Chris-Craft Industries
From Free net encyclopedia
Current revision
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.
Contents |
History
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 productions 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 as mahogany, teak, and brass.
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.
Between the 1960s and 1980s, Chris-Craft lost market share as competitors with more innovative designs and less expensive manufacturing techniques such as fiberglass hulls came on the scene. Chris-Craft ended production of its last mahogany hulled boat, the 57' Constellation, in 1971.
The company's ownership changed several times during the next several decades until it was purchased by partners Stephen Julius and Stephen Hess in 2001.a
Chris-Craft Industries Today
The company currently offers eight models ranging from 22' to 43' with MSRPs starting at around US$60,000. The management plans to continue to expand the model range in the future.
The Chris-Craft name and distinctive look of its mahogany hull has become such American icons the boat has been used in numerous films. The boat was featured in the House Boat, Donavan's Reef, Back to School, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Godfather II, On Golden Pond, The Dirty Dozen, and Striking Distance. A Chris-Craft also made an appearance in the film Pearl Harbor, but experts note that the film, set in 1941, anachronistically featured a 1950's era Capri.
United Television
Beginning in the 1950s, Chris-Craft began purchasing several TV stations across the US, eventually placing them in a subsidiary, United Television. It then became a co-owner of UPN in 1995, affiliating most of its stations with the network. United Television was then sold to News Corporation's Fox Television Stations Group in 2001. Also, UPN is now 100% owned by CBS Corporation, but will merge with Time Warner's The WB to form The CW Television Network in 2006.