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 | |
---|---|---|---|
AltheaNon-Member |
1929 | 38' | |
LoreleiPacific Northwest |
1937 | 36' | |
PaulaNon-Member |
1939 | 19' | |
MaraneePacific Northwest |
1940 | 42' | |
TabuPacific Northwest |
1940 | 42' | |
SwieteniaPacific Northwest |
1941 | 30' | |
StellaNon-Member |
1941 | 31' | |
LibertyNon-Member |
1941 | 35' | |
Hello BabySouthern California |
1941 | 19' | |
Black JackSouthern California |
1941 | 16' | |
Simpler TImesNorthern California |
1941 | 34' | |
DjangoNon-Member |
1946 | 36' | |
ScooterooSouthern California |
1947 | 22' | |
FandangoPacific Northwest |
1947 | 33' | |
SusabellePacific Northwest |
1948 | 34' | |
MudsharkPacific Northwest |
1948 | 30' | |
YachtsieNon-Member |
1949 | 40' | |
SparkleNon-Member |
1950 | 48' | |
ComfyNon-Member |
1950 | 28' | |
Cinnamon GirlPacific Northwest |
1951 | 34' | |
MurielNon-Member |
1951 | 38' | |
AmoreenaPacific Northwest |
1951 | 50' | |
SerenityPacific Northwest |
1951 | 34' | |
Aloha runaboutNon-Member |
1952 | 18' | |
BoleroPacific Northwest |
1952 | 34' | |
ReveriePacific Northwest |
1952 | 42' | |
PotentatePacific Northwest |
1952 | 52' | |
ComOceanSouthern California |
1953 | 33' | |
RivaPacific Northwest |
1953 | 52' | |
ScandalonPacific Northwest |
1953 | 45' | |
Nifty FiftyNon-Member |
1953 | 50' | |
ItchinNon-Member |
1953 | 35' | |
Holiday IVNon-Member |
1954 | 54' | |
No CorkageSouthern California |
1954 | 38' | |
GraceNon-Member |
1954 | 34' | |
DeAnzaCanadian |
1954 | 36' | |
CarolinePacific Northwest |
1954 | 36' | |
Only YouCanadian |
1954 | 53' | |
IrresistiblePacific Northwest |
1954 | 45' | |
Hi'IlaniPacific Northwest |
1955 | 34' | |
DawgwoodNon-Member |
1955 | 33' | |
SeaCloudPacific Northwest |
1955 | 42' | |
AvantiPacific Northwest |
1955 | 53' | |
KimmerNon-Member |
1955 | 34' | |
MindfulSouthern California |
1955 | 53' | |
SeascapePacific Northwest |
1956 | 46' | |
Esther William’sPacific Northwest |
1956 | 54' | |
Dawn TreaderNon-Member |
1956 | 35' | |
EloisePacific Northwest |
1956 | 56' | |
AnitaNon-Member |
1956 | 56' |