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Original colors

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55sportsman
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Original colors

Post by 55sportsman » Fri Sep 11, 2015 10:41 am

Hello All,

I am a newbie to this site as well as the wood boat obsession. I recently purchased a 1955 17' sportsman that has been changed since production. I am looking for a way to find out the original bottom color as well as the interior hull color. They are both currently green. Also interior seats, the prior owner put god awful floral pattern in and would like to take it back to the original seats.

Thanks for any input!
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WoodenRookie
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Location: St. Louis, MO
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Re: Original colors

Post by WoodenRookie » Fri Sep 11, 2015 2:52 pm

The easy answer is all that information is available on your Hull Card. If you don't have it, order it from the Mariners Museum best money you will every spend on a boat.

http://www.mariner.org/library/#chris-craft

Welcome aboard
1959 18' Continental "Knot Yet"
2013 Cobalt 200WSS
1977 Lakescraft Pontoon

55sportsman
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Re: Original colors

Post by 55sportsman » Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:24 pm

Thanks. I was going to do that but wasn't sure if it was worth it because I have some of the original paperwork but if I will get a lot of info, I will go ahead and do that.

Howard Lehman
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Re: Original colors

Post by Howard Lehman » Fri Sep 11, 2015 11:10 pm

Welcome to the wonderful world of wooden boats. The 17' Sportsman is an excellent boat. I am completing the restoration of a '55 17' Sportsman. The original interior sides, decks and bilge paint color is a type of green. I wouldn't say the color is mint green, but its not a dark green. The owner of the boat chose a different paint color, but I have some planks and frames that I had to replace that show the color. I'm pretty sure someone posted about this color earlier, and perhaps found a source for that paint. I hope you enjoy your boat!

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Bilge Rat
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Re: Original colors

Post by Bilge Rat » Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:47 am

My first wood boat that I restored was a 55 17 foot Sportsman. It had a medium green bilge paint that seemed to be used at different years at the Chris Craft Cadillac plant. I have seen some originals from that same plant and same era that did not use the green bilge paint. The interior upholstery on mine was a medium red and the bottom paint was copper bronze. The hull card will confirm what was original as others have stated.

This was a fun boat for my family and I that was good on performance, handled well for a 17 foot boat and was easy to launch and retrieve.
1966 Lyman Cruisette 25 foot "Serenity Now!"
1953 Chris Craft Sportsman 22 foot "Summerwind"

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ClassOf56
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Re: Original colors

Post by ClassOf56 » Mon Sep 14, 2015 11:22 am

Congratulations on your new boat! I look forward to seeing more pictures of her.

My hull card doesn't list a bottom color, but I am assuming that it would be the same Copper Bronze that yours has?
Steve A
1956 18' Chris-Craft Continental

cc-woodboats
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Re: Original colors

Post by cc-woodboats » Tue Sep 15, 2015 5:58 am

I also have a 55 17' Sportsman that has the green bilge and bottom paint.
no lining boards and the interior hull sides are the same color.

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