We believe we are the 4th owners, and have been told the original owner was a Boeing engineer in the Seattle area. She had been kept in a covered slip on K dock at the Des Moines marina we believe since at least 1973. She was then sold to the Rogers family in the early 2000s, and continued to lie in the same slip. The Rogers' sold her in 2017 to the Shoneman's, who moved her to Marina Mart on Lake Union in Seattle. We purchased her from the Shonemans in April of 2023 and moved her back to Des Moines marina where she is currently berthed.

A unique feature of Grand Illusion is her interior was modified in period by the original owner. The original high/low table top was retained, but attached to a fixed base. The typical port side setee was removed, and the table and a set of chairs put in its place. This allows the table to be fully mobile and is very useful when having guests aboard. The starboard settee was also replaced with a version that can pull out to serve as a second berth. This modification was done to such a high standard that we initially thought she may have been ordered from the factory with her current layout. It was only confirmed to be a modification when we received the original high/low table legs with her hull number written on them by the factory, and one bung visible in the cabin sole where the original legs would have bolted through.

Hull Construction:  Carvel planked hull, 1 1/4" mahogany on sawn yacal frames, bronze fastened.  House is constructed of 3/4" marine plywood. Decking is laid teak over plywood sub-decking.

Propulsion: Power is by her original single Ford Lehman 2704E six cylinder diesel. Borg-Warner 71C reversing gear with 2.10:1 reduction ratio turning a 24x18 3-blade prop. Cruising speed is 7 knots at 1400 rpm at 2 gph. Fuel capacity is 240 gallons giving a range of 840 nm.