Chris-Craft

USA Est. 1874

The oldest name in American recreational boating. Chris Smith started building duck boats in Algonac, Michigan, and the family turned that into the most iconic boat brand in the country. The mahogany runabouts of the 1930s through 1960s are the boats people picture when they think 'classic boat.' Chris-Craft made the transition to fiberglass in the late 1960s and survived, though some purists never forgave them.

Heritage

Chris-Craft did more to democratize recreational boating than any other builder. They brought production-line methods to boat building, making mahogany runabouts affordable for the middle class in the postwar boom. Those wood boats are now some of the most sought-after collectibles in the marine world. The company has been through multiple ownership changes and near-death experiences, but the name endures because it earned its place in the culture.

Vessels (1)

Chris-Craft Cobra

The Chris-Craft Cobra is car culture floating. Designed in the mid-1950s when American cars had fins, chrome, and V8 engines, the Cobra brought that energy to the water. Mahogany hull, automotive-style dashboard, a V8 engine that rumbled like a Corvette. It was the boat you drove to the lake club and parked next to your Bel Air. The Cobra wasn't about fishing or working — it was about speed, style, and the pure American postwar confidence that everything should be bigger, faster, and made of mahogany. Today, restored Cobras are among the most valuable classic boats in the world.

1955-1958 · classic