Chris-Craft Boats (U)

Brawny inboard motors, lovingly crafted wood hulls, and swank chrome accoutrements are all synonymous with Chris-Craft, the most prestigious name in the history of American boatbuilders. This beautifully illustrated history of the Michigan-based company and its most significant powerboats begins in 1922, when the mercurial Christopher Columbus Smith and his three sons formed Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company. Modern color photography depicting restored and factory-original runabouts and cruisers at speed and dockside details the evolution of Chris-Craft boats from the early hand-built years through the introduction of assembly-line techniques, the move to fiberglass hulls and Chris-Craft's demise in the 1980s. Archival photography provides an evocative historical context and images of key personalities, while the history also discusses the business climates in which Chris-Craft operated-including a tenuous alliance with Gar Wood-who split from the Smiths to form his own acclaimed boatworks-and concurrent products introduced by Gar Wood and other competitors.