The Chris Craft Company was started on Point du Chene, in Algonac, Michigan, a small town on the St. Clair River. It was here that Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat in 1874 at age 13. These Smith-built boats were referred to as "punts" or "skiffs." With his reputation as a master boat builder on the grow, Chris joined with his brother Hank in 1881 to begin producing boats full time. As demand for their dependable hunting craft increased, the duo started building boats in rapid succession, perhaps laying the ground work for their future as builders of "standardized" runabouts.
Company Founder Chris Smith died in 1939 at the age of 78. (See Obituary, attached)
File attachments
File attachments:
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
Chris Smith Obituary, Pacific Motor Boat, December 1939 | 260.52 KB |
1953 Chris Craft ad | 174.33 KB |
1929 Chris Craft Commuter helm photo | 74.27 KB |
Chris Craft Centennial - Classic Yachting, Winter 2023 | 1.53 MB |
Chris Craft Boat Pages
82 records found.
Name | Year | Length | |
---|---|---|---|
Black JackSouthern California |
1941 | 16' | |
Aloha runaboutNon-Member |
1952 | 18' | |
PaulaNon-Member |
1939 | 19' | |
Hello BabySouthern California |
1941 | 19' | |
ScooterooSouthern California |
1947 | 22' | |
OrbitNon-Member |
1959 | 27' | |
ComfyNon-Member |
1950 | 28' | |
Chris MissCanadian |
1957 | 28' | |
SwieteniaPacific Northwest |
1941 | 30' | |
MudsharkPacific Northwest |
1948 | 30' | |
StellaNon-Member |
1941 | 31' | |
Ramos FizzNon-Member |
1962 | 32' | |
Ramos FizzNorthern California |
1962 | 32' | |
BiancaCanadian |
1959 | 32' | |
ExhalePacific Northwest |
1959 | 32' | |
Broken Rule 2Non-Member |
1961 | 32' | |
ComOceanSouthern California |
1953 | 33' | |
DawgwoodNon-Member |
1955 | 33' | |
FandangoPacific Northwest |
1947 | 33' | |
Chris-Craft Cavalier 33'Non-Member |
1969 | 33' | |
SusabellePacific Northwest |
1948 | 34' | |
Cinnamon GirlPacific Northwest |
1951 | 34' | |
Hi'IlaniPacific Northwest |
1955 | 34' | |
GraceNon-Member |
1954 | 34' | |
SerenityPacific Northwest |
1951 | 34' | |
BoleroPacific Northwest |
1952 | 34' | |
KimmerNon-Member |
1955 | 34' | |
Simpler TImesNorthern California |
1941 | 34' | |
Gladsong IICanadian |
1962 | 35' | |
LibertyNon-Member |
1941 | 35' | |
ItchinNon-Member |
1953 | 35' | |
Dawn TreaderNon-Member |
1956 | 35' | |
DjangoNon-Member |
1946 | 36' | |
LouiePacific Northwest |
1960 | 36' | |
LoreleiPacific Northwest |
1937 | 36' | |
DeAnzaCanadian |
1954 | 36' | |
CarolinePacific Northwest |
1954 | 36' | |
FlamingoNorthern California |
1962 | 36' | |
Sunshine SpecialPacific Northwest |
1965 | 38' | |
MurielNon-Member |
1951 | 38' | |
LegaseaNon-Member |
1964 | 38' | |
No CorkageSouthern California |
1954 | 38' | |
AltheaNon-Member |
1929 | 38' | |
YachtsieNon-Member |
1949 | 40' | |
Jolly RogerNon-Member |
1961 | 41' | |
TidewatcherNon-Member |
1961 | 41' | |
MaraneePacific Northwest |
1940 | 42' | |
WilliwawPacific Northwest |
1958 | 42' | |
Bella LunaPacific Northwest |
1963 | 42' | |
SeaCloudPacific Northwest |
1955 | 42' |