Posted on 06/16/2014 9:41:16 AM PDT by zeestephen
I just love the look of these (old?) ChrisCrafts, though I bet the wood makes 'em pretty high maintenance.
Do they even still make these?
I’m not a boat guy but me too. Arent they stupidly expensive for what they are? Something rings a bell about that.
my pops had a Grand Banks. Yes wood makes for maintenance - teak wood is great but the whole boat wasn’t teak.
Awesome boat it was though.
You just made me think of a program I saw on History Channel (I think it was History) where Chris Craft uses 9mm bullet projectiles for ballast in their boats.
Remember the old saying: A boat is a hole in the water into which one pours money....
Yes they still make those down in Sarasota FL.
Thats what I hear. But I can’t judge too harshly as I have put asinine amounts of money/time into the desert version...off-road trucks/race trucks/buggies.
One shock absorber...#2000. Really need 8.
Ah the good old days ...now long gone...and the money with it. But the memories were worth every penny ;)
On 29 June 2007, CG-83527 ran over a submerged obstacle that punched a hole in the lazerette and led to flooding. After the war against the flooding was won and the temporary patch held, the boat was pulled out for real repairs. only then did all its problems come to light. Here: http://www.cg83527.org/83527crunch.htm
The watertight bulkhead between the lazerette and engine room had been removed — it was replaced. One of the props was destroyed and the other dinged; one shaft and support were misaligned and the area around one of the rudder posts was damaged. The underwater hull needed extensive replanking below the chine. The list seemed to grow like Topsy. Fortunately, Dan had some very enthusiastic volunteers, good insurance that covered most of the repairs (but not all of them), and a marina that let them work on their boat while it was out of the water.
On 3 November 2007, CG-83527 left the marina and arrived at her permanent berth in Everett, WA.
CG-83527 is repaired and restored. She proudly takes her place by these other classic boats. However, maintenance and repair remains on going.
It’s magnificent to see these wonderful old boats, especially when you think “Wow, I am SOOOOO glad that isn’t mine!”
The old wooden Chris Crafts are simply beautiful creations.
It hurts just thinking about the maintenance on these things!
I grew up in South Florida.
The shared joke among boat owners back then was that your boat is “a hole in the water you pour all your money into.”
That’s a terrific web page.
Thanks for posting.
Good catch.
The 83-foot Wheelers were used as Antisubmarine Warfare [ASW] escorts for convoys in U.S. coastal waters during WW2. Armament was a Mk 10 Oerlikon auto cannon in 20x110R [millimeters], eight Mk 6 depth charges (4x2) in roll off racks, two P&S on the stern and two P&S amidships. Some cutters carried the Mk 22 “Mousetrap” 7.2-inch projector charge in a simple folding launch rack. The Mousetrap projectile was similar in size and weight to the Hedgehog projectile except for the propellant. The Mousetrap used a solid rocket motor and the Hedgehog used a black powder impulse charge. The heavy recoil [40 tons] transmitted to the deck made Hedgehog impractical for small ASW craft like the Wheelers and so the Mousetrap round was developed that had no recoil. Mousetrap projectiles were laid in the launch troughs when the launch rails were erected. Firing was done by an electrical contact switch on the bridge. Sixteen (16) rounds were carried. The Mousetrap projectile had a spinning vane that armed its contact fuze as it flew through the air. The projectile detonated on contact with a submarine or solid object.
That’s one full step up from Ernest Hemingway.
As I recall, he and a couple drinking buddies patrolled around Cuba in a charter fishing boat, armed with whiskey, beer, and several hunting rifles.
He converted the experience into a short story, or maybe a novel (Islands in the Stream?).
I vaguely recall WANDERER...didn't she circumnavigate, coming near Antarctica, with Capt. Beebe at the helm?
He was an explorer and a naturalist and traveled extensively in the first half of the 20th Century.
I scanned the long article for “Wanderer” and “Antarctica,” but no hits.
Wanderer I - Wanderer IV come up on Google as Antarctic exploration ships, but it looks like at least two of them sank, and no link to Beebe that I see on a quick search.
Nonetheless, that's a beautiful boat in the picture, and could make a man dream about exploring the world.
How 'bout Car & Boat?
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