# Chris-Craft Boats > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chris-Craft_Boats > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chris-Craft_Boats.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris-Craft_Boats > Source revision: 1343290060 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article is about the original company founded in the late 19th century. For the former manufacturing and broadcasting company, see [Chris-Craft Industries](/source/Chris-Craft_Industries). For the current company established in 2000, see [Chris-Craft Corporation](/source/Chris-Craft_Corporation). **Chris-Craft Boats** was an American boat manufacturer founded by Christopher Columbus Smith (1861–1939).[1] The company was sold by the Smith family in 1960 to [NAFI Corporation](/source/NAFI_Corporation), which changed its name to [Chris-Craft Industries](/source/Chris-Craft_Industries) in 1962. The current successor is [Chris-Craft Corporation](/source/Chris-Craft_Corporation), which produces motorboats under the Chris-Craft name. ## History Chris Smith built his first wooden boat in 1874 at the age of 13.[1] Years later, he built a duck hunting boat. His friends liked the way he built them, and they asked him to build them one. This was technically the start of the boat company. He soon began to build more boats and joined his brother Hank in 1881 to begin producing boats full-time. In 1910, the brothers joined with other partners to form the Smith Ryan Boat Company.[1] The firm's name was changed in 1922 to Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company, then to Chris-Craft in 1924. The [Detroit](/source/Detroit)-area company became well known for its sleek racing boats in the 1910s and 1920s. Chris-Craft sold high-end powerboats to wealthy patrons such as [Henry Ford](/source/Henry_Ford) and [William Randolph Hearst](/source/William_Randolph_Hearst). In the late 1920s, Chris-Craft extended its market into the [middle class](/source/Middle_class_in_the_United_States) when it became one of the first mass-producers of civilian pleasure boats. Formerly, most powerboats had been hand-built. The company began [assembly line](/source/Assembly_line) production at their plant in [Algonac, Michigan](/source/Algonac,_Michigan),[2] on the [St. Clair River](/source/St._Clair_River), dramatically lowering production costs. [Engines](/source/Inboard_motor) were supplied by both Ford and Chrysler, and by the Hercules Engine Company in later models.[3] In 1927, the company introduced the *Cadet,* an affordable 22' [runabout](/source/Runabout_(boat)). At the time, the domain of [speedboats](/source/Speedboat) was largely confined to the wealthy. Its innovative advertising campaign promised a piece of "the good life" to the growing [American middle class](/source/American_middle_class). The company sold its boats on an installment plan, making them among the first powerboats available to the general population. The [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression) robbed many Americans of [discretionary income](/source/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 sold for as little as US$406 ($ in dollars ). During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), the company produced small patrol boats and launches for the [U.S. Navy](/source/U.S._Navy). After the war, Chris-Craft introduced a new lineup of civilian pleasure boats in time for the massive American consumer expansion of the 1950s. That decade marked the height of company prestige, and the Chris-Craft brand name became virtually synonymous with pleasure boating. The company offered 159 different models, and it was the sales leader in many categories of small civilian powerboats. Chris Crafts were considered to be among the finest available, popular with famous customers such as [Dean Martin](/source/Dean_Martin), [Katharine Hepburn](/source/Katharine_Hepburn), [Frank Sinatra](/source/Frank_Sinatra), and [Elvis Presley](/source/Elvis_Presley). Made from [mahogany](/source/Mahogany) and featuring liberal [teak](/source/Teak) and [brass](/source/Brass), they were easy to operate by weekend boaters. Chris-Craft manufactured its first [fiberglass](/source/Fiberglass) boat by 1955.[1] The company added a metal boat division in 1957, designated as the Roamer Steel Boats Division (RSBD). This was founded upon its purchase of the Roamer Boat Company, and the boats became known as Chris Craft Roamers. The company was acquired by Shields & Company's NAFI Corporation in 1960, but continued to operate independently. [4] Chris-Craft Industries sold its boat division to Murray Industries in 1981, while retaining the Chris-Craft trademark and licensed it to Murray. [Outboard Marine Corporation](/source/Outboard_Marine_Corporation) acquired the boat company in 1989, then went into bankruptcy in 2000 and was purchased by [Genmar Holdings](/source/Genmar_Holdings). Genmar sold the Chris-Craft boat division to Stellican Ltd., then Stellican purchased the Chris-Craft trademark from [News Corporation](/source/News_Corporation_(1980%E2%80%932013)), thus reuniting the two parts of the boat company.[5] ## References 1. ["Chris-Craft History"](http://www.chriscraft.com/our-story/timeline/). *www.chriscraft.com*. Retrieved 16 November 2017. 1. [Location of Chris-Craft Michigan factory](http://www.woodyboater.com/blog/2012/06/22/2012-chris-craft-plant-jamboree-where-it-all-began-at-the-algonac-harbour-club-marina-algonac-michigan-thursday/) 1. [History of Hercules Engine Company](http://www.herculesmanufacturing.com/about-us/) 1. ["Chris-Craft Industries – Company History"](http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ChrisCraft-Industries-Inc-Company-History.html). *Funding Universe.com*. Retrieved 21 March 2011. 1. ["Everything Old Is New Again: The New Chris Craft"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100127154850/http://www.boatdigest.com/node/151). *Boat In 2021 Winnebago Industries bought the company from Stellican. Digest*. Force 12 Media, LLC. 2007-01-07. Archived from [the original](http://www.boatdigest.com/node/151) on 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2009-07-20. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chris-Craft Boats](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris-Craft_Boats) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris-Craft_Boats?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.