The History of Chris-Craft

The most beautiful boats ever made. Currently restoring a 64 constellation 30. My first boat ever

Back in the 60’s my dad used to take me fishing to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. The lake was loaded with wood Chris Crafts. I never cared if we caught anything because this 10 year old was always in awe seeing these beautiful boats and hearing their powerful sounding engines. They didn’t go fast so all the better for me.

You just cannot find something more stunning than the mahogany boats made in the 50's. Just jaw dropping.

I’m a newer boater and last year we bought an ‘86 Chris Craft 381 and love the room for my family. We put about 55 hours on it last summer around Lake Michigan & St. Joe.

Visited a boatyard near Minneapolis that specialized in restoring classic Chris-Craft boats. they had a beautiful '30s boat with a WWI Liberty V-12 for power. Now that was a powerboat! The mechanic stated the Libertys were very smooth running engines when properly tuned.

Loved the Chris Craft run a outs of the wooden era of the 1950’s and 60’s.

The most beautiful ! Inimitable ! French aficionados !

I thought the Chris-Craft in the 40s and 50s made of mahogany were for more beautiful than the plastic boats of today.

Gene Eckfield, my grandfather, was VP of Engineering during the later wooden boat years for Chris Craft. He retired as fiber glass was taking over, when the art of wood craftmanship was replaced with new technology. He began his career in Algonac, working with Chris Smith and his sons. Chris used to hand carve his boat designs in small scale. My father Chuck Eckfield also remembered the duck hunting. Wonderful stories from the past!

I have a 2015 launch 27! my neighbours have a restored 1940s Christ craft mahogany boat and it’s gorgeous. We have old posters for chris craft and blueprints of their wooden boats framed in our lake house tho, the Chris craft brand means a lot to my family, it’s basically a tradition lol.

Back in the early 60's, my family owned a 19' Chris, that we completely revarnished, inside and out, and added a layer of fiberglass below the waterline. We had the engine, a 6 cylinder Gray-Marine of about 475 cubic inches, also rebuilt. White button tuck upholstery was going back into it. Taking the boat up to Santa Monica, the trailer detached from the truck. The boat and trailer went into a concrete storm drain. The engine ripped loose, crashed through the bow and left a huge hole. We sold the hole mess to a guy cheap, who wanted the engine, which was undamaged.

I grew up on the Ohio River aboard several wooden Chris-Craft cruisers. Time well spent.

I’m proud to have my Chris-Craft Commander 🌱❤️

Great video - My mom Regina Berger when she was a teenage in Algonac, Michigan in the 1940's watched Chris Smith's grand kids - Bernard & Neil Smith. Their father also worked at the Chris Craft factory in Algonac. Chris Smith who was a duck hunter and made his own boats made some really neat wood fast boats. They just glided on the water too! Tony Trotta

The Capri's and the Riviera's were my favorite designs.

No other material will ever compare to the beauty of the mahogany boats.

That was very interesting,they are still in business with new innovative ideas is wonderful!!!!!!

I really enjoyed that.  Your boats are so beautiful!

love the narration by RUSH!

I still own and use my Chriscraft (35 years old)...its made out of fiberglass, however.