Active Active   Unanswered Unanswered

Hull card mystery

Are you in need of information regarding "the way it was?" Or are you are a walking "who's-who" of Chris-Craft history? Share what you don't know—or do know here.

Moderators: Don Ayers, Al Benton, Don Vogt

truenorth01
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2014 10:37 pm
Contact:

Hull card mystery

Post by truenorth01 » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:54 pm

In the quest for the whereabouts of my Fathers old skiff SK-18-398 I ended up buying Sk-18-414. I recieved Hull cards on both boats. In the corner where it shows where the boat was delivered to there are hand written dates My boat 414 has a 1956 date of delivery. My Dads hull number 398 has a hand written date of 1954. My older Brother swears Dads boat was a 1956. Obviously my 414 was built after 398. Does anyone have thoughts on this. Also, what is a B O S number?

I made a post on my Dads boat but accidentally put it under Fiberglass Research area.

Thanks for looking.

Mark S

User avatar
Chad Durren
Posts: 666
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:39 pm
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by Chad Durren » Thu Nov 20, 2014 5:39 pm

It's possible your dad's boat was built in 1954 but not shipped to the buyer until 1956. I believe "BOS" is Build Order Sheet.
1952 CC 18' Sportsman
1969 CC 19' Commander Super Sport

Greg Wallace
Posts: 400
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2006 2:49 pm
Location: Indian Lake, Ohio
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by Greg Wallace » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:25 am

Hull numbers strongly suggest 1956 for both. Most likely cause of discrepancy is poor penmanship, poor copy, or actual mistake on hull card by the person signing off(I've seen this). It is highly unlikely that Chris craft built ahead that far (398) in 54.

You didn't mention the month of delivery for each hull...possible clue .

I think you may be referring to BSO not BOS. BSO is the company internal (boat) sales order created upon receipt of the dealer sales order. I hope The Museum is at some point is fortunate enough to uncover these among the unopened boxes if they were included from Chris Craft. The detail would far exceed information on the hull card.

If the BSO numbers on the hull card are close it may support the boats being built close together as is indicated by hull numbers.
Greg Wallace 23 Custom 22166 former Chris-Craft dealer Russells Point, Oh.

Tom Gruenauer
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 2:47 pm
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by Tom Gruenauer » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:48 am

My hull # 2096 was shipped in July 1928, a friend has the sister boat hull #2114, his was sipped in April 1928. I've been told that CC would build the boats (all winter back then) and place them in storage. When an order was received they would ship from the front of the storage facility to the back.

Greg Wallace
Posts: 400
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2006 2:49 pm
Location: Indian Lake, Ohio
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by Greg Wallace » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:41 am

There is plenty of documentation supporting the fact that Chris Craft did not always ship hulls in numerical sequence, especially early on and that they did not necessarily adhere to the "FIFO" inventory priciple for the reason you describe. Later they became much more efficient in getting hulls out the door(at least within a build "batch" as they were built by implementing inventory assistance to dealers (essentially floor plan programs) allowing them to accept inventory during the "off season"for display with installment or deferred payment until sold greatly relieving the need to build and inventory excessive numbers.

I feel pretty confident that the factory did not produce 400 18 Skiffs on speculation in 1954.
Greg Wallace 23 Custom 22166 former Chris-Craft dealer Russells Point, Oh.

Oberon01
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:42 pm
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by Oberon01 » Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:18 am

I am presently having my '21 1961 Continental restored, and another of these boats is being restored by a fellow I know in Idaho. My boat has an earlier hull number but was shipped 5 months later than the boat being restored in Idaho. I suspect they built a batch of these boats in late 1959-early 1960 and stockpiled them for eventual shipping. I can only infer from this that my boat was built much earlier in 1960 than the October shipping date otherwise suggests, and it was warehoused until it went to Texas in October. It is number 62 of the 96 of this series that was built and although evidence indicates it was built in first half of 1960 sometime, it is titled as a 1961. The boat with a later HIN number was shipped in April or May, I believe.
1926 Mullins 16' Outboard Special
1940 CC 19'Custom
1946 Gar Wood 22' 6" Sedan
1946 16' Peterbrough Falcon
1947 CC 16' Special Runabout
1947 Chris Craft 22' Sportsman
1948 CC 25' Sportsman Sedan
1959 Feather Craft Islander Express Cruiser
1961 CC 21' Continental
1965 Glastron Futura 500 V -164
1965 CC Sea Skiff 24'

truenorth01
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2014 10:37 pm
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by truenorth01 » Fri Nov 21, 2014 1:57 pm

I went back to the Hull card information and compared the B S O numbers. My Dads old boat was E-7088. My current boat is E-7096. Dads boat hand written date for shipping is 6-1-54 mine is 5-5-56. Based on the B S O numbers I am partial to the theory the guy in the shipping department was having a senior moment and dated it wrong. Incidentally the signature which appears to be G T Bennett or J F Banning is the same employee on both cards.

All of this is part of my research which will culminate with a nice framed hull card of SK-18-398, other information I can get from the Mariners Museum and some reproduced vintage family photos of his boat. Then a surprise boat ride on my SK-18-414 next spring for his 80th birthday. Once I have that done I can start my restoration of 414 in the fall.

He does not know I have a Skiff yet.

jim g
Posts: 1003
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:55 pm
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by jim g » Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:42 pm

Don Danenberg has done a lot of research on the bso numbers. The museum does have them. I believe they are on microfiche. But Don could tell you more.

User avatar
Don Danenberg
Posts: 181
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:30 pm
Location: Manistee, MI
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by Don Danenberg » Sun Nov 30, 2014 3:27 pm

I have not done "a lot of research" on the BSO (Boat Shipping Order) but did run across quite a few.

Some 5-years ago I was hunting for more of the rare 'Materials Specification' reports. The Museum had maybe only a dozen (including the 17' and 19' barrelbacks).
These reports, signed by "O'Mara" are wonderful and I wish somebody would locate more of them. They were a bean-counter's list of absolutely everything that went into the construction of every model Chris-Craft built! That is how they priced them to make a profit margin. All that I have seen for runabouts start at page 16 and go roughly to page 40 (the cruisers must have been far larger).

In conversation with a friend who used to work at the Algonac CC parts department, Joe Morrison, he told me that he turned over all of the hull card AND Material Specification reports to Tom Crew for the Mariners' Museum in 1986. All this material became the CC Archives at the Mariners' Museum. Prior to 1986 you got your hull card or lines drawings from the Algonac Parts Department, the "Archives".
Anyway, he turned over this Material Specifications reports in the form of microfiche rolls.

I called Patti and found out that yes, they did have that microfiche machine and reels of microfiche film, but as far as they had seen..., it was only hull cards?
I was elated, and in 3-trips, of over 1,000 miles each, spent 5-days with that old, cratchety, microfiche machine and 4-large boxes of microfiche reels (many of which appear to be copies).
In 5-days there I might have loaded and viewed as many as 10-15% of the reels?

A backup study I was doing was JUST WHY had 3 old-time, tack-spitting, upholsterers confirmed that the upholstery in my 1938-built, 48510 barrelback (the 11th built) was the original, and NONE of it genuine leather, but Naugahyde (or Im. Leather as other O'mara reports showed). It wasn't until the 47th, 19-barrelback (single-covering board) that it started to be written GEN (genuine) LEATHER on the hull cards?
I never found the O'Mara reports, had they been mis-labeled? I hadn'd seen 85% of them?

SOMEBODY IN VIRGINIA MUST TAKE UP THIS MICROFICHE SEARCH! Somebody with time and patience that doesn't have to travel 1,000-miles?

OK, so back to the BSO search...., this is what they look like.
Mind you, to my knowledge they likely still only have the 70+ YEAR OLD microfiche machine?
If you want to print what you have found, you simply hit the 'print' button..... that's 70-years old, like the internal machinery.....?
Patti got down on the floor and fixed it for me twice, loading toner and whatever?

I'm apologizing in advance for what I show here, but this is a hull card for a 1960, 17-ft Ski Boat, hull #K-17-0806.
Note it calls for BSO # 22441
See also BSO # 22441 (Boat Shipping Order)
See also "our number BSO-22441", to "ship with BSO #22442 and #22443 (perhaps this dealer bought and shipped 3-boats?).
Attachments
BSO 22441-HC (Large).jpg
BSO 22441-BSO-l.jpg
BSO 22441-BSO-2.1.jpg

jim g
Posts: 1003
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:55 pm
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by jim g » Sun Nov 30, 2014 4:30 pm

Don,

I was neat to see what the actual dealer cost on the boat was.

truenorth01
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2014 10:37 pm
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by truenorth01 » Thu Dec 11, 2014 12:45 pm

Thanks so much to all for the great information. Looks like I need to get the whole information package on both hulls from the CC museum.

Please keep your eyes and ears open for SK - 18 - 398. If anyone has some pull with the Michigan Secretary of State and can get some inside intelligence the registration number was MC8494BE. I had previously submitted the proper form and paid the fee but was denied any information.

Mark
Truenorth01

User avatar
Chad Durren
Posts: 666
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:39 pm
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Contact:

Re: Hull card mystery

Post by Chad Durren » Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:46 pm

I owned SK-18-319 briefly in 2005. It was listed as a 1956 on the hull card. The hand-written '54 must have been an error.

Mine came with a factory installed toilet (Atwood) under the front bench. Danenberg now has the toilet (not the boat).
1952 CC 18' Sportsman
1969 CC 19' Commander Super Sport

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 16 guests