Some history of one of the most famous wooden boat builders: Chris-Craft Industries.
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Chris-Craft Industries is a privately held American manufacturer of civilian powerboats based in Sarasota, Florida. The company was founded in the late 19th century by Christopher Columbus Smith and became famous for its mahogany hulled powerboats of the 1920s through the 1950s.

Smith built his first wooden boat in 1874 when he was 13 years old. He soon began to build more boats and joined his brother Henry in 1881 to begin producing boats full time. In 1910, the brothers joined with other partners to form the Smith Ryan Boat & Engine Company. The company name was changed to Chris-Craft in 1924.

The Detroit area company became well known for their sleek racing boats in the 1910s and 1920s. Chris-Craft sold high end powerboats to wealthy patrons such as Henry Ford and William Randolph Hearst. In the late 1920s, Chris-Craft extended its market into the middle class when it became one of the first mass producers of civilian pleasure boats. The company began assembly line production at their Algonac, Michigan plant dramatically lowering production costs. Until then, most powerboats had been built by hand.

In 1927 the company introduced the Cadet, an affordable 22' runabout. At the time, the domain of speed boats was largely confined to the wealthy. Its innovative advertising campaign promised a piece of "the good life" to the growing American middle class. The fact that the company sold its boats on installment made them among the first powerboats available to the general population.

The Great Depression robbed many Americans of discretionary income and Chris-Craft sales suffered. The company introduced a line of low priced powerboats to stay solvent. By 1935, a 15.5' Utility boat could be bought for as little as US$406. During World War II, the company produced small patrol boats and launches for the U.S. Navy.

After the war, Chris Craft introduced an all new lineup of civilian pleasure boats just in time for the massive American consumer expansion of the 1950s. That decade marked the height of company prestige and the brand name Chris-Craft became virtually synonymous with pleasure boating. The company offered 159 different models and was the sales leader in many categories of small civilian powerboats.

The company sold high end boats to famous customers and Hollywood stars such as Dean Martin, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. Their boats were often made from the finest mahogany and were considered to be among the best available. They were also easy to operate, a must for their "weekend sailor" owners. In some circles, owning a Chris-Craft was considered de rigueur. Even their lower priced boats were considered to be of high quality, often featuring such luxury items as a liberal use of mahogany, teak, and brass.

In 1957, Chris-Craft Corporation added a metal boats division, designated the Roamer Steel Boats Division (RSBD) - founded upon its purchase of the Roamer Boat Company, now known as Chris Craft Roamers.

The company continued to be independent until it was acquired by Shields & Company and National Automotive Fibers in 1960. They renamed the company Chris-Craft Industries, Incorporated.

In 1964, Chris-Craft launched the all fiberglass Chris-Craft Commander. This dramatic new design was unveiled at the New York City National Boat show - perched at the top of the escalator on a giant, castered cradle. This first Commander was a 38' express hardtop with a 13' beam. The line of Commanders soon grew to include sizes ranging from 19' to 60' - all 'styled in fiberglass.' The greatest legacy of the Chris-Craft Commander is the [Chris-Craft Commander Club](http://www.commanderclub.com/), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, study and appreciation of the classic fiberglass cruisers built by this world-renowned company in the 1960s and 1970's.

Perhaps in homage to Chris-Craft's rich history, and in acknowledgment that traditional wood boat building methods were quickly yielding to fiberglass construction - Chris-Craft employees established the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club http://www.chris-craft.org/ in 1970. As the longest-standing boat marque club in the U.S., the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club has grown to over 3,500 members worldwide with members in over 35 countries. The mission of the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club is much the same today as it was back in 1970.

The Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club is dedicated to research, documentation, and preservation of all classic Chris-Craft boats. As the longest-standing marque club in the world, our purpose is to exchange information, build camaraderie among members, and provide education about classic Chris-Crafts.

The establishment of the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club foreshadowed by a number of years the end of the wooden boat era.

The company's ownership changed several times during the next several decades until it was purchased by partners Stephen Julius and Stephen Heese in 2001.