Building Chris-Craft: Inside the Factories

By Anthony S. Mollica and Chris Smith

“Every Chris-Craft owner will want to own this detailed history of Chris-Craft.” —Wooden Boat

For more than half a century, Chris-Craft reigned supreme in the world of motorboating. This market dominance was due in no small part to the design and construction techniques employed in the company’s studios and on its factory floors.

Building Chris-Craft examines the company’s design and production heritage, looking at Chris-Craft’s considerable accomplishments in the context of key competitors and industrial trends in general.

High-quality archival images take readers inside the factories, design studios, and lofts of Chris-Craft factories in Algonac, Holland; Cadillac, Michigan; Salisbury, Maryland; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Caruthersville, Missouri.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Aug 8, 2010
• ISBN: 9781610601061

Book preview

BUILDING CHRIS-CRAFT

INSIDE THE FACTORIES

ANTHONY S. MOLLICA WITH CHRIS SMITH

Makings for Mass Production

1    Loft drawing of boat

2    Philippine mahogany frames

3    Chief Engineer E. L. Eckfield

4    Fishing chair

5    Engine box covers

6    Engine box slides

7    Engine box cleats

8    Deck hatch framing

9    Fuse-box cover

10  Port-light fillers and shims, forepeak locker floors

11  V-berth bottoms

12  Fuel tank chocks

13  Cockpit flooring

14  Bulkheads, flooring, panels, and insulation for dinette, main cabin, head, and bridge

15  Mahogany hull planking

16  Inner bottom planking

17  Bridge deck framing

18  White-oak keel (after end), mahogany sister keels, skeg, main stringers

19  Master Craftsman Victor Intihar, holding straightedge

20  Interior trim, fuel tank covers

21  Floor tile for deckhouse

22  Bulkhead and framing for forward compartment

23  Plant Manager J. R. Pocklington

24  Interior paneling and trim for head

25  Stainless-steel rubrail

26  Mahogany molding and trim

27  Forepeak locker door

28  Berth drawer

29  Overhead liner for deckhouse

30  Fuel tank cover

31  Engine room insulation

32  Forward deck beams

33  Outriggers

34  Metal bindings and hinges

35  Metal scroll initials

36  Rudders

37  Bilge pump and handle

38  Propellers

39  Shaft logs

40  Head and galley pumps

41  Rudder stuffing boxes

42  Shaft struts

43  Electric horns

44  Engine exhaust

45  Stanchion bases and miscellaneous deck hardware

46  Window supports

47  Bronze propeller shafts

48  Teak floor molding

49  Fuel tank sides

50  Molding

51  Engine-starting batteries

52  Hose clamps

53  Steering connections

54  Electric fuel pumps

55  Freshwater rubber hose

56  Exhaust mufflers

57  Steering rods

58  Fire extinguisher and copper tubing for freshwater system

59  Toolkit

60  V-8 engines

61  Clutch-shifting unit

62  Water tank

63  Bronze keel bolts

64  Fuel tanks

65  Fishing-flying bridge

66  President H. H. Coll

67  Pilot chair

68  Cockpit ladder

69  Bottom bedding compound

70  Brass screws for hull fastening

71  Hull paint

72  Plate glass for deckhouse

73  Screws for engine mount

74  Electric connectors

75  Copper fuel lines

76  Steering cables

77  Outrigger snaps and lines

78  Boat hook

79  Rod racks

80  Side-mount rod holders and gimbals

81  Flush-mount rod holders

82  Chain for bilge drainage

83  Keel, stem, and forefoot assembly

84  Gin pole bracket

85  Gin pole block and falls

86  Gin pole

87  Electric wiring

88  Chairman of the Board Harsen Smith

89  Fighting chair

90  Steering wheel, steering cables, and turnbuckles

91  Clutch control

92  Throttle control

93  Intake scoops for engine cooling

94  Rudder control mechanism

95  Doors for stateroom, head, hanging locker, and rope locker

96  Forward-deck hatch screen

97  Sink and head

98  Port-light assembly

99  Lighting fixtures

100 Air vents

101 Medicine chest

102 Forward-deck hatch assembly

103 Danforth anchor and line

104 Hand rails and belly rail

105 Swivel base for outriggers

106 Floor beams for cockpit

107 Life jackets

108 Fire extinguishers

109 Fog bell and range light

110 Berth and seat cushions

111 Ensign

112 Two-burner alcohol stove

113 Curtains and burgee

114 Folding canvas top

115 Galley and icebox assembly

116 General Sales Manager C. R. Burgess

117 Divisional Sales Manager E. L. Pickell

118 Deckhouse windshield and side-shield assembly

119 Deckhouse roof

120 Radio direction finder

121 Compass, automatic pilot controls

122 Depth sounder and recorder

123 Radiotelephones

124 Autopilot gyro compass and drive unit

125 Radio antenna

Dedication To three remarkable generations of the family of Christopher Columbus Smith, who successfully turned a backyard duck boat enterprise into the world’s largest manufacturer of mahogany motor boats, a position they held for more than 30 consecutive years of exemplary production.

Front cover: The Algonac factory in 1927 with 22-foot runabouts being constructed in three efficient production lines. The workman in the foreground is spray-painting the inside of the hull. (Note the fire bucket in the upper right-hand corner.) Courtesy The Mariners’ Museum

Page 2: This impressive view of the fully planked, unpainted hull shows the planking pattern on the hull sides and the bottom. Note the innovative wave-deflecting chine that significantly improved performance and reduced spray. Courtesy The Mariners’ Museum

Page 5: This exploded view of an unassembled 33-foot Sports Fisherman appeared in the December 14, 1959, issue of Sports Illustrated under the heading Birth of a Boat. Richard Meek/ Sports Illustrated/Getty Images; text reprinted courtesy of Sports Illustrated

Back cover: In this 1926 image, workmen finish boat bottoms with canvas between the two layers of wood, a system that Chris-Craft would perfect and continue to use for decades. Courtesy The Mariners’ Museum

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1      The Early Years: Racers, Hunters & Duck Boats

Chapter 2      The Terrific 1920s

Chapter 3      The Great Depression

Chapter 4      The World War II and Postwar Eras

Chapter 5      Chris-Craft Quality

Chapter 6      Production Methods and Sales

Chapter 7      Creating a Chris-Craft

Chapter 8      Inside the Factories

Chapter 9      Inspection and Shipping

Epilogue       Chris-Craft Pride

Appendix I   Examples of Chris-Craft General Shop Practices Manual Terms

Appendix II  Chris-Craft Factory Locations

Appendix III Moisture Content Range for Major Components

Appendix IV Requirements for Wood Selection for Structural Members

Resources

Index

Acknowledgments

MUCH OF THIS BOOK required the dedicated contributions of Christopher J. Smith, grandson of the founder of the family enterprise that became Chris-Craft Corporation. Over the years, Chris and I have become good friends and are devoted to telling the story of Chris-Craft from the inside.

Chris was involved in 2001 when Jack Savage and I prepared our 192-page book, Chris-Craft Boats. Chris was eager to have this book written and has been a thoughtful contributor of this, the story of an incredibly successful family enterprise that became a major American industry. He has been a tireless proofreader, making sure my words and descriptions are accurate. Chris has always made himself available.

As we worked, Chris shared stories of his experiences in the factory, from the time he was a youngster until he finally retired from the only company where he ever worked. He would frequently say with great pride, I never received a paycheck from any company other than Chris-Craft. His stories always provided a fascinating glimpse into the Smith family and his memories of growing up in this remarkable family enterprise that for decades was the world’s leading builder of wooden motorboats. You’ll find personal stories directly from Chris throughout the book, in the form of sidebars.

Long before this book was started, many friends contributed to my interest in Chris-Craft with anecdotes, information, and obscure details that helped develop this story. Although I want to remember everyone, I fear that I have forgotten some sources, though not the knowledge they provided. The information shared in this book is part of a very long journey. Among those to whom I’m especially grateful are: Don Ayars, Don Babcock, Bill Basler, Bruce Bone, Jerry Conrad, Robert Cook, Tom Crew, Anthony Farsaci, George Finkbeiner, Fred Genaw, John Kellogg, Claudia Jew, Ralph Jurgensen, Rich Jury, David Kidd, Hume Laidman, Don MacKerer, Lou Rauh, Ron Riley, Jeffrey Rodengen, Mike Rozniak, Bill Siegenthaler, Jim Wangard, Norm Wangard, and Wilson Wright.

Christopher Smith, grandson and namesake of the firm’s founder, discusses his lifetime career responsibilities in a variety of engineering capacities at the Chris-Craft factory with author Anthony Mollica at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York. Chris worked for Chris-Craft his entire life and says that every paycheck he received during his life came from Chris-Craft. He was the primary source of information in the development of this book.

Introduction

ALL TOO OFTEN, we recognize the true value of a particular object or craft long after its availability has passed. Growing up in Upstate New York, where there were a number of commercial wooden boatbuilders, it never occurred to me that there might be a time when these important craft shops would no longer be in operation. Like many boating enthusiasts, I rarely took advantage of the opportunity to spend meaningful time visiting and observing these regional boat enterprises during their prime production years, when they turned out large numbers of attractive wooden boats week after week. I never seemed to feel any compelling urgency to visit these facilities because wooden boatbuilding was so deeply imbedded in the culture of the region that I was sure they would always be present.

It often took months or years to notice that a boat shop had closed. When I learned of a closure, I would think sadly that I should have taken time to see the shop’s operation during its peak production years. However, I was sure that there would always be another boat-building firm close by. The reality was that in what seemed like a very short period of time, the builders of wooden boats in this region of the country either closed or converted to fiberglass construction. Thankfully, local boatyards where skilled craftsmen repaired wooden boats still existed, and small shops continued to build one or two wooden boats at a time for contract customers.

Gone, though, were the lengthy production lines where teams of skilled carpenters attached carefully shaped planks to frames, creating beautifully contoured wooden hulls that were strong and graceful. From there, the hulls moved to the finishing rooms, and then to the fitting and detailing departments. This wonderful decades-old progression from simple frames moving through a series of stages to a structure of imposing character virtually disappeared before my eyes. In some cases, all that remained was a handful of photographs of the former production lines, and even these were certain to be lost or discarded in the years that followed.

Gone, too, from transformed boat factories was the aroma of freshly cut tropical hardwoods, replaced by pungent fumes of chemical resins. Now pressurized devices delivered liquid resins into giant molds, saturating sheets of woven fibers that cured into a single piece of heavy fiberglass. Masked workmen in protective clothing applied chemical mixtures. The gracefully shaped frames that gave form and strength to the contoured wooden hulls were gone. Commercial production boatbuilding had changed forever.

Chris Smith is all dressed up and in a very happy mood at the Gold Cup races. His sons, Jay W. and Bernard, on the other hand, are a bit tired after working all night to fine-tune the race boat engines so they would be ready to perform superbly.

One of the great ironies of these changes was that it cost more to build new boats with fiberglass materials than it did to build a similar boat with wood. The change was influenced by boat owners who desired the apparent absence of regular maintenance that fiberglass promised to provide. Most boat owners did not have the advantage of a boathouse to protect their boat from the harmful effects of constant exposure to the sun and weather. Although wooden boats have advantages preferred by traditional boaters, there is no question that proper maintenance is a never-ending, nagging burden for the owners. The absence of regular care and maintenance is not a viable option for the owners of wooden boats, while fiberglass hulls require far less upkeep and will last indefinitely with reasonable care.

Despite any drawbacks, wooden boats have characteristics that appeal to many, and there is no better wooden boatbuilder than Chris-Craft. For certain, the success Christopher Columbus Smith and his family achieved is unparalleled in the boating industry.

Brothers Henry and Christopher Columbus Smith built their first boat around 1874. Local hunters who recognized the brothers’ skills had the Smiths build boats for them. The two Smiths soon formed a modest business and tooled up a small shop to build their boats with a degree of efficiency. From this modest beginning, boatbuilding remained a Smith family–owned operation for 86 years. The brothers rarely made misjudgments, but when they did, they usually turned the error into a learning experience. In fact, much of Chris-Craft’s success was earned by applying lessons the company learned along the way to perfect its boatbuilding technique.

As the family grew, Chris-Craft became a true family enterprise. Quality work by family members was the expected norm—a valuable family tradition. Virtually all major decisions were made thoughtfully and always with the full participation of the family. As a pure family enterprise, it was grounded with years of shared involvement and experience. As a result, succeeding generations of Smiths were always prepared to assume greater responsibility and move the business to the next level of success.

Another reason for