Description
The Glen-L Lodestar, a majestic 55-foot steel-hulled double-ended ketch designed by Glen L. Witt in the 1970s and offered through Glen-L Marine Designs as the crown jewel of amateur blue water projects, fuses multi-chine simplicity for welders with heavy-displacement seaworthiness for globe-trotting couples or families dreaming of circumnavigations from the Panama Canal to the Roaring Forties. Measuring 55 feet LOA (50' LWL) with a 15-foot beam, 6 feet 6 inches draft on a long, encapsulated keel (65,000 pounds total displacement, including 20,000 pounds internal lead ballast for a 31% ratio and comfort ratio of ~42), it delivers a seakindly, dry ride in 30–40 knot trades while attaining a hull speed of ~8.7 knots under its double-headed ketch rig with 1,200 square feet of sail (main 500 sq ft, staysail/jib 400 sq ft combined, mizzen 300 sq ft; SA/D ~13 for effortless motoring-assist in light airs and balanced storm sails via club-footed jib). The multi-chine mild steel plate construction (1/4"–5/16" plating over 35 frames, fully welded with doublers, chainplates integrated into hull, and epoxy barrier coating for corrosion resistance) requires 4,000–6,000 hours for a dedicated builder using Glen-L's precise offsets, patterns, and lofting instructions, yielding an unbreakable shell that withstands collisions or groundings; the opulent interior spans 6'6" headroom across two private double staterooms (each with en-suite head/shower—owner's with tub), a vast saloon with convertible dinette and settees for eight, L-galley with double sinks and gimbaled oven, dedicated nav station, workshop, and forepeak utility space, plus 200-gallon water and 400-gallon fuel tanks for 2,000+ mile range.
