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Chris-Craft Corporation

Type			private Industry		manufacturer Founded 		2001 Founder(s)		Stephen Julius, Stephen Heese Headquarters	Sarasota, Florida, United States Products 		powerboat Parent 		Stellican, Ltd. Website 		http://www.chriscraft.com

Chris-Craft Inc. is a privately-held American manufacturer of recreational powerboats, based in Sarasota, Florida. The original company, Chris-Craft Boats, was founded in 1874 the late 19th Century by Christopher Columbus Smith, and became famous for its mahogany-hulled powerboats of the 1920s through the 1950s.

Chris-Craft Boats Chris Smith built his first wooden boat – a simple skiff, or “punt” – in 1874 when he was 13 years old. He soon began to build more boats, and developed a reputation for producing durable, well-made wooden boats. In 1881, he joined his brother Henry to begin manufacturing boats full-time. In 1910, the brothers joined with other partners to form the Smith Ryan Boat and Engine Company, focusing on building fast, economically-priced runabout boats for mass market distribution. Their products made their debut at the New York and Chicago Boat Shows that year. In 1922, Smith formed the Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company in Algonac, Michigan. The company name was changed to Chris-Craft in 1924. Chris-Craft sold high end powerboats to wealthy patrons such as Henry Ford and William Randolph Hearst.

In 1927 Chris Smith’s son, Jay Smith, took over the company as President and General Manager – positions he would hold for the next 31 years. Chris Smith died in 1939, at the age of 78.

With the United States entering the Second World War in 1941, Chris-Craft shifted its focus to producing military goods, including patrol boats, rescue vessels, and utility launches for the United States Army and Navy. By the end of hostilities in 1945, the company had constructed in excess of 12,000 small boats for the US military.

Following the war, Chris Craft introduced a new lineup of civilian pleasure boats in time for the massive American consumer expansion of the 1950s. The company sold high-end boats to famous customers such as Dean Martin, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. Their boats were typically made from mahogany, and were considered to be among the best available. They were easy to operate and maintain, which was a significant requirement for their "weekend sailor" owners.

That decade marked the height of company prestige and the brand name Chris-Craft became virtually synonymous with pleasure boating. At one point the company offered 159 different models, and was the sales leader in many categories of small civilian powerboats.

Chris-Craft constructed its first fiberglass boat in 1955, and by 1957 the company purchased the Roamer Boat Company and began manufacturing metal boats under its newly-formed Roamer Steel Boats Division (RSBD).

Chris-Craft Industries

Chris-Craft was acquired by Shields & Company's National Automotive Fibers, Inc. (NAFI) Corporation in 1960. In 1962 the new owners renamed the company Chris-Craft Industries, Incorporated. In 1962, the company acquired the Old Crown Brewing Corporation, a brewery company based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Old Crown was sold to its employees a short time later.

In 1964, Chris-Craft launched the all-fiberglass Chris-Craft Commander. This dramatic new design was unveiled at the New York City National Boat show, perched at the top of an escalator on a giant, castered cradle. This first Commander was a 38' express hardtop with a 13' beam. The line of Commanders soon grew to include sizes ranging from 19' to 60' — all "styled in fiberglass."

Between the 1960s and 1980s, Chris-Craft increasingly moved toward fiberglass as a construction material of choice, primarily because of its durability and low maintenance requirements. Chris-Craft ended production of its last mahogany-hulled boat, the Constellation, in 1971.

In the face of declining sales due to the recession of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Chris-Craft Industries sold its boat division to George Dale Murray and a small group of investors that included Dick Genth in 1981. Chris-Craft Industries retained the Chris-Craft trademark and licensed it to Murray. Chris-Craft Industries was subsequently acquired by News Corporation in 2000 for its television subsidiaries.

In fulfilling a commitment to return to powerboat racing, in 1984 Murray Chris-Craft developed the new 300 Chris-Cat, a racing catamaran powered by twin 400 or 420 HP high performance power plants and was added to its 1984 sport boat fleet. The boat went on to set new speed records in its class that year and in years to come. Murray believed that a racing program would benefit the company to develop safe, performance watercraft for its customers.

By 1985, Chris-Craft gained significant brand awareness by having its products regularly appear on the hit TV series, Miami Vice. The company’s image was further enhanced by a new wave of celebrity owners such as Formula 1 and Indy Car driver Emerson Fittipalidi.

OMC/Genmar Ownership

In 1989 Chris-Craft was acquired by Outboard Marine Corporation, manufacturers of Evinrude and Johnson outboard motors as well as OMC stern drive engines. The acquisition was one of several made in short succession as OMC attempted to secure market share by purchasing boat companies. However, the company went into bankruptcy in 2000 and was purchased by Genmar Holdings Inc.

Genmar subsequently sold the Chris-Craft division to Stellican, Ltd., who in turn purchased the Chris-Craft trademark from News Corporation, thus reuniting the two parts of the company once again under common ownership.

Chris-Craft Corporation Chris-Craft is now a global company with 124 dealers worldwide in over 45 countries. The 2015 Chris-Craft collection include the Carina, Capri, Launch, Corsair and Catalina lines, which range in length from 20 to 36 feet.

Corsair Category (closed bow): Capri 21: This boat has a 21’ length in a retro, straight-bow styling and seating for 5 and stern drive power options up to 320 hp. Corsair: Different Corsair models come in a variety of lengths ranging from 22’ to 36’, including a 36’ model with a hard top. All feature inboard engines with stern drives.

Launch Category ( open bow): Carina 21: The Carina 21 is similar to the Capri 21 in the Corsair category, but offers an open bow layout with seating for 2 additional passengers. Launch: Like the closed-deck Corsair series, boats in the Corsair line come in a variety of lengths from 20’ to 36’. All feature open bows with additional seating capacity. Like the Corsair models, all feature inboard engines with stern drives.

Catalina Category (center console): Catalina: The Catalina category includes 5 models of outboard-powered center console fishing boat in lengths ranging from 23’ to 34’. Boats in this series include T-tops for sun protection and large fuel capacities allowing anglers to range far offshore in search of trophy fish.