Meteor, still ahead of her time

When the doors to Sea Marine opened for the Wooden Boat Festival, there was Meteor.

The revolutionary 38-foot Meteor was designed and built in 1938 by the Jensen family, owners of Seattle’s Jensen Motorboat Company, for themselves. With double-planked hull and triple-planked superstructure, she has a beautifully flared bow and torpedo-like stern, far ahead of her time. The “streamlined” Meteor was cutting edge boat design in 1938 for she had hardly a straight line and absolutely no sharp corners. To some eyes, she reminds you most of Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion car of 1933.

Fuller's Dymaxion car of 1933

The Jensens had a history of fast boats and just as important as the way she looks, she was designed to go fast, hitting 25 knots with her original twin 152 hp Chrysler Crown engines. At some point in the boat’s long life, Anchor Jensen added a “wing” or large trim tab to the stern to aid in lifting her up on a plane.

Meteor turned heads in 1938 as she did under the former owner, glass artist Dale Chihuly, and the current owner, musician Neil Young. The rumor on the dock is that the plan is to convert Meteor to electric drive which in a way makes perfect sense. She’s a boat that has always been ahead of her time.

There’s a nice article about the Jensens from which much of this was lifted here.