- Founded
- 1874
- Headquarters
- Sarasota, Florida, USA
- Shipyard location
- Same as headquarters
- Official website
- https://www.chriscraft.com/
Brand Overview
American runabout builder whose history goes back to 1874, handcrafted in Sarasota, Florida, and owned by Winnebago Industries — twelve sterndrive and outboard models from 7.6 to 11.3 m in the Sportster, Launch, Launch GT, Corsair, Calypso and Catalina series.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
Chris-Craft traces itself to 1874, when 13-year-old Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat in Algonac, Michigan; with his brother Hank he went on to build standardized runabouts. The Smith Ryan Boat Company was formed in 1910 and renamed the Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company, and under Jay Smith, president from 1927 for 31 years, Chris-Craft became, the yard says, the world's largest builder of mahogany powerboats. It delivered 12,000 patrol boats, utility launches and rescue vessels to the US Navy and Army by 1945, offered 139 models after the war, launched its first fiberglass boat in 1955 and built its last mahogany boat, a 57-foot Constellation, in 1971. An investment group bought the company in 2001, and today Chris-Craft is a wholly owned subsidiary of Winnebago Industries, building in Sarasota with a six-step lamination gelcoated by hand, hand-caulked teak and a 50-hour painting process. The range: the Sportster bowriders, the classic Launch 27 and its closed-bow sister the Corsair 27, the Launch GT runabouts in sterndrive, outboard and surf versions, the Calypso dual consoles and the Catalina pilothouse centre consoles. Each model page prints a full imperial and metric table — overall and hull length, waterline length, beam, drafts, heights, dry weight, loaded displacement and tanks — followed by the engine options.
Who sails them
Chris-Craft owners want a boat that looks like no other at the dock — lake and coastal owners who prize classic lines, deep gloss and teak, families and watersports crews on the Sportster and Launch GT, and day cruisers and anglers on the Calypso and Catalina, joining what the yard calls a passionate owner community.
Signature models
The Launch, with its classic tumblehome stern, is described as the pure expression of Chris-Craft; the Launch 27 carried the 150th-anniversary edition in 2024, and the Launch 35 GT and Calypso 35 are the largest boats in the range.
Strengths
Chris-Craft is known for one of the oldest names in American boating, timeless styling with tumblehome hulls, hand-caulked teak and hand-sewn upholstery, a six-step lamination and 50-hour paint process, a first drive in the factory pond before every delivery, Seakeeper Ride as standard on the Launch 31 GT, and Mercury or Volvo Penta sterndrive and Mercury Verado outboard power.
Considerations
One page covers each boat with up to three power versions (sterndrive, outboard, surf); the first table is stored and the others noted. Metric lengths are printed to 0.1 m and sometimes cut rather than rounded (an 8 ft 6 in beam shown as 2.5 m); the Launch 28 GT sterndrive table prints 222 L for 85 gallons, so the outboard table's 322 L is used; the Catalina 31's 33 ft 9 in / 10.4 m length disagrees and is left empty; the Launch 27 and Corsair 27 print identical tables. No cabins, berths, CE category or speeds are printed.
Analysis generated 10/17/2026
Part of
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 12
- Length range
- 7.6–11.3 m
- Hull forms
- Motor Monohull 12
Models by this brand
12 models
Launch GT3
Calypso3
History
Chris-Craft's story begins in the small town of Algonac, Michigan, where 13-year-old Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat in 1874; his punts and skiffs soon made his name as a master boatbuilder, and as demand grew he joined forces with his brother Hank and began building full time, laying the groundwork for 'standardized' runabouts. The Smith Ryan Boat Company, formed in 1910, built fast, economical runabouts for the masses; after a change of name to the Chris Smith & Sons Boat Company, Chris's son Jay Smith became president and general manager in 1927, and during his 31 years Chris-Craft became known as the world's largest builder of mahogany powerboats. Sales dipped in the Great Depression and the company returned to runabouts, then during the Second World War built patrol boats, utility launches and rescue vessels for the US Navy and Army, delivering 12,000 by 1945. After the war the powerboat lineup reached 139 models, and the first fiberglass boat appeared in 1955. In 1971 the last mahogany boat was built, a 57-foot Constellation; through the 1980s and early 1990s Chris-Craft returned to sport boats, building high-performance racing catamarans and performance boats for its traditional customers. An investment group bought the company in 2001, which introduced three new Heritage models and a 43-foot Roamer yacht. Today the boats are built by long-serving craftsmen at the factory in Sarasota, Florida.
History written fromchriscraft.com/world-of-chris-craft· Our Heritageread 10/17/2026