How many of the buoy grills are known to exist?

[AZ Monsoon]

If they rerelease that replica...id be so over that!


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Can you imagine? I bet there would be a hundred or more alone from this site.

[Hofy]

Is this the one discovered in Redgranite, Wis?  if so, that is only 30-40 miles from my house!

At $272.77, it really wasn't for the working stiff.   

Yeah in the early 50s and through the 1960s, the $7-$10 open top braziers were the charcoal grill to have. The kettle back in the 50s was more of a status symbol given its price point. I hate referring to it as that but to Charred's point, the BAR B Q KETTLE wasn't really aimed at the budget minded consumer in the early years. Then again, their gas grills today are aimed at the higher end/disposable income level. Not to mention that the earliest "buoy" style kettles were only made for a short time before the early tripod legs, then shortly thereafter wheels and axles were added rendering the ORIGINAL extremely rare to see or find a surviving example today. Outside of Weber, I know of no one that owns nor have seen one in the wild. There's a 1954-55 kettle owned here in the community and I had the honor of seeing it up close and personal and it's a sweet piece of Weber History and built like a tank. The cooking grate felt almost as heavy as the lid. Built to last like just about everything in the 1950s. Love that grill! It belongs to Ernie (member einrej) Charred I know you've seen this one but for our newer members and friends that haven't seen it, here it is.

Here's the photos I snapped of it last year at the meetup.

[56MPG]

For those not aware, the original '52 kettle had no bowl handles, (NBH?) and a single bowl vent. (SBV?) George quickly learned that airflow was critical, and two more bowl vents were added. Well, that and wheels. And a front handle. So, next time you're rummaging through some out of the way flea market and spot a NBH/SBV, even if it's trashed, with no lid and no cradle, don't walk away. (And don't post it here until it's in your heavily secured home vault.)

[Uncle Al]

For those not aware, the original '52 kettle had no bowl handles, (NBH?) and a single bowl vent. (SBV?) George quickly learned that airflow was critical, and two more bowl vents were added. Well, that and wheels. And a front handle. So, next time you're rummaging through some out of the way flea market and spot a NBH/SBV, even if it's trashed, with no lid and no cradle, don't walk away. (And don't post it here until it's in your heavily secured home vault.)

Is there any information on how many of the early kettles were produced? Was it something that was even tracked in the early days of the company?

[harris92]

Supposedly, less than 100 were made.  No official record but "word of mouth" passed from GS to family members.

[robs2]

Buoy Replica found:
Original Weber Replica
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php?topic=34228


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[fat-boy]

If you're talking an actual kettle cut from a buoy at WBMW, none known to exist. If you're talking the Original Kettle from 1952, none known to be owned by a member, but rumored to exist. One member has a horror story of passing one, or parts of one, up. Weber owns one, and it's in the gallery. I got to play with it and take pics alongside George's original brick grill they moved from his home to Weber HQ years ago. Might have been the first time that grill had been outdoors in 50 years. Such a cool thing to do for an hour or so. That kettle is like a religious relic. I got lucky with the weather, proving divine intervention.

@Troy tried to slip a repro-original into his car from the Weber Grill in Schaumburg in early '13, but a couple other founders held him down until authorities arrived in an effort to preserve everyone's kettle karma.

BWAHAHAHA !!!!!

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[fat-boy]

If they rerelease that replica...id be so over that!


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Can you imagine? I bet there would be a hundred or more alone from this site.

I'd be on it like scandal on a politician!!

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