Chris-Craft: 1922, Chris-Craft Division
From ClassicBoatWiki
As noted on Antique & Classic Boat Wiki page, 1924, Chris-Craft is Born, it may be confusing to some, how Chris-Craft could be considered a "company" as well as a "division." The answer is pretty simple really. In the early years when the Chris-Smith & Sons Boat Company, yielded to the new organizational name Chris-Craft Company, the marketing-friendly moniker was used to identify the entire boat building enterprise. This operation manufactured boats of one type of construction, specifically, carvel-plank on batten-seam frame. See Plank on Frame.
In the years following WW-II, Chris-Craft expanded into other boatbuilding methods, utilizing then, state-of-the-art processes and materials, such as marine-grade plywood and modern polysulfide rubber adhesives. Using knowledge gained by fulfilling United States Government contracts during WW-II, Chris-Craft expanded their operations in 1950 with the formation of the Kit Boat Division. See Chris-Craft:1950 to 1958, Kit Boat Division. This division offered do-it-yourself kits to skilled enthusiasts, helping Chris-Craft meet the exploding demand for affordable pleasure boats after the war. These "Kit Boats", were similar to traditional, factory-built Chris-Crafts—featuring full-thickness sawn hardwood (Philippine Mahogany and White Oak) frames. They differed from their factory-built kin, however, in that they were skinned with plywood, rather than carvel planks.
Several years after starting the Kit Boat Division, Chris-Craft established the Sea Skiff Division in 1954, to manufacture of boats using lapstrake construction. The Sea Skiff Division Chris-Craft:1954 to 1969, Sea Skiff Division was formed to compete with the tremendously popular boats built by Lyman Boat Works.
Following shortly after in 1955, the popularity of the Kit Boats spawned the Cavalier Division, which specialized in traditionally framed boats, sheathed in a marine-plywood skin.
The formation of these early Chris-Craft Divisions established the logic that new Chris-Craft Divisions would be started as new boatbuilding methods were explored. In order, Chris-Craft Divisions were established as follows:
- Chris-Craft Division (carvel-plank on batten-seam frame construction: runabouts, utilities, and cruisers)
- 1950 to 1958, Kit Boat Division (Boat Kits, full-thickness sawn hardwood (Philippine Mahogany and White Oak) frames, with plywood outer skin construction: runabouts, utilities, and cruisers)
- 1954 to 1970, Sea Skiff Division (lapstrake construction: runabout, utilities, and cruisers)
- 1955 to 1969, Cavalier Division (full-thickness sawn hardwood (Philippine Mahogany and White Oak) frames, with plywood outer skin construction: runabouts, utilities, and cruisers< IN later years, hybrid building methods were introduced. For example carvel plank hull sides with plywood bottoms)
- 1955-1977, Roamer Division (welded steel and aluminum cruisers)
- 1957 to 1958, Lake ’N Sea (fiber reinforced plastic resin ie: fiberglass construction: runabouts)
- 1962 to 1976, Sailboat Division (fiber reinforced plastic resin ie: fiberglass construction: sailboats)
- 1963 to 1977 Corsair Division (fiber reinforced plastic resin ie: fiberglass construction: runabouts and cruisers)
- 1964 to 1977 Commander Division fiber reinforced plastic resin ie: fiberglass construction: cruisers)
- 1970 to 1974, Catalina Division (fiber reinforced plastic resin ie: fiberglass construction: cruisers)
As the Chris-Craft enterprise grew, new boatbuilding methods/materials were explored, and new divisions were added along the lines of these manufacturing methods. Chris-Craft Division was the label given to Chris-Craft's original boatbuilding method, carvel-plank on batten-seam frame, runabouts, utilities and cruisers.
