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Online Hull Registry

Every so often the executives of The Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club will pose a question asking for your thoughts. Or maybe you have something that you would like to share with us. Step up on the soap box here.

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Bill Basler
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Online Hull Registry

Post by Bill Basler » Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:16 am

I just wanted to take a second and remind everyone that we have a very sophisticated online hull registry at www.chris-craft.org/registry.

This registry has been live for just over a year and has 1381 boats registered. This is good, but I think we can do better. We have some very interesting features of this registry that are unmatched anywhere, including in print.

For one, the registry is organized in such a manner that the info entered mirrors a Chris-Craft hull card identically. For non-Chris-Craft models, this is not a concern as the registry is flexible enough to allow for non-Chris-Craft info.

Next, the registry allows for up to 100 photos per listing. I personally love to see the ugly "as found" boats, just as much, if not more so than the perfectly restored examples. You can easily add photos along the way, so it's pretty easy to document as your project moves along.

The registry is searchable. You can type in a boat name such as "Goldie." Or a Model name such as "Custom Runabout."

The registry is also "filterable" using predefined filters. For example, you can Browse by Make, Model, Year, Length, or Name. In fact you can choose two filters, "stacking them" on top of each other. For example, Make = "Chris-Craft" can be combined with Model = "Deluxe Runabout" plus Length = 17' to return only Chris-Craft 17' Deluxe Runabouts. If you want to limit this search even further, you can add a specific Year.

Finally, I want to stress what this registry means to us as members and what it means to the hobby, or will eventually mean to the hobby.

By way of example, about two years ago, I received an email from a non-member who was looking for her father's old wooden boat, a Braw Scot. I had to replay that I did not know what she meant, "Braw Scot." Was this a boat name? A manufacturer? A model? She knew very little about the boat, but she did know it was wood.

After a couple of emails then a follow up phone call, I had to admit I was at a loss.

Forward now, two years later. The Hull Registry is now live with well over a thousand entries. This same non-member was continuously Google-searching. In fact she had set up a Google Alert for "Braw Scot."

Here is an email that she wrote me just a couple of weeks ago:

Dear Bill:
In April of 2008, I wrote you about a boat that my father owned in the late 1930s-early 1940s, a 19' run-about, the Braw Scot.

Today, in searching for any recent news of it, I find that the hull # has shown up on your web site and that the Braw Scot is being restored. Can you tell me who has it, where is it?

I am so excited!

Thank you for your help.


When I received this email from her, I was able to go to the registry and find a boat named "Braw Scot." Once there, I logged in and could see the boat owner's name. The boat was currently in California. She was as happy as a clam.

Now, please keep in mind, a non-member cannot see anything about the current whereabouts of a boat. They can't see owner info, owner email or phone, or address. In fact they cannot even see state or country. But they can see "Braw Scot," and technical details about the boat.

This lady asked me whether I could put her in contact with the new owner. From the registry, I found our member, called her, asked whether it would be OK if I made the introduction. She gave me the go ahead and was also happy as a clam!

Think of this. Here is a lady in New York, looking for her father's old boat, the "Braw Scot." This was not just any old boat, but in fact a really old boat, a 1938 Sportsman.

Then, there's one of our members, out in California, who is restoring and old boat, the Braw Scot, all the while wondering about the boats history. And the rest of the story really is history.

The internet plays an unbelievable role in all of our efforts to save, and learn more about these old boats.

I love it when things work exactly as they're supposed to. Help us fight the good fight. Please register ALL of your boats.
Bill Basler

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Mark Christensen
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Post by Mark Christensen » Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:33 am

What is the feeling regarding registering others' hull numbers. I quite often when i'm looking at a boat, if i can see it, not the hull number, year, make and model etc. Are there any privacy concerns with this? I figure I would rather ask for forgiveness than permission :) and if anything it makes the registry more complete. Any thoughts?
1961 24' Chris Craft Sportsman - CUA-24-0007C
1940's Homebuilt 14' Racing Hydroplane
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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:42 am

Very well said and "done", Bill. The Hull Registry is a very useful research tool as well. When a question comes up on a particular model, this amazing resource can be put to work to find a similar (or same) model to help come up with with answers for the questionnaire. It's just one of the research tools available on our web site.

So the more hulls and photos, the better the resource becomes. Bill's post is a reminder to get "all" of our hulls listed and to add more photos and information to the hulls already included.

Al

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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:47 am

Mark, I believe that every barrel-back that is known to exist is included in the Registry. That would require a lot of calls and letters to obtain permission before they were added. I believe there are quite a few post-war Deluxes listed as well, not all with contact with the present owners. Probably true with 20' Customs as well.

Al

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Mark Christensen
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Post by Mark Christensen » Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:53 am

I think every 19' is on the site, but not every 17? Either way, as I see them, I plan to post a picture as well as a generic location, name and hull number. I see nothing wrong with that, and if an owner has a problem, I've been known to talk my way out of worse situations before. ;)
1961 24' Chris Craft Sportsman - CUA-24-0007C
1940's Homebuilt 14' Racing Hydroplane
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Bill Basler
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Post by Bill Basler » Tue Aug 10, 2010 2:47 pm

Mark and others, we have several model series that have been extensively researched. But with that said, the research is at various stages of access.

For example, the pre war 19-foot Custom data was ported over from Don Ayers site, www.barrelback.com. This is a site I designed for Don years ago. It is getting a bit in need of a refresh, but one thing that has worked well, is the barrelback database. In fact this database, to some degree, was a beta version of the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club Hull Registry. The Hull Registry is much more powerful, as there are more information fields, more photos allowed, and more search and browse filters. Given that the www.barrleabck.com data was just Chris-Craft barrelbacks, some of this functionality was overkill.

The Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club Registry is also member managed for the most part, as information is edited via username and password.

With this said, the barrelback.com data was accumulated by Don over years of doing barrelback research. The information contained in the 19-foot Custom database is reflective of every (with a couple of exceptions) 19' hull card in existence. As a starting reference, this volume of data offers a pretty insightful look at 19-ft Customs.

We do not, however, know who owns each of these boats. As persons come forward and say, I own 48XXX, we make a point of connecting with them and, if they are a member, assigning the hull record to them. They can then append the data with current owner information.

Don has done the same for the 17' Deluxes. He has the info, we just have not had the time/human resources to get the data uploaded. Other projects are always in line in front, I guess.

Through the research of a few we also have the hull data for several other series. One example would be the 21' Capri data from a few Brass Bells back. We also have a pretty complete roster of post war 20' Custom data.

Member Kerry Price has been very instrumental in doing a lot of the leg work on the 20 Customs. In fact, if you filter the registry for 20' and "Custom Runabout," you will see the fruits of his labor. Just like the 19' Customs, we know who owns many of the boats currently. If we know that a boat that Kerry has researched is owned by a member, we make a point of assigning the hull record over to them. Kerry has done this several times by contacting me, and saying "John Doe currently owns the 20 Custom in the registry, formerly known as 'Prince" now known as 'Splinter'." In this case, we contact John Doe, and assign the Registry listing to him, so it can be edited via his username and password.

If the 20 Custom is one which is whereabouts currently unknown, we have included the data that we know of the boat, as it was last known.

So I guess there are several types of boats that can be contained within the registry. One is data directly from the hull cards, where we have NO current information whatsoever. On these boats, the only thing we may know, is the info we got from the factory. Then, there are the boats that someone followed for awhile, for example, "I last saw this boat on eBay in 2002 named 'Sparky.'" In this example, we may not know where the boat went, or whether it is still named "Sparky," but at least we know something. Lastly are the boats which we know the current whereabouts, including owner info, current boat name, condition and so on.

In a perfect world we would have a system that tracks the boat from owner to owner, and in one view we would get a complete lineage of ownership. But, alas, this is a much more complicated web programming proposition.

We do log all of the changes to specific hull records, so we can at least go into the data and see when/what changes were made.

I understand the privacy issues, but honestly I think we are being pretty discrete here. The mass public cannot see any current owner info. They couldn't chase down the boat, given the info the public view shows in the registry.
Bill Basler

jahearne
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Post by jahearne » Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:17 pm

Both our Chris-Crafts are in there. 1st thing I did as a new member/boat owner. I assumed it was Chris-Crafts only.

So I can also register our 1965 Owens Express? ...and my nieghbor's boat or any other woody for that matter?
John & Wendy

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Bill Basler
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Post by Bill Basler » Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:20 pm

Yes, Yes. Go ahead and register everything you know about. Google will love you for it.
Bill Basler

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Jim Godlewski
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Post by Jim Godlewski » Sat Aug 14, 2010 4:01 am

I just wanted to comment on the value of the hull registry. I have been able to communicate with owners of the same boat as mine which helps tremendously to get her back to original. I am still working with one other member to figure out if our boat had the Chris Craft with star emblem and exact location.
I love the pictures... I just added a finished photo of our 11 year journey. Thanks all.
Jim
http://www.chris-craft.org/registry/vie ... at_id=1338
1956 17 Sportsman CC-17-2310
1930 Model 100 7152

cpn frank
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HIN VERIFICATION

Post by cpn frank » Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:09 pm

Since I cannot locate the HIN on the boat itself, I would like to verify if the number cited on the title provided to me by previous owner is accurate; there is some question because the boat was an insurance write-off back in 2005 and the last credible title was lost. This is a 42', 1961 Sea Skiff. Numerous people familiar with the craft say it is quite rare, one of only two or three left anywhere. The HIN appearing on title supposedly re-issued by the insurance company was: SSA420030. Check out the photos attached; you'll be amazed!
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Al Benton
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Post by Al Benton » Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:43 pm

Frank, She is a beauty. They built those in 1962. The hull number SSA-42-030 is good. You have #30 of 38 built in Pompano Beach, FL. Is she yours now? I remember you were looking her over last December. Go ahead and register her in the Hull Registry.

As you know, restoring her will be a "labor of love" and lots of it. Let us know how you are progressing with her.

Al

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Bill Basler
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Post by Bill Basler » Fri Sep 03, 2010 9:28 am

We're up to 1400 registered boats as of this morning. Keep them coming. The more we can get accounted for in the registry, the more useful this tool is for everyone.

www.chris-craft.org/registry
Bill Basler

mre2u
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Post by mre2u » Thu Apr 21, 2011 6:48 pm

Hello all
I'm a new member have been an admirer of wood boats for 35+ years living 100 miles from the Canadian border in upstate N.Y. My access to the antique boat museum in Clayton N.Y. the 1000 islands area in which I summer is abundent with wood boats,but also old fiberglass that are coming of age now!. I own a 1984 Chris Craft Catalina which is a Murray-Chris craft no hull card but it is still a continuation of the same model boat, mine happens to be a 253 which is a mid-cabin something they did to fight against the sea-ray aft cabin. I joined the club,registered my boat with information I have at my disposal but feel slightly outcast! but these boats are just as interesting as any wood craft. I guess our time will come. I guess I was just taken back with a comment made about a new book on Chris Craft they had said not very much in mention on the fiberglass boats that the original Chris Craft built. Those first fiberglass cruisers are awesome vessel's built to the hilt,over built that's to say and style beyond compare again using the old style in connection with the new. Glad to be a club member
Rick Edwards

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Delta Moon
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welcome

Post by Delta Moon » Fri Apr 22, 2011 9:36 am

Welcome to the club....
Rich @ the Delta Moon

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Bill Basler
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Post by Bill Basler » Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:43 am

Our goal is to bring as many antique and classic Chris-Craft owners together in one place as we possibly can. With Chris-Craft manufacturing covering so many years, this gives us plenty of room to roam.

Wood, fiberglass, steel, aluminum. lapstrake, plywood....if we were geologists or archeologists, all of these materials would be a layer in the sediment, as we dig down/back in time trying to understand history. The materials used in boat building are truly tied to a time period.

We would not be the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club if we did not recognize this. As I have told others, we have quite a growing number of Corsair and Catalina Division enthusiasts joining this club. At this point in time, it is a fairly quiet number but you are not alone.

As we've reported many times over, doing research on your 1984 vintage boat is arguably harder than researching a 1928 triple cockpit. Records were purged, lost, landfilled, not transferred to new ownership as Chris-Craft changed hands several times in the 80s.

It will take a lot of work by all of us to reconstruct this period of time. It's great to have you with us.
Bill Basler

Bad Ass Boat
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How much to register your hull no?

Post by Bad Ass Boat » Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:53 pm

How much to register your Chris Craft? I have been prcrastinating this for a long time. Just put up and ad to try and find sombody that does fiberglassing so I can this ole girl done. Sitting way to long thanks Roger

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Bill Basler
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Post by Bill Basler » Fri May 06, 2011 1:21 pm

Roger, registering your boat is free...or at least it is one of your member benefits.

Just visit www.chris-craft.org/registry . Login with your username and password. From there you will see a horizontal blue gray bar. Within this bar you will see a register boat link. Just click and follow the steps.
Bill Basler

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tuobanur
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Photos

Post by tuobanur » Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:02 pm

FYI, I was just at the hull registry adding a photo and trying to change the order in which they are in. When I drag and drop it want drop.
Terry
1941 Model 101 (16') Deluxe Runabout "Miss Dot"

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mattbyrne
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Post by mattbyrne » Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:21 pm

Terry,

The drag and drop is working fine on my PC. What browser are you using?

Matt

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tuobanur
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Post by tuobanur » Tue Jul 24, 2012 6:44 pm

Internet Explorer and the operating system is Windows XP.
Terry
1941 Model 101 (16') Deluxe Runabout "Miss Dot"

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tuobanur
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Post by tuobanur » Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:47 am

Tryed it again, still no go.
Terry
1941 Model 101 (16') Deluxe Runabout "Miss Dot"

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Don Ayers
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Post by Don Ayers » Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:56 am

Terry;

i just tried and was successful at adding and moving around a new photo.

I'm using Win 7 and FireFox
Don Ayers
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farupp
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Post by farupp » Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:10 am

Terry, I have had problems using IE on the club web site. I'm also running XP and I switched my browser to Firefox and that solved all my problems. I have heard that Google Chrome also works fine.

Frank
Frank Rupp
1959 22-foot Sea Skiff Ranger
283 Flywheel Forward engine

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