Chris Craft in Canada
I have been sent the above photos from Kiwi woody Alan Sexton, who is working in Canada. Alan keeps an eye open for any interesting boats & commented that it seems wooden Chris Craft are the flavour of the month in Vancouver.
The two b/w photos are from a book on the Chris Craft factory, that Alan found in the marine section in the Vancouver Central.
SLAINTE – 1947 Chris Craft Restoration
I mentioned last Monday that while chatting to Alan Craig about the new restoration project for his yard – Craig Marine at Lake Rotoiti he just casually mentioned t “Speaking of projects, should probably show you the Chris Craft we just finished” – & then sends me a selection of photos of a simply stunning classic woody.
Slainte is a a 1947 27′ super delux enclosed Chris Craft. It was imported into NZ by the owner as a project that was walked away from in the states. The outside was 90% done but the inside was a shell. No motor, shaft or strut etc. A 5.7L v8 Crusader was imported too and Alan lifted the cockpit sole to suit.
Pretty much every single piece has been pulled apart fixed/painted/varnished and put back again. Some ‘ before’ photos below.
The idea has been to keep it looking original but turn key functionality!
WoW, what an additional to the Lake Rotoiti classic wooden boat fleet, can not wait to see her in person at next years Classic & Wooden Boat Parade weekend.
3/4’s a WOODY – WILD HORSES
Taupo woody’s Cathy & Shawn Vennell own a rather special zoom zoom woody, Judy H – a 19’6″ Chris Craft replica speed boat, which I have had the pleasure of skimming over the top of Lake Rotoiti in. For an 8 knot woody, doing 75kph+ is like space travel 🙂 You can check out Judy H here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/02/10/the-two-extremes-of-classic-boating/
Last weekend the Vennell’s turned up at the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat weekend with a floating bach – a Mason Clipper named Wild Horses. Now this addition to the Vennell fleet was not a total surprize to me as we had chatted on & off last winter about the suitability of a MC for Shawn & the family.
Wild Horses has a plastic (f/glass) bum but there is enough wood else where to get the ww tick. Zoom zoom comes from a very grunty V8 (Shawn will chip in soon with details)
Already Wild Horses has made a lot of Vennell love & looks stunning – can not wait till next year to see what else they will (tastefully) do to her 🙂
A Woody Dilemma – Buy original & restore? Buy restored? Buy an import?
Given the current state of the 4sale market for our wooden classics, whether they are original or restored, at some stage woodys will start to consider importing a woody from the USA – why?
#1 reason – the price
#2 reason – the high standard of presentation
#3 reason – the volume of ‘stock’
#4 reason – readily available parts & specialty service outlets. Today’s woody was brought to my attention by Pauline Evill & is currently listed for sale on craigslist.com. She is a 28′ 1960 Chris Craft Constellation, made with mahogany planked batten seam construction on the topsides and double planked below the waterline. In excellent condition, having been restored in 2010, which included a new a single prop 307 engine. Her condition reflects the fact that she has always been kept in a covered slip. Asking price is NZD$25,000.
RANUI
Ranui was built in 1948 by Lidgard Bros. following a Chris Craft design. She measures 48′ & is made of kauri. The zoom zoom comes from twin 120hp Fords. She recently returned to Auckland & has just had some TLC at Gulf Harbour that included her coamings being re-varnished.
Check out the link below to a 29 page PDF file that show cases renovation a few years ago & also the history of Lidgards & the Chris Craft marque .
ranui-her-story-as-at-12-3-12-ex-owner-hamish-dowell-17-10-16
The photos below ex Ken Ricketts show the recent Gulf Harbour work.
24-02-2017 Update – Photos below ex Robin Elliott of Ranui berthed in Dove Cove Marina, early Jan 2017
Skipper CJ
I took the above photos of the Chris Craft launch Skipper CJ anchored in Man O War Bay over the 2015/16 xmas/ny period. Obviously an import but her owner has done the right thing & joined the CYA, in fact we had her with us on the last trip up the creek to the Riverhead Hotel.
There is a lot of boat there for I suspect not a lot of green backs.
Interested to learn more about here & how & when she arrived in NZ. Maybe one of the American ww followers can chip in with some info on the model of the boat.
And while we are having a USA day – if you are looking for some wooden boat reading over the weekend – the link below is to the Sept/Oct issue of the USA Classic Yacht on-line magazine. Now if you think the market for wooden boats in NZ is depressed check out the motorboat ‘Blue Mist’ listed for sale on page 89 (top right side). At US$145k it would appear a steal – but then again …………….
http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/ClassicYacht/classic-yacht-september-october-2016/2016100701/#0
ESPERANZA II
details ex ken Ricketts, edited by Alan H. photos ex B Worthington
The story of how Esperanza II, an American Chris Craft arrived in NZ started in about 1948 when the Fuller family of the Bay of Islands had an American couple, fly over here, to go game fishing on one of their charter boats.
They (probably Snooks Fuller) met the couple personally & instantly hit it off & became instant friends. As a result of this, the extremely wealthily Americans invited them back to America, to stay as their guests, at their waterfront mansion. They accepted & in due course fulfilled the invitation & were amazed at everything the saw. Their hosts had numerous cars, mostly Cadillacs & several boats, one of which was a fabulous virtually brand new 36 foot Chris Craft launch, which was tied up at the bottom of their garden.
They went out & about in the hosts cars & one day the hosts asked the Fullers if they liked the car they were in that day & of course they said they did & their hosts said words to the effect, “well you better take it home with you.” The Fullers naturally thought the hosts were just joking & passed it over.
In the next day or two they went out in the Chris Craft & of course that was out of this world for them, the like of which they probably had never seen in NZ. Once again they were asked if they liked it & of course they said – they loved it, so once again, the hosts said to the effect, “well you better take it home with you.”
Very shortly after they returned home, they got official documents telling them that the car & the boat were on their way to NZ. The Fullers must have been blown away with the Americans generosity.
Esperanza II became the ultimate luxury game boat of her era in “The Bay,” with many dignitaries & prominent guests aboard. She was originally a fairly fast boat, powered by 2 very large Chris Craft V8 petrol engines, when she arrived, these were eventually replaced with Ford diesels.
From the photos above, taken over the years, it appears that she is still alive & well & Ken understands she was in Whangamata fairly recently for a period & is possibly in Auckland these days.
The details of the above ‘story’ were told to Kens family in the 1950’s by friends of the Fullers. Can any one confirm & add more details from her past?
SUZIE
NZ built (kauri) in approx. 1935-40, Suzie is 16′ & based on a Chris Craft design. She has been in the same family since 1955 & underwent an extensive restoration in 2011.
Pictured here at the 2014 Lake Rotoiti Classic Wooden Boat Parade.
ROTUI
photo & details ex Ken Ricketts
Early post war photos of Rotui the 1938 Chris Craft owned by Alec & Linda Walker , seen here with dodger & grained combings. Ken was given the photos by Helen Coggan, the daughter of a previous owner (Joe Coggan) of Tiromoana. Photo most likely taken by Henry Allen whose daughter, Esme, was Helen’s mother (Joe Coggan’s wife). The link being the Coggan’s & the Allen’s were good friends with the Walkers – Ken tales are always intricate 🙂
I have included a later photo, with painted combings, which shows how the vanished combing in the older photow, were more suited to her Chris Craft design / style. Alan H
EL CAPITAN. This boat has a fascinating story. A genuine Chris Craft design & specs, built of 2 skins mahogany in 1960 on his farm, by the owner at Ohakea. Still has original 2 x 6cyl 90hp Chrysler Crown Petrol engines (still only done 750 hours since new). Was used on Taupo & at the Sounds from 1960 to 1974 & then put back in shed at Ohakea for maintenance & never moved until owner died & she was sold to Tony Mitchell a professional self employed boat builder at Lake Rotoiti 8 years ago who has restored her beautifully in his spare time. She was relaunched Dec. 2012 & had been in the water 3 minutes when this pic was taken — I was at the relaunching at Lake Rotoiti.
She had never had a call sign, as the original owner was radio ham & used his ham call sign for marine use. —
I was instrumental in Radio Spectrum Management allocating ZMEC to her for life.
photo & story by Ken Ricketts
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