Chris-Craft:1957 to 1958, Lake ’N Sea

From ClassicBoatWiki

In 1957, the same year that Chris-Craft Headquarters was relocated to Pompano Beach, FL, a small boat manufacturing company was also purchased in the same town. This company built the 15-foot Lake 'n' Sea, a molded fiberglass outboard runabout that marked the first fiberglass boat to be offered by Chris-Craft.

The acquisition was a bitter-sweet experience as their first endeavor into the new technology, but was a beginning point in learning the ins and outs of this new era of boat construction. They quickly learned the advantages as well as some serious downfalls in the use of CPL (Chris-Craft Polyester Laminate), as it was called.

The advantages were the ease in molding various curves and shapes that could not be done in planked wood construction. Seating in the Lake 'n' Sea were molded fiberglass. Although not very comfortable, they were stylish, served their purpose and were easy to manufacture. The overall construction method was lightweight compared to wood.

They learned all too quickly some serious consequences of laminating this new material to other products. The Lake 'n' Sea had a plywood transom sheathed in fiberglass. Styrofoam (a new Dow Chemical Company product) was placed in voids in the molded hull. The floors were laminated fir plywood. The problem was that of delaminating of the composite materials and cracking of the fiberglass, causing leaks that escalated the problem even further.

Chris-Craft’s first attempt to enter the fiberglass boat market was terminated a year later in the sale of the business. The Lake 'n' Sea had become a bitter experience; the boat was referred to by some as the Leak ‘n Sink.

The Lake 'n' Sea has a significant role in the overall history of Chris-Craft. Several of these classic boats are still being used today (following restoration) and can be seen at many of the boat shows throughout the country.