Anyone Here A Wooden Boat Enthusiast...?

[North Woody]

Our lake home is up in Northern Wisconsin, and while we love our 2014 LSV for all the skiing, wakesurfing, kids' tubing and cocktail cruising that we throw at it, I've been increasingly drawn to the beauty and aesthetics of adding a vintage wooden boat to our fleet. I've been ogling some pre-war (1936-1942) Chris Craft boats in the 19'-22' length, and I'm particularly drawn to the 1939-1942 "Barrel Back" boats as they just look awesome on the water and they sound even better. Here are a few pics of a 1936:

Sequoia 1.jpg

Sequoia 2.jpg

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That said, I know next to nothing about them other than I love the way they look and what I have learned so far from what I've dug up on the internet on care and maintenance... So figuring that a love for Moombas may very well carry over to a passion for vintage Chris Craft boats, I'm hoping that somebody here may have some experience with ownership and caring for these beasts. If so, I'd love to pick your brain as I try to get educated on these boats . TIA to anyone who cares to share their thoughts and experiences!

[sivs1]

I think for my retirement project I'll figure out how to take an old wooden 22 or 23 footer and turn it into a modern wake surf boat.... J/K

Nothing beats the look of a fully restored Chris Craft on the water. Wood boats are a labor of love, it's best to keep in the water but thats not usually possible year round, for the amount of time we spend waxing and polishing our fiberglass boats, triple that for the amount of time it takes to keep the wood from drying out. As wood dries it shrinks. My grand parents use to own one, my dad always said if money was no object he'd get another one. Knowing you can find these nicely restored for 20k makes me think the cost of care can be enormous.

[sivs1]

I think for my retirement project I'll figure out how to take an old wooden 22 or 23 footer and turn it into a modern wake surf boat.... J/K

Nothing beats the look of a fully restored Chris Craft on the water. Wood boats are a labor of love, it's best to keep in the water but thats not usually possible year round, for the amount of time we spend waxing and polishing our fiberglass boats, triple that for the amount of time it takes to keep the wood from drying out. As wood dries it shrinks. My grand parents use to own one, my dad always said if money was no object he'd get another one. Knowing you can find these nicely restored for 20k makes me think the cost of care can be enormous.

[sandm]

they are a work of art and having been to a few local boat shows in WI and striking up conversations with owners, the one soundbite that they all had was be prepared for a ton of "preventative" work. they are not as low maintenance as your typical fiberglas boat but I have to say if I was retired with nothing better to do that would be a pretty good way to spend some time taking care of one...
there's a few boat shows in sturgeon bay each year that bring out many of these..

[bergermaister]

Not to steer you to a different brand..... but how about the best of both?

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/...658400473.html

[larry_arizona]

Have had a few and still have one in the restoration process.

Chris Craft is the Chevy or Ford of wood boats, certainly the most common and affordable of that era. CC’s were a mass produced boat, I guess a lot like Malibu’s based on volume.

Pre war CC’s are certainly pretty boats.

One of the negatives to the Chris Crafts are the dual plank bottoms, much cheaper way to make a wood boat, but a leaking nightmare.

I prefer Century’s, a midlevel wood boat and certainly more of a boutique style boat like Supra. Excellent build quality, and the much preferred single plank bottom. Similar in stature as a Cadillac or lincoln

The top end is Hacker Craft or Garwood. Insanely amazing gorgeous wood boats, think rolls Royce or Bugatti.

I will say Hackers are my fave, had a chance at a 23 foot HC, it was not salvageable for direct restoration but could have been an effective pattern boat, meaning dissemble trace boards and use all new wood. As a pattern boat rotted out it sold for $28k 20 years ago.

Each make has its advantages and differences.




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[larry_arizona]

This is a quick overview

http://www.hallsboat.com/classic-boa...acturers.shtml


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[sandm]

Not to steer you to a different brand..... but how about the best of both?

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/...658400473.html

135k. I think they inhaled too much varnish while making it.....

[larry_arizona]

Fully restored wood boats pre and post war are Insanely expensive.

If you are truly interested in restoring be sure you can do it yourself or be willing to pay a pro a ton of money.

I highly advise cold molding the waterline down as wood boats are intended to stay in the water. They hate cycling in and out of water.

A nice wood boat will get more attention than the nicest wakeboat.

That said, they are beautiful but clunky as shit. Modern wake boats are far more impressive and fun.

Wood boats do ride smooth though as the wood and joint compound flex.

My dream with my current Century Coronado was to do a resto-mod, restored wood Hull with modern V8 drive train.

I have the original 1955 Cal Connel 331 Cadillac V8.

Rebuild on engine is expensive and parts are rare.




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[North Woody]

Thanks Gents, this is all really helpful and generally tracks with my own research on the significant differences in enjoyment and maintenance between our modern fiberglass boats and these vintage beauties. I’m coming at this from my experience in the air-cooled Porsche world, which has a similar “Old vs New”/“Vintage vs Modern” dynamic. I’ve got a 1968 911 that I bought from my uncle 25 years ago who had bought it as the second owner in 1972, which I’ve been slowly completely restoring over the last 5 years. Compared to my 2010 911, this little ‘68 is spectacularly fun to drive and enjoy and (in my eye) beautiful to look at, but it is definitely not a daily driver nor is it a cheap thrill. I’m lucky to put 2,000 miles/year on it as it’s a nice-weather car only, so frankly it makes no economic sense but it’s an emotional connection and a fun hobby that I try not to apply economics to . It looks like vintage Chris Crafts are similar, so I’m trying to be honest with myself as to what I’m potentially getting myself into!

My goal is the find the right local specialist to work with to help me source the right boat, restore it and then maintain it with him, with the long term goal of having this boat be part of the family for our kids and beyond (just as the ‘68 911 is). It will stay up at the lake home in the North Woods where I’ll winterize it and store it either myself in one of our heated garages or with the guy I’m working with. This will be a cocktail cruiser and general fun run-around boat, with the LSV doing all of the heavy lifting for lake fun. I’m looking at a few boats next week while we’re up north, so I’m trying to get better educated about all of this.

Larry - Thanks for the great practical advice, and I’d love to see a pic of your Century Coronado and hear about any restoration work that you’ve done as they may help level set my own expectations for owning a vintage boat ....