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1961 17' Ski Boat configuration questions

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donald.stahl
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1961 17' Ski Boat configuration questions

Post by donald.stahl » Wed Sep 02, 2020 12:31 am

My father used to own a 1961 17' Chris Craft Ski Boat that he bought from a friend of his who purchased it new in 1961. I'd like to restore a similar 1961 and give it to him as a gift. With that in mind- I have a ton of questions about trim and other bits on the boat that seem to vary wildly among the pictures I have seen.

1. A lot of the examples I have found seem to be lacking the three angled chrome strips in the white stripe on the side of the hull.

You can see them in the original ad for the boat here: https://www.woodyboater.com/wp-content/ ... kiboat.jpg

And in this example: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/76/f8/4c ... e30bea.jpg

But not on this boat for example: https://www.ladyben.com/media/com_mtree ... _lg_03.jpg

Did Chris Craft make them with and without those strips as the production run changed? Were they optional and some people chose not to get them? Or did people simply lose them over time?

2. In the picture I have of my father's boat- it has a bow eye for pulling it onto a trailer and for securing it while it is being trailered. Many of the examples I've seen lack this bow eye- but I know this boat had one when it was delivered.

Was this a standard feature, an optional feature added to boats that were sold with a trailer, or an aftermarket piece added by dealers?

3. Rope Guides/Cleats on the bow and stern. In the photos I have of my father's boat- it has an open top rope guide identical to the one you can see in the following picture: https://www.ultramotors.net/wp-content/ ... d9_640.jpg

That boat also has small cleats just aft of the rope guides. Numerous other examples I have seen have one or the other, or lack them entirely.

Again- does anyone know if this was a standard feature, an optional feature, or something dealers just added?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide- I'd like to restore this boat to original condition and I don't want to make any mistakes if possible.

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JimF
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Re: 1961 17' Ski Boat configuration questions

Post by JimF » Wed Sep 02, 2020 1:50 pm

I don't know anything for sure but I would guess that those three strips got knocked off the first time the driver came in for a hard landing and they were never replaced. I would think they wouldn't be too hard to duplicate.

I am pretty sure no Chris-Crafts came from the factory with the bow eye. The stem is really not too strong and not designed to be pulled that way. The dealer may have installed it to make the sale.

If you get your hull card from the Mariners Museum it would list any extra equipment and if it was installed at the factory it should be listed.

Often cleats or other hardware was added by the dealer at the owners request.
1930 Chris-Craft Model 100 20' "MOXIE"
1940 Chris-Craft Red and White 25' "Old Paint"
1946 Chris-Craft Sportsman 25' "CinCity"

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WoodenRookie
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Re: 1961 17' Ski Boat configuration questions

Post by WoodenRookie » Wed Sep 02, 2020 3:34 pm

I'm with Jim on the bow eye, not standard. I would get the hull card from MM and then decide if you want to restore to original or make it look like your fathers old boat. Step pads, cleats, lights, were all added by the dealers usually if not on the build sheet. It's up to you after you get the build sheet as to how you want to restore and interior colors.
1959 18' Continental "Knot Yet"
2013 Cobalt 200WSS
1977 Lakescraft Pontoon

donald.stahl
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Re: 1961 17' Ski Boat configuration questions

Post by donald.stahl » Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:18 pm

JimF wrote:
Wed Sep 02, 2020 1:50 pm
I don't know anything for sure but I would guess that those three strips got knocked off the first time the driver came in for a hard landing and they were never replaced. I would think they wouldn't be too hard to duplicate.
I figured that was probably the case but wanted to ask the experts.
I am pretty sure no Chris-Crafts came from the factory with the bow eye. The stem is really not too strong and not designed to be pulled that way. The dealer may have installed it to make the sale.
The thing is- I've seen several of them like this and they all have the _exact same_ bow eye and they are all ones that came with the trailer pictured here: https://www.ultramotors.net/wp-content/ ... 33_640.jpg (a somewhat rinky dink double axle trailer that I've seen on several of these boats). Those trailers have a winch but it is too low to pull on the lifting ring. It's possible all the ones I've seen came from the same dealer (I've only see 4 of them in person with the bow eye) but it's still somewhat baffling to me.
If you get your hull card from the Mariners Museum it would list any extra equipment and if it was installed at the factory it should be listed.

Often cleats or other hardware was added by the dealer at the owners request.
I'm definitely going to check the hull card but I've found them to be hit or miss sometimes. For example- I have a '59 and the hull card has a comment about the interior colors that says "See foot note" only there is no foot note which is mildly infuriating.
Last edited by donald.stahl on Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.

donald.stahl
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Re: 1961 17' Ski Boat configuration questions

Post by donald.stahl » Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:21 pm

WoodenRookie wrote:
Wed Sep 02, 2020 3:34 pm
I'm with Jim on the bow eye, not standard. I would get the hull card from MM and then decide if you want to restore to original or make it look like your fathers old boat. Step pads, cleats, lights, were all added by the dealers usually if not on the build sheet. It's up to you after you get the build sheet as to how you want to restore and interior colors.
That's my plan- but I was not sure what was standard and how it would appear on the build sheet if it was or was not standard.

I'm ok with making changes to the boat to make it look like my father's so long as they are not permanent and can be easily reverted. At the same time- I want to keep it as original as possible as well.

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