Browsing: Chris-Craft

Boat Reviews
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Chris-Craft Unveils New Electric Boat

The cause of electric power for recreational boats got a big boost from one of America’s most famous boat companies at the Miami Show. Chris-Craft, which calls itself “America’s boatbuilder” and which has been in business since 1874, announced that it’s making an electric-powered 25-foot prototype as a test platform for a fleet of electric boats in the future. The new boat, called the Launch 25 GTe, will be powered by a 420-hp EVOA electric motor, paired to a sterndrive. The boat is projected to have a 43-knot top speed and a two-hour running time. It works with a 133-kWh…

Cruising Life
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1929 Chris-Craft Commuter Restored in Idaho. See Video

A group of craftsmen in Idaho have just restored a 38-foot Chris-Craft that was first launched in 1929. The boat, Willow, was the first Chris-Craft Commuter Cruiser ever built, and it was delivered to William F. Ladd, a New York businessman. At that time, many New Yorkers used the-now iconic commuter boats to cruise from their summer homes on Long Island to their offices on Wall Street. This boat, then named Althea, was designed by Chris Smith, the founder of Chris-Craft. The commuter has a mahogany-on-oak hull, a new teak deck, and a mahogany cabin. The restoration, at Coeur Custom,…

Cruising Life
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Winnebago Plans New Models and More Dealers for Boating Icon Chris-Craft

Now what for Chris-Craft? Winnebago just bought the iconic American boat company, started in 1874, the latest in a series of purchases of boat builders by companies in other recreational fields. The details of the purchase from Stellican Ltd., the London-based private equity firm that has owned Chris-Craft since 2001, aren’t known, but Winnebago made it clear that they see synergies and similar growth patterns in the boating and RV markets. They also have large growth plans for Chris-Craft. This story from The Motley Fool points out that the RV market, like the boating market, has been enjoying a resurgence since…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

Fountaine Pajot MY 44 Named Best Passagemaker in London Awards Ceremony By Peter A. Janssen When he took us (George Day, our publisher, and me) through the new Fountaine Pajot MY 44 at the Fort Lauderdale boat show two months ago, Laurent Fabre, the U.S. head of the French company, talked about the “wow factor,” particularly the owner’s stateroom in the cat’s port hull. He was right; you could hold a party down there. But we thought then that the “wow factor” applied to the whole boat – and now a lot of other people agree with us. In fact,…

Cruising Life
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Chris-Craft Builds New 42-Foot Cabin Cruiser

One of the most famous names in boating, Chris-Craft will launch its first cabin cruiser in many years, a 42-foot Commander, at its dealer meeting this July. The new 42 also is the first in a new joint venture between Chris-Craft, based in Sarasota, Florida, and Austin Parker, the stylish boat builder in Pisa, Italy. With Chris-Craft’s distinctive lines, the Commander 42 will be powered by twin Volvo IPS 600 drives and 435-hp Volvo diesels. It will feature two cockpit areas for entertainment – one in the open area aft, and one under the hardtop, which can be fully…