1956 Chris Craft found. Is it worth it?

[George Dimion]

I have found a 1956 Chris Craft, bare hull. Approx 20', hull is complete, beautiful lines, except for 2 transom planks. The owner has lost interest. The original 6 cylinder is rebuilt, the interior is done, new original gauges are included, all chroming is done. The boat is well over 90% complete. There is still lots of work to do.
The owner wants $10,000 Canadian which will include help from a retired shipwright.
Worth it? [EMAIL]george.dimion@coemfg.com

[nedL]

I think the mahogany speedboat market is pretty well know now (kind of like antique cars, where the people 'in the know' know how much each model & year may be worth & what to look for). I would recommend finding out exactly what model it is & checking with some of the places that specialize in the speedboats (lots of them out there). I'd also recommend getting acquainted with the ACBS (http://www.acbs.org/) (Antique & Classic Boat Society) and the Chris Craft Antique Boat Club (http://www.chris-craft.org/). They should be able to help you out considerably.

[brad9798]

Probably a Sportsman ...

They can range from US$10,000 to 20,000 depending on condition, originality, etc.

I've seen a handful of that vintage sell for high teens US!

Sound like the expensive work is complete- just a lot of manual labor now???

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

"The owner wants $10,000 Canadian which will include help from a retired shipwright."

It includes help from a retired shipwright? :eek:
Now THATS a nice touch. smile.gif
Sounds like a sweet deal to me. :cool:

1956 was a good year! ;)

[George Dimion]

It is a 1956 Sportsman deluxe. The Herules 6 cyinder is professionally built .030 over. The interior is redone in red. All documentation is included, from the line ticket, all bills of sale, matching engine & hull brass tags. All chroming is done. The shipwright is in the process of replacing the missing and cracked planks. He figures this would an easy winter project and in the water next spring. Everything is there, the only missing parts are the front running light and one gauge. The orinal planks have been saved. A trailer is included.

[brad9798]

Hey, I was right!! A Sportsman!

I'd say, go for it then ... not a bad deal at all!!

There are plenty of places to find the ORIGINAL parts you need ...

Classic Boat Connection in Minnesota ... Hundley's in Texas, etc.

Keep us posted.

[Jack Heinlen]

Do you want this boat George? Does it suit your needs? If so, it sounds like a reasonable deal.

You understand what I'm asking though? A boat to take a skiing party out will be different from a fishing party, and different from a joy-ride. This boat can likely accomadate all those, but some better than others.

Do you have a place to keep it in the water? The bottoms of these boats don't take particularly well to being dried out for weeks at a time.

Those kinda questions.

[Andreas Jordahl Rhude]

Jack has asked excellent questions. You should contemplate questions like these very carefully before opening up your checkbook. The price sounds reasonable. My best advice is get acquainted with the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club and the Antique & Classic Boat Soiciety (as mentioned above). ACBS has chapters all over North America. Do your homework. Buy it, if it suits you, and have fun!