CHRIS-CRAFT
4/30/2007 11:38:52 AM by
Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat, a lake boat created for duck hunting, at the prodigious age of 13. Working with his brother Henry, he created Chris-Craft, which began formal production speedboats with radical hulls and gasoline engine design combinations crafted for unheard-of speed in the early 20th century. Things really got interesting when a Chris-Craft landing craft was one of the first vessels to bring Allied troops ashore at Normandy on D-Day, a true product test under fire. It was after WWII that interest in Chris-Craft boats piqued worldwide. The company’s commitment to form over function, and reverence for the true boat-builder’s art, is exemplified in this historic ad for the post-war 53-foot Conqueror and 45-foot Corsair.