![]() Plans with instructions aimed at the amateur craftsman include all the details along with material listing, fastening schedule, and resource list to help you track down what you need. But if you want to use a small block V-8 up to 290 cubic inches, we recommend building the boat at the 20' option included in the plans. Our system of double diagonal ply/veneer planking requires no rabbets to cut, no steam bending, no caulked seams, and no lofting, yet looks like the genuine article and is much easier to maintain.Įngine recommendations listed apply to the 19' option. Unlike old boats that suffer from leaking seams and flexing hulls, ours come out stiff, tight, and strong, yet lightweight. Beyond its authentic styling is a modern wood-epoxy hull that's honestly easier to build. Yet with purportedly less than 400 ever produced, any remaining boats given care and restoration trade hands for tens-of-thousands of dollars if at all.īut now you can build your own near-replica with our carefully-detailed Barrelback 19 design for a fraction of the cost and actually end up with a better boat. Of all the half-dozen or so sizes built by Chris Craft, the 19' Custom Runabout model produced between 19 seems to generate the most interest today. Now it's your chance to capture those memories by building your own ![]() For those unfamiliar with the type, the stern is a semi-circular or elliptical like half a barrel, with a lovely seamless blending of the tumble-home topsides into the deck, side to side.Īnd, this happens to be the design that Jethro on NCIS is building this season! Like Jethro, many have fond memories of this type of boat from their childhood. Nothing causes aficionados of classic mahogany runabouts to salivate more than the sight of the famous barrel-stern examples built by Chris Craft long ago. The interior has dual rows of automotive-style bench seats with bright red vinyl covering that was standard on the Deluxe runabout.A 19' or 20' classic double cockpit inboard runaboutīuild Your Very Own Near-Replica Chris Craft Custom Runabout Like the One on NCIS For a Fraction of the Costįor a PDF study plan download, click HERE The engine is an inline raw water-cooled Hercules 6-cylinder powerplant, turning a single propeller. The boat on display features a two-piece chrome framed windshield, steering wheel mounted throttle with stainless steel, and chrome hardware throughout the boat. And as engines and power output grew in size, the boats of the era adopted more automobile-style controls and amenities. However, cheap fiberglass boats were still years away, and to preserve the varnished finish of the boats, owners often built enclosed boathouses reaching out over the docks at their lakeside summer homes. Utilizing manufacturing efficiencies learned in wartime, Chris Craft was able to expand its market to both middle-class and wealthy owners. With the end of the war came prosperity for many and Chris Craft benefitted by supplying speed boats that became popular at lakes throughout the upper Midwest and Northeast. During WW2, Chris Craft aided the war effort by building over 12,000 military vessels including patrol boats, launches, and rescue vessels for the US Navy. In 1927, Chris Smith’s son Jay took control of the company, changing the name to Chris Craft and for the next 31 years became the world’s largest producer of mahogany runabout boats. The origins of the Chris Craft Company date back to the 1870s when Christopher Columbus Smith built his first wood skiff at age 13, later joining his brother to produce wood runabouts and forming the Smith Ryan Boat Company. ![]() The Deluxe Runabout model was introduced in the 1930s despite the economic hardships of the Great Depression With shiny varnish highlighting flared forward hull sections that gracefully transition to a sweeping tumblehome as the lines go aft, this premium cruising boat still looks fast and sleek even on the trailer. This 17’ Deluxe Runabout model with mahogany planks and frames, commonly fitted a 130 hp inboard gasoline engine and typified sporty styling that carried over from pre-war racing boats. Chris Craft Marine/Hercules KBL Inboard EngineĬhris Craft Marine of Algonac, MI created many of the iconic bright finished wood power boats that defined recreational boating in the post-war era. ![]()
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