Conor Knighton takes us on a ride aboard some classic wooden motorboats, whose sleek lines and elegant fixtures hark back to a golden era of maritime recreation.
Many years ago I bought a 16ft wooden boat built as a final examination piece by apprentices at the Royal Navy boat shed in Portsmouth during the 1920s. One we’d sorted it out, including taking off seven different colours of badly-applied and patchy paint we varnished her, polished the gunmetal fittings and rigged her as a cat-boat. There’s something very special about a varnished, well-found wooden boat, whether power or sail. The boat at 0.50 is simply beautiful - as are the rest. A joy to watch.
Cool history! My dad had an old Chris Craft speed boat that he always planned to restore. Sadly, he passed away and it somehow got lost in the family cleaning out stuff. They sure look special, and each one beautiful.
When a wooden boat show came to our lake (Lake Chatuge Hiawassee Georgia) and I saw my first Gar Wood (Miss America) up close I was stunned. What a work of art. Still a 110 MPH plus boat. Twin 454s in the original engine exhaust configuration. The current owner did it justice. it has been on TV many times since. It's love for these boats. I grew up with them. My first was a 15 foot wooden dory. What a great boat. Leaked everywhere but we loved it. Thanks for the video.
I remember my great uncle George's wooden boat back when I was growing up in the fifties and early sixties. I liked it then, even at a young age. I also remember getting all scratched up falling into his hedge when learning to ride a bicycle. I like videos that bring back old memories.
I’ll always remember with real fondness Holidays in the 80’s on the Norfolk Broads UK on a wooden motor cruiser with a petrol engine,the smell of the wood and fuel combined and the sound of the engine burbling as you glide along at a gentle 3mph or 5mph at times. It was a open cockpit so you heard all of the peace and quiet of birds/water and water rushes as they move to your wash. Even in the cold of a morning with condensation on the inside of the boat sometimes. It was a amazing experience seeing mists on the water slowly lift as the sun woke up,swans gliding along beside you and even getting in the boat too. The Norfolk Broads are beautiful and can say was best Holidays have ever had and that wooden boat made it so special.
Beautiful boats. That movie sure did them all a favour if that's what inspired people to get them going again. I remember the scene, and being impressed by the rumble of the motor and those sleek wood lines.
While your video talks about vintage Chris-Crafts, there has been a renewed interest in building new wooden boats, plans are available to build many replicas from Glen-l.
Summertime at Lake George NY in the Sixties as a little boy drooling over all the Chris Craft and Hacker boats on the water. It wasn't just the sight of them, the sound and smell was unique.
I live in HURLEY, Berkshire UK. Our local boat builder has produced these craft for decades. The main market is the USA. They are elegant and Very Expensive.
I had a Chris Craft 22 foot mahogany Sportsman BEAUTIFUL and safe boat. It was a 1949 ID # 1390 Sold it before any damage might occur as was being used a lot. I sold it for 5 times what I paid for it & today probably worth 25 times; 40 to 50 K. From Lake George NY TO TAHOE NAVADA.
In my home town 1 summer man has wood speed boat exactly like that 1. Small town winter harbor maine and the owner owned 76rs for long time and signed Dr j. They also have ten sailboats small ones the rich summer kids race they get redone every year look beautiful. My friend his family had line of boats Backman! Danny older now but built every lobster boat he has had 39 and 44 . Got windshield wipers like a car..
Ive always wanted one since they are unbelievable in sound looks and style. Indiana Jones got to drive around an almost died on one in Venice. But one day I will own one
I love the look...the sound...the ride of a classic wood boat. Friggin awsome. Did anyone ask these folks who will "voluntarily" give their keys to Alexandria Ocasio Cortez? Would you "give up" your classic boat, car, airplane? to a Socialist?
I can show you a small place in Jersey City, NJ where wood boats (Chris Craft) are being restored. They are beautiful all that mahogany nd all that brass.
Well, as a young kid whose family vacationed at Lake Tahoe in the 50's every summer, I remember Century and Gar Wood as being quite numerous on the water, too. CC, though had the Lion's share of the fleet. Of course, they made everything from 26 foot runabouts to big 40-foot cabin cruisers.
Nope. Chris Craft was the Mercury / Buick in wooden boats in the their hey day. Gar Wood and Hacker Craft were top of the line. Riva is the ...well the Riva of wooden boats. Take a look at the Thunderbird that is still used on Lake Tahoe and you'll see that Hacker built boats Chris Craft never dreamed of. Now, CC boats were solid, well made, good designs, and relatively affordable. I owned a 1941 barrel-back Chris Craft and liked it a lot. But, if you pulled it up next to a Hacker, you could see the difference immediately.
These old wooden boats are beautiful and nice but, tooooo much up up keep. Then it costs a fortune to rebuild her plus how many boating months in a year up north ? DO you want to go boating, fishing and skiing or do you want to work on it ? good video though...........
don't get me wrong, I love wooden boats and own three of them but I can't see any mahogany trees around that lake, so that that comparison doesn't work
I see that everyone will die, the water in the rivers and seas has become yellow! This is seen when boats create breakers. I thought that some certain areas or countries were polluted. But no, in the United States, too, the water is polluted. This is everywhere, even an icebreaker is moving along the NSR and the water is yellow against the background of breaking white ice floes.
U.S. Senate, Paul Wellstone (D-MN) did his best to destroy the Boat building in Wisconsin, imposing a 10% surtax on the sale of luxury boats. True craftsmanship jobs lost. Wellstone our first U.S. Senator dedicated to Socialism.
psygnale the depth of the center of the mustang wheel is different as it sticks out further so the Chris Craft center can’t be installed. Pull off any Chris Craft center cap on one of those steering wheels and it’ll say Falcon Sprint.
I owned a 1930s wooden boat for 15 years yes it did cost money, but a lot of it would be the same as a Tupperware boat. As my boat was at Dunkirk and served the rest of the war as a mine spotter, a family lived aboard fore years so she had some history. I lived on board for two years so the digs money went into varnish and paint. But the dearest part to keep stocked was the beer and liquor locker.
Sorry, Scott Matthews was building all manner of wood boats (as were other builders) long before Chris Crafts were born. Get your facts straight please.
TF does that even mean? You can build one of these things using a garage and some spare time for the price of a CHEAP used car. www.glen-l.com/costs-and-time-to-build/
In reality only people without money and with two left hands and 10 thumbs can not own one. And I am starting to think you are that kind of person. And you already found someone how must be guilty. Of course that is not you :)