CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2019 25JANLEY
yet work trickled in. An order for an 86ft sport fishing
vessel and the last bootlegging boats kept their crew in
work and food.
Members of the San Diego Yacht Club continued
to race through the Great Depression and Kettenburg
got in on that action. They built a few 22ft Stars and
a fleet of 16ft Starlets, each with George Jr’s design
modifications. With no formal training, he possessed
an innate understanding of how to increase efficiency
without sacrificing beauty. Years later, his talent would
rival some of the finest yacht designers of the era.
The Depression might have scuttled business if not for
the SDYC and their hunt for a fast and economical class
boat. Trials were held with S-boats, Atlantic Coast Class
boats and local 6-meters before Kettenburg Jr, then 25,
convinced them to include one more. His idea, 31ft 10in
with a fractional rig, elegant sheer and long, graceful
overhangs would become his legend. His father financed
the build and the first Pacific Coast One Design Class
hit the water, out-sailing boats with far more canvas.
PC number 1, Scamp, would eventually be joined by
fleets of PCs along the coast of California and Hawaii.
Business was booming; 31 PCs were launched; and
then the war showed up. San Diego, home to a
substantial military base, awarded Kettenburg Boat
Works a government contract for the production of
plane-rearming boats. Their tiny crew expanded to more
than 100 but not without growing pains. Kettenburg Jr
bid the job using the cost of his own man hours. He was
a compassionate builder requiring little sleep; few could
match his speed and energy. The company was meeting
production, making boats as they always had, from the
keel up, but earning little money. Employee Charlie
Underwood suggested building on jigs, upside down on
a production line. They did and it became the efficient
method that carried them into a lucrative future.
A shortage of protein during the war created more
work for the yard. Some 86 fishing vessels, 32ft to 38in
feet were built with the astonishing promise “keel laying
to launching in 10 days”, resulting in the greatest
production run in Kettenburg history.
Near the end of the war, Kettenburg Jr made a half
model of a larger version of the PC and lofted it full scale
above the shop, all by eye. The PCs were light and fast
but lacked the desired accommodation for long distanceW
hen Cameron Fraser went looking for
a yacht suitable for the Leeward Islands,
he had only four requirements: it must be
wood; in need of repair; large enough for
the family; and perfectly priced. When nothing surfaced
near his home in Antigua, the search expanded to other
islands but every prospect proved too big, beyond repair
or over priced.
A friend suggested he look at a Kettenburg in Florida.
It was a sweet, 1948 woody, 46ft 4in (14.1m) boat,
built lightly with steam-bent oak frames and Douglas
fir planking. Her designer and builder were new names
to Fraser but the boat’s shapely lines were so alluring
that he had it hauled and surveyed. “Her issues matched
the advertisement,” he said. “She had checked frames
repaired with sisters and cousins, second cousins...”
When an offer was made, and ultimately accepted,
he didn’t foresee the journey that lay ahead. Transporting
the boat to the Caribbean and rebuilding her there
- that was in the cards. But delving into the history
of the Kettenburgs, a multi-generational family that
created thousands of vessels was, for Fraser, one surprise
after another. His new-found ownership of Janley, a
PCC, (Pacific Cruising Class,) granted him membership
into an unofficial club of Kettenburg builders, owners
and saviours. He wasn’t just buying a boat but a piece
of a maritime legacy that began a century ago on the
West coast of the United States.
In 1917, businessman George Kettenburg ordered
plans for a 22ft William H Hand Jr V-bottom motorboat
for a father and sons’ backyard project. Fourteen year
old, George Jr was the design genius, while younger
brother, Paul, served as gofer. The boat, powered with
a 90hp V-8, was unbeatable on the calm waters of San
Diego Bay so they built another before launching
Kettenburg Boat and Engine Co.
Early on, speedboats were their mainstay which was
a lucky break because alcohol prohibition had seized the
country. Booze flowed north from Mexico on ‘express
freighters’ and discreet commissions for rum runners
kept them afloat in their fledgling years.
After 16 builds behind the family home, they changed
names and venues. Kettenburg Boat Works moved
waterside to Point Loma just months before the market
crash of 1929. The country fell into an economic hole
Below left: PCCs
are sporty, fast
and built to win
Below right:
Janley at the
2018 ACYR