A great resource for antique and classic boating enthusiasts is beginning to take shape at the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club website. Bill Basler, director of marketing and membership for the club, is spearheading an effort to make the club’s entire archive of historic documents and photos available online in a searchable format. When this archive is finished it will contain tens of thousands of pages covering back-issues of the Brass Bell, wiring diagrams, factory photos, engineering memos, historic magazine articles, advertising literature, and much more. The breadth of information which will eventually be contained in this archive, in a searchable format, and available to all Club Members, will undoubtedly help to take the level of authenticity and accuracy involved in the restoration of Chris-Craft’s to the next level.
At present the entire run of the Brass Bell magazine, the quarterly publication of the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club, is available in the online archive. The March 2006 issue of the Brass Bell contains an article celebrating the beauty and rarity of the Chris-Craft 19′ Special Race Boat. In the article, Don Ayers writes that, “Nearly all the myriad Chris-Craft models have a special place in the heart of someone–often many someones–but few are in the category of the 19′ Special Race Boat.” One of these truly special race boats is currently undergoing restoration in our shop. You can follow the progress of this restoration in our photo gallery.