Building Chris Craft

For more than half a century, Chris-Craft reigned supreme in the world of motorboating. This market dominance was due in no small part to the design and construction techniques employed in the company’s studios and on its factory floors. Building Chris-Craft examines the company’s design and production heritage, looking at Chris-Craft’s considerable accomplishments in the context of key competitors and industrial trends in general. High-quality archival images take readers inside the factories, design studios, and lofts of Chris-Craft factories in Algonac, Holland; Cadillac, Michigan; Salisbury, Maryland; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Caruthersville, Missouri.

As the most prestigious name in American boatbuilders, the Chris-Craft is a lovingly crafted vessel with wood hulls, swank chrome and brawny motors. Color photos take a look at the history and details of this beloved boat. 100 photos.

America's most popular nautical gift is back as an all-new third edition, The Legend of Chris-Craft, by noted author and historian Jeffrey L. Rodengen, with photography and design by Karine Rodengen. This luxurious 9" x 12" coffee-table volume details the history of the company, people and products that made Chris-Craft world famous. The third edition contains new information, a new chapter, additional photos and a precise new index to over 1,500 models built between 1874 and 1998. Even owners of the original will want the new third edition for their collections. Individually boxed. 272 pp., 103 color, 260 black & white images.

David C. "Bud" McIntosh was a designer, builder, and sailor of large and small wooden cruising boats for more than 50 years, and wrote about it for over 10 of those years. He made his home on New Hampshire's Piscataqua River, where he was teacher and friend to both amateur and professional boatbuilders.

The classic mahogany runabout is a universally popular modeling subject, but many newcomers to the modeling hobby are apprehensive about completing a build. Will they be able to fit the planks perfectly? And how about the glass-smooth clear finish, which tolerates no mistakes in woodwork or polishing? It's really not so hard, just follow the steps outlined here! Model boat buff Patrick Matthews covers the entire process, from choosing a project from one of the many available kits, through building and finishing a mahogany marvel-- even the basics of Radio Control are covered. Additional suggestions are included for simple but effective customizations, as well as a gallery of models from some real masters of the craft-- temptation and encouragement for the modeler to stretch further yet. Patrick Matthews shares his enthusiasm for model boats through contributions to Ships in Scale magazine, where he covers Radio Control scale model boats. In his spare time, Patrick is an automotive engineer in Detroit.

The first comprehensive book on stripbuilding almost any type of small boat Strip-planking is a popular method of amateur boat construction, but until now there has never been a book that showed how to use it for more than one type of boat. Author Nick Schade presents complete plans for three boats of different types (canoe, kayak, and a dinghy) and shows you step-by-step how to build them. Written for all amateur builders, the book covers materials, tools, and safety issues.

Celebrate all that is quintessentially American about being on the water in the world’s most beloved boat. Since 1874, Chris-Craft has built boats of immense beauty that evoke an emotion and passion in all who see them. The varnished mahogany runabouts of yesteryear, and their modern sister-ships of today, all share the same design ethos, gorgeous lines, high quality, and style. The name alone conjures up images of classic wooden boats, waving flags, and unforgettable memories made on the waves. Immortalized on the big screen in such movies as On Golden Pond and Mission Impossible, the aura and romance of Chris-Craft shines through in this book featuring more than 200 boats—from never-before-published archival images to gorgeous color photos of collector and new boats—as well as plans and ephemera from Chris-Craft’s own collection. A thoroughly researched and informative narrative brings the captivating 140-year story to life. This is the ideal gift for boaters, as well as the perfect book for any owner of a vacation home or lake house—or those who aspire toward this American dream.

This is more than the story of the person and the company he founded in 1930-it is a photohistory of the magnificent boats themselves, and the extraordinary design, craftsmanship, and materials that made them legendary. Special attention is given to the Baby Gar, as well as runabouts, speedsters, utilities, and express cruisers-all built in Wood's Michigan boatworks.