Meadows Center and San Marcos Chamber hold ribbon cutting for restored glass-bottom boat #1963

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University and the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce celebrated the return of newly restored glass-bottom boat 1963 with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, February 14 at Spring Lake.

The Meadows Center’s fleet includes five boats, with the oldest built in 1945 and the newest built in 1978. Glass-bottom boat 1963 is the center’s first hard-top boat to be renovated with a new hull.

In 2014, The Meadows Center began the process of redesigning and replacing the wooden framed hulls with a fiberglass composite hull, which is stronger and more water-resistant. Boat 1953 and Boat 1945 were the first to receive a new hull. Over the next two years, The Meadows Center will pull one boat each year until the entire fleet has been restored with a new fiberglass composite hull.

“All of these boats were hand built by many different individuals, so none of them exactly the same,” Spring Lake Manager Aaron Wallendorf said. “Restoration on an item like this typically requires a craftsman that can do that; everything is custom.”

To support the historic fleet of glass-bottom boats at any level, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Meadows Glass-bottom Boat Endowment at https://donate.txstate.edu/meadows. 

About The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment 

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University was named following a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation in August 2012. The Meadows Center inspires research, innovation and leadership that ensures clean, abundant water for the environment and all humanity, and is led by Executive Director Andrew Sansom, Ph.D.