30's have been, with the Moore 24, synonymous with the best downwind surfing ever.
Condolences to Ln, Adrian, and Christine. A memorial will likely be held sometime in the Spring.
Sail on, George. Thanks for the Memories. Those Monterey Bay swells are beckoning.
~sleddog
