Chris Craft In The 1950s

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.

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.

From its inception in 1922 through its demise in the 1980s, Chris-Craft established itself as a prestigious name among American boat builders. This is the colorful history of the company and its founder, Christopher Columbus Smith. 90 illustrations, 80 in color.

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.

Chris-Craft: The Essential Guide, by Jerry Conrad, provides full specifications - from hull materials and fuel capacity to upholstery colors and numbers built - for every cruiser, runabout, roamer, kit boat and other pleasure craft ever built by the legendary Chris-Craft Corporation. Revised second editions is illustrated with more than 700 black-and-white photographs with updated information and new photographs.

Brief history of the company and stories about specific boats and their owners from the 1920's to the 1960s.