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Timeless Designs
Timeless designs is our new monthly feature celebrating great designs of the past.
| November 2000 | December 2000 | January 2001 | February 2001 |
Chris Craft wood runabouts
| For over 60 years Chris Craft Corporation was the largest manufacturer of wood runabouts and cruisers. Christopher Columbus Smith began building steam launches, row boats, and duck hunting boats in Algonac, Michigan in the 1890's. Chris Smith is possibly one of the first to put a gasoline engine in a row boat which marked the beginning of the modern powerboat industry. Chris went on to design some of the fastest race boats from 1910 to the early 1920's. Chris Craft was the first to offer standardized production models in the 1920's. From the 1930's to the 1960's Chris Craft manufactured boats in many countries and shipped world wide. During World War II Chris Craft made landing craft and small specialty boats for the U.S. Navy. Chris Craft's market share began to decline in the late 60's as fiberglass began to displace wood in smaller boats. Wood runabout production ended in 1968 and all wood boat production ended in 1971. |
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1896 Chris Smith standing on the dock of his boat house in Algonac, Michigan with one of his early launches and an early Sintz gasoline engine. |
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1911 An early gasoline powered launch. Top speed 7 miles per hour. |
1919 Miss America I won the Harmsworth trophy and set a world speed record of 76.65 miles per hour. |
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1922 Early production double cockpit runabout |
1928 Engine installation in a 22' Cadet runabout |
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1939 22' Triple Cockpit Custom Runabout |
1939 19' Custom Runabout |
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1941 17' Deluxe Runabout |
1944 Navy LCPL Landing Boat |
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1955 21' Cobra Runabout. The tail fin was Chris Crafts first use of fiberglass. |
1957 21' Capri Runabout. The 57 Chevy of the water |
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1964 18' Holiday Runabout. In an effort to cut down maintenance the fore and side decks were covered in vinyl. The side spray rails were fiberglass. |
1968 20' Grand Prix Runabout. Only 24 were built. Chris Craft decided to go back to varnished wood decks on the last runabouts. Powered by a Ford 300hp 427cid V8 |
