PAGE 8 • AUTUMN 2006 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SAILING ASSOCIATION
Sailors aboard small racing vessels step lively as the 242, along with the other craft, prepare to come about.
LIVING THE DREAM
marketplace with the uniqueness of the 242 at a fair
price, carry on the lifestyle that racing this boat provides,
continued from page 1
and get people happily involved with a great sport.
Consider that the dream was about a special boat, and
our family and friends either had one of these boats or
I had just purchased my tenth 242 a year before we
had the same passion for sailboat racing that we do. To
made the decision to attempt the “impossible.” The boat
compliment the dream, along with the passion, was the
had been well taken care of, but it had always been wet
knowledge and business background in boats to actually
sailed and had numerous blister jobs performed over its
make it happen.
lifetime. It definitely needed the refurbishing treatment
that Mike and I had been involved in on three previous
Enter the Martin 242
customers’ boats. My dream was to have a perfect
Twenty-five years ago, Canadian boat designer and
bottom, keel and rudder, which was an important
builder, Don Martin, introduced a lively, unique, and
element of fulfilling Mike’s dream of building new 242s.
easy-to-sail, 24-foot day sailor race boat that was
I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I do remember
affordable and competitive by any standard. The Martin
a conversation that went something like: “Since you’re
242 soon became a hot commodity in the Pacific
cherrying out the hull, why don’t we pull a mold off it?”
Northwest and eventually made its debut in Southern
It made sense at the time, and before you knew it, here
California, through efforts on my part.
was this bodacious monstrosity stuck to my hull, and
then my deck. Oh, the deck. That was almost more work
Mike and Denise George got involved with ASA in Marina
than the hull. Mind you, this was happening over a
del Rey, Calif., and found a renewed, growing interest in
period of a year and a half. With delays at the boat yard
the boat, but were challenged by the scarcity of good
and stressing financial resources, it was a dream just to
boats to bring into the area. After several trips to Canada
get through each phase. Or was it a series of small
to seek out suitable candidates, it became obvious that
nightmares? Either way, pressing forward from one
the expense of refurbishing a 1980s vintage 242 was
challenge to the next was foremost in our minds.
approaching what it would cost to make a new one.
Since the molds had been cut up some ten years prior,
Continuing challenges
the only logical conclusion would be to make molds off Fortunately, we had the incredible support of the man
some existing boats. I think I recall someone saying, himself, Don Martin, who was as enthusiastic about the
“dream on,” about that time. We were going to do more project as we were, after he realized we were dead serious.
than just dream, we wanted to continue to supply the
continued on page 16
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24