Highbrow Sportster

The newest and smallest Chris-Craft
inboard is a delight for all the senses.

By Chuck Husick
Photos by Forest Johnson

Chris-Craft

Has been building well executed pleasure boats for longer than the lifespan of anyone reading this issue of Southern Boating magazine, (since 1874). The latest additions to their model range are fully in keeping with the Chris-Craft tradition of delivering pretty, meticulously finished, high-value recreational boats.
Every one of the seven new Chris-Craft Sport Boats we evaluated on a recent Friday morning in Sarasota, Florida, was a clearly valuable addition to the model line-up. All seven boats carried an identical message to the potential buyer: Chris-Craft intends to keep its tradition for building some of the finest looking boats on the water. All of the boats—the outboard powered Catalina 26, the startling 20-foot Lancer (with its custom trailer), the 20-foot Silver Bullet, the, 20- and 28-foot Launches, Corsair 25 and Corsair 28 share a number of critical design and fabrication characteristics; the fit and finish of every part of each boat, including those not normally open to casual inspection are first rate and so are the individual components. Better yet, the boats are fun at WOT!

Specifications

LOA:    20’ 2” (w/ swim platform)
LWL: 15’ 6”
Beam: 7’ 11”
Draft, prop raised:      17”
Draft, prop lowered:  34”
Dry weight: 2,913 lbs.
Fuel:  34 U.S. gals.
Power, tested: Mercury 5.0
DTS @ 260hp
Top/Cruise Speed: 47/25 knots
Range @ Cruise: 150 miles
MSRP: $47,882

Contact

Chris-Craft
Sarasota, Florida
941-351-4900
chriscraft.com

I devoted most of my evaluation time to the 20-foot Launch, which offers the advantage of a bow-rider configuration in a boat that looks like anything but, and can tow skiers and wakeboarders. At the Miami Show, this boat stopped people in their tracks. Everything about the boat was “right.” Everything fit perfectly, every detail was right-on. The helm seating position was comfortable and provided an excellent view of the instruments, while assuring the helmsman of full visibility.

The foam-filled structural liner made the engine noise level pleasant, regardless of the setting of the exhaust by-pass control. The sturdy windscreen provided an undistorted view. I took the boat out onto Sarasota Bay and made a series of runs at both partial and WOT, which was 4,950 rpm. The boat’s response was predictable at all times; it went where directed with no hesitation. With a fine bow and 20 degree deadrise at the transom, crossing our wake at speed and dealing with the chop on the open waters of the bay were non-events, in fact we collected hardly any spray on the windscreen. Equally nice is her fuel burn of 8.1 gallons per hour at cruising speed.
For a dayboat, the provision for on-board stowage is excellent. There is room for both a cooler and waterskis in bins below the cockpit sole.  The engine compartment is well designed to provide access for inspection of fluid levels and maintenance, with high quality hardware in evidence everywhere.
Sometimes a small element defines an entire boat. In the case of the Lanches, the stainless steel windscreen frames fulfilled this role. They were a delight to hold on to, made from precisely finished castings providing the kind of sensual delight delivered by the high quality hardware found on some classic cars. Matching stainless handholds for passengers were properly placed and augmented by handholds integrated with the tops of the forward seats developed for the larger Corsairs.
The smallest of Chris’s open-bow series, this boat is designed to bring elegance to a new generation.