Chris Craftl Ong Review

Although the company has changed hands in recent years, Chris-Craft is one of the most revered American boating brands. Chris-Craft, founded in the late 19th century, was named after Christopher Columbus Smith in 1924, decades after he had joined his brother Henry in producing small wooden boats near Detroit. Initially famous for producing mahogany-hulled powerboats throughout much of the 20th century, Chris-Craft finally launched the all-fiberglass Chris-Craft Commander in 1964. The line of Commanders soon included boats ranging from 19' to 60'. However, the eventual switch to fiberglass by other boating companies saturated the market, and Chris-Craft began a decline in sales, finally being sold off in a series of transitional stages. Today, Stephen Julius and Steve Heese run the current incarnation of Chris-Craft and have re-established the original mission of producing beautiful, sleek runabouts, center consoles and express cruisers.

According to Chris-Craft, they have recently “continued to unveil heritage-inspired boats that harkened back to Chris-Craft's heyday of the golden 1950s.” The more popular models include the Launch, Corsair and Roamer lines—each reflecting the “distinctive design flairs such as a reverse transom and a flared bow.”

Pricing

New Chris-Craft boats can be optioned and priced out on their website, which is a customer-friendly perk. A standard package for the 2010 Chris-Craft Corsair 25 is $97,830, but the nicely equipped 2010 Corsair 25 Heritage Edition in teak goes for $118,259. Pre-owned Chris-Crafts are highly prized, as they are often antiques. For instance, a 1953 18' Chris Craft Riviera goes for $23,500. And a 1940 19' Chris-Craft Barrel Back goes for just under $80,000.

Pros

• Chris-Craft boats are extremely well-built and are long-lasting.
• The company takes great pride in their American heritage and history.
• Many older Chris-Crafts are antiques and are extremely well maintained.
• The new version of the company is run well and is successful.

Cons

• New and used Chris-Craft boats are expensive.
• The company has changed hands many times.
• Mahogany and fine wood construction requires a tremendous amount of maintenance.
• Many pre-owned Chris-Crafts are antiques and new owners may be too nervous to put them to good use.

Featured Models

The Continental 18, Corsair 25, Riviera 18, Catalina 29.

Conclusion

Considered the oldest American boat company, Chris-Craft boats represent an American legacy. Most Chris-Crafts are made of stunning mahogany and other beautiful woods. New ownership takes pride in the acquired name and aims to restore the reverence once held for Chris-Crafts. A smaller boat, Chris-Crafts are perfect for daytime, family outings and general lake and river cruising. The newly re-designed Corsair series represents the luxurious Chris-Craft look with stunning teak from bow to stern. These boats are as practical and comfortable as they are stylish. In terms of performance, Chris-Craft offers a standard V-8 engine with 280 hp, but owners can also specify a range of Volvo or Mercruiser engines with up to 425 hp.