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Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

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Riviera Wish
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Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by Riviera Wish » Mon Feb 01, 2016 7:50 pm

What year or date did the Chris Craft Corporation switch from 6 volt to 12 volt electrical systems? I believe most auto manufacturer's switched to 12 volt for the 1957 model year. CC could not have been too far behind since they used automotive generators, starters, etc.

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maritimeclassics
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by maritimeclassics » Tue Feb 02, 2016 8:18 am

They used 12V way back in 1929. The 2 28' 1929 Chris Craft Triples with the big A70 engines I did a few years back were 12V from the factory, they had 2 6V batteries together. I saw a Chris Craft from 1955 that was 8V and that boat had the Hemi engine. The Silver Arrow that we have in the shop now was 12V and others 59's I have done were 12V. So you are close in saying 1957 was the beginning, it may be that it depended on the engine for a while and then by 1959 or 1960 all of the boats came 12V.
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Restoration Projects:
1936 25' Gar Wood Custom
1947 Ventnor Hydroplane
1957 17' Deluxe Runabout
1948 25' Chris Craft Sportsman Twin
1959 19' Sliver Arrow Hull #75
1929 26' Chris Craft Custom Runabout
1937 25' Chris Craft Custom Runabout

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evansjw44
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by evansjw44 » Tue Feb 02, 2016 11:00 am

My 1958 30ft CC Sea Skiff was 12 volt from the factory. So was the 1959 that my father had. The 21 ft pre-cavalier we had was a 56 model and it was 6 volt.
Jim Evans

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Brian Robinson
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by Brian Robinson » Wed Feb 03, 2016 11:23 am

Mid-1957. Also when the gauges all changed.
-Brian
1923 Hackercraft 23' Dolphin #03
1938 Gar Wood 22' Streamliner #6256 Empress
1952 Chris~Craft 19' Racing Runabout #363 Thunderstruck
Robinson Restoration, LLC (760) 468-1009

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Pete DeVito
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by Pete DeVito » Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:23 pm

Brian,

I did a lot of research to finish up the 19' Capri last year at the MM and I went through all the cards for the changes and this was the date of the 19' Capri voltage change.

6/14/1957 CP-19-636 Change from 6v to 12v electrical system

Knotty Blonde was 9/5/57 and it was 12V

Fun Stuff!
Pete
Past Project 1948 17' Deluxe
Past Project 1957 19' Capri
Future Project 1955 17' Special Sportsman

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tkhersom
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by tkhersom » Thu Feb 04, 2016 7:14 am

As usual Brian is right on the money! :D

My Brother's finned Continental (CL-21-070) left the Cadillac factory 11/57 with an MCL has a 12V system, while my Mother's (CL-21-013) left the same factory 2/57 with an MCL has a 6V system.

Incidentally AB left Holland with twin 12V WBR's in Nov of '57 also.
Troy in ANE - Former President CCABC

1957 CC 21' Continental "Yorktown" (Mom's boat)
https://www.chris-craft.org/boats/22625/
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1991 Formula 36PC "Band Aids"

Life Is Too Short To Own An Ugly Boat

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mfine
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by mfine » Thu Feb 04, 2016 12:16 pm

Someone should tell the Hersom family that Chris Craft also built many fine boats before and after 1957!

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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by Bob B » Thu Feb 04, 2016 1:14 pm

To Hersom family: Chris Craft also built many fine boats before and after 1957.
Sincerely,
Someone

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Pete DeVito
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by Pete DeVito » Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:22 pm

6 volt Instrument with Resistor for 12 volt.jpg
The battery may have been a 12v but many of the instruments were still 6 volt until the factory used them up. Example the 19' Capri changed from 6v to 12 on 6/14/57 but my Capri still had 6v instruments with resistors on 9/5/57. Chris-Craft wasted nothing....
Past Project 1948 17' Deluxe
Past Project 1957 19' Capri
Future Project 1955 17' Special Sportsman

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tkhersom
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by tkhersom » Fri Feb 05, 2016 5:55 am

Bob B wrote:To Hersom family: Chris Craft also built many fine boats before and after 1957.
Sincerely,
Someone
Thanks Guys!

And all these years I wondered how Chris Craft got so big with only one year of production. :lol:
Troy in ANE - Former President CCABC

1957 CC 21' Continental "Yorktown" (Mom's boat)
https://www.chris-craft.org/boats/22625/
1985 Formula 242LS "Gottago"
1991 Formula 36PC "Band Aids"

Life Is Too Short To Own An Ugly Boat

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steve bunda
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Re: Year or Date CC Switched from 6 volt to 12 volt?

Post by steve bunda » Fri Feb 05, 2016 8:44 am

Pete is correct, we had a 56 Capri in last year, 12 volt boat with 6 volt gauges.

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