Chris-Craft
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| private | |
| Industry | manufacturer |
| Founded | 1874 |
| Founder | Chris Smith Hank Smith |
| Headquarters | Sarasota, Florida, United States |
| Products | powerboat |
| Parent | Stellican, Ltd. |
| Website | http://www.chriscraft.com |
Chris-Craft, Inc. is a privately held, Sarasota, Florida-based, American manufacturer of recreational powerboats. The original company, Chris-Craft Boats, was founded in the late 19th century by Christopher Columbus Smith and became famous for its mahogany hulled powerboats of the 1920s through the 1950s.
Chris Smith built his first wooden boat – a simple skiff, or “punt” – in 1874 when he was 13 years old. 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 she 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).
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Wikipedia