One of the first things I did when starting this project was research it. I found to my surprise that plans are available for many old Chris Craft boats. As a matter of fact, Chris Craft donated their archives to the National Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA. The have a great website here: https://www.marinersmuseum.org/
So I ordered what they had, which was pretty extensive, from line drawings and plans to owner’s manuals, to marketing material. They even had a copy of the “hull card” which is the factory data sheet that tells you what options my boat originally came with. Pretty cool stuff. It was fun reading through the engine manual. I enjoyed their emphasis on using “oil of good character and quality”. That’s something that can’t be overstated, but is pretty much taken for granted today–apparently no so much in 1949 when this boat was born.
I”ve uploaded a picture of the Lines Drawing of this boat, with some of my measurement scribblings. The boat had retained much of its original shape with only a little hogging (sagging at the front and/or back end).
The current project for Ashley River Boatworks is a 1949 Chris Craft 17 ft. Deluxe Runabout. This boat will receive a new bottom, upholstery, cockpit ceiling, and engine rebuild, and be completely refinished. It’s a long road, starting with a lot of research and investigation into how it was done originally at the factory. A good resource for this is the national Mariners Museum in Newport News, VA. They have an extensive archive of Chris Craft drawings, literature and marketing material. The original lines drawings were available for this project from the museum. I’ve actually been working on this boat for some time, and will be trying to catch up with posts on progress that has been made. By the way, did you notice anything funny about that bow light?