Ski Jet XK-18

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[edit] Introduction

By the late 60s, Chris-Craft had arguably made it through the transition from wood to fiberglass, but not without trials and tribulations. The Corsair Division had been established in the early 60s after acquiring Thompson Boat of Cortland, New York. From 1962 into the late 60s, Chris-Craft perfected their art of fiberglass boatbuilding. The mid to late 60s saw the introduction of many new boatbuilders, eager to capitalize on this new method of construction.

Water sports continued to grow in popularity, as boats became lighter, faster, and more maneuverable. Companies, such as Century, were finding success with their Resorter models, while Correct Craft's Ski Nautiques were selling like hot cakes. Another boating culture that grew rapidly in the late 60s and 70s was the flat-bottom performance boat movement, with Hallett, Hondo, and Sanger a few builders of the day. This new wave of jet-powered craft was gaining momentum. Muscle cars were all the rage in the early 70s and big block powered jet boats were their equivalent on the water. "Fast, loud and flashy" were the goals of the day. During the peak of jet-powered boat popularity, even mainstream builders like Glastron, Formula and Sea Ray jumped on board.

[edit] 1971-1973

Chris-Craft joined the high performance, flat bottom jet boat craze with the introduction of the Ski Jet XK-18 in 1971.

Of the fiberglass Ski Jet XK-18, Chris-Craft designer, Dick Avery, writes:

When John Gale was president of Chris-Craft, he remembered the low profile jet boats that raced in California when he was a boat dealer there. He thought that Chris-Craft should build one. He knew the man that built the best jet boats and called him and made arrangements to buy a hull mold from him for Chris-Craft. John asked me to go to California and meet with Rudy Ramos at his shop and design a Chris-Craft deck for the Ramos hull. I spent a few weeks in California working out the design with his plug builders. It was a pretty hull with a tumble home aft so the part had to be pulled out of the mold bow first. I decided to do a barrelback design like the beautiful old woodies but in fiberglass. We worked on the deck plug and interior mockup. When the plug was finished, it was polished and the mold was made to use in production. The interior had two bucket seats and a stern seat. I designed a center pod for instruments and a wrap-around crash pad. We fabricated a low profile wind screen in tinted Plexiglas that bolted to the deck cowl. The California guys knew how to do the metalflake gelcoat finish. I selected a mahogany color to lay-up the first boat. The interior and deck stripes were off-white. The Ramos crew finished the first boat with engine and jet drive, all wiring, fuel hooked up and sea tested. I headed home to Pompano Beach to wait for the boat and molds to arrive. I reported to John Gale that all went well, and hoped that he would like the boat when he saw it. When the truck arrived with the boat and the molds, the molds were unloaded at the plant and the boat taken to the test center launch site. John Gale and I went to the launch site for a boat ride. As the boat was being lifted off the truck. I noticed there was a cast aluminum fin in the middle of the bottom. John explained that it was there to keep the boat on a straight course and to stop it from sliding in a turn. The bottom was fairly flat so I could see how that would work. When the boat was in the water. John said "It looks great—let's try it." John got in the helm seat and I got into the stern seat. I looked over the transom and the jet nozzle turned as he turned the wheel. It stuck out about a foot behind the transom and had a bucket that would flip down when you went into reverse. He started the engine and we backed out of the slip. We cruised around Lake Santa Barbara and did a fast oval. It was a calm day and the lake was smooth. The boat felt good and very fast. We headed for the Intercoastal Waterway going south. He opened it up and it felt like flying in an open cockpit plane. We were going about 50 mph. He said "Hang on!" so I grabbed both cockpit combings. He slowed to about 40 mph and turned the wheel sharply. The boat swapped end for end. The transom, rear deck and back seat went into a wall of water, filling my back pockets. He then gunned it and we headed north, jumping up on plane at full speed. He said, "Well, I guess it's safe enough for the public, we'll call it the 18' XK." We made the boats in metalflake mahogany or dark blue. In the dark blue interior, I designed a zebra stripe printed vinyl for the seats. The back of the bucket seats looked like zebra rear ends.

[edit] Specifications

• Division: Corsair
• Hull no. series:
  • ORAJ-18-001 to ORAJ-18-128
  • ORAJ-18-2001 to ORAJ-18-2073
• No. of hulls built: 201
• Length: 18' 0"
• Beam: 7' 0"
• Draft: 15"-18"
• Freeboard:
  • Forward: 24"
  • Aft: 20"
• Height: 4' 7"
• Weight: 2150 lbs.
• Fuel capacity: 24 gals.
• Hull material: Fiberglass
• Bottom color: Bronze, blue
• Waterline color: Bronze, blue
• Hull side color: Bronze, blue
• Deck color
  • White & bronze,
  • White & blue
• Upholstery: White
• Engines offered: Chris-Craft 350QL Chevy 454 Guardian-400 hp