1953 Criss Craft 17 foot Sportsman wood boat fully restored

Description

The boat for sale is a 1953 Chris Craft 17 foot Sportsman boat. This was owned and restored by my Uncle who was a prominent Attorney here in Southern Illinois until his death last year. This boat was his pride and joy and was treated like the showpiece it is. The boat is located in Belleville Illinois 62220 near St. Louis on the Illinois side. I will start with the history on the boat.
HISTORY:
My Uncle bought the boat from a friend with a piece of property in Missouri with a lake in 1999. The boat spent its entire life at that lake and had very limited use in the late 1990’s. My uncle had ridden in the boat in earlier years and had never forgot about the beauty of the boat as well as the great ride quality the boat produced. The boat, although always stored inside had become in a state of disrepair so my Uncle was able to purchase the boat at a reasonable price and trailered it back to Illinois with the intention of restoration. Our family did not have any idea of the lengths to which my Uncle was willing to go or the expense he was was willing to spend to ensure this boat got the best quality restoration the country had to offer. He searched the country for what he felt was the best wood boat restoration company in the country and he found himself driving the boat to Cincinnati Ohio to drop the boat off October 10th 2000. A year and six months later and over $134,000.00 later, the boat that he picked up was a masterpiece. Completely disassembled board by board, piece by piece, nut by nut and bolt by bolt, this boat is truly the closest you could ever come to walking into a Chris Craft dealership in 1953 and buying it new ONLY BETTER!!! The materials and workmanship that went into this boat is 2000’s technology with the 1950’s looks. This is a far superior product than you could have got back then very similar to what they are doing with the 1950’s cars, Corvettes and Thunderbirds and such where they restore the old vehicles with the much better modern polyurethane products and glue and paint and wiring and all new mechanicals. The cars and in this case boat are simply better than new. This boat is no exception.

RESTORATION
DONE BY:The Wooden Boat Shop7514 Gracely DriveCincinnati Ohio, 45233(513) 941-7281
The restoration was over a year long of continuous work. The shop extensively documented every single detail of the restoration both in writing and though hundreds and hundreds of pictures of every step of the restoration process. Each month a detailed description of work completed came in along with photos of the work being completed. Each month a check for $10,000.00 went back for the work progress. The daily paper description file (He was a huge paperwork and picture file person) is three inches thick and the picture file is even more massive. The boat started out as complete but showed its age. I have pictures of the boat being completely disassembled (every single board, nut and bolt). Every single board was checked for reuse, reconditioned to perfect or replaced as necessary. The entire boat was bare wood at that point and reassembled and the proper treatments applied to the wood. The believed to be original engine was then completely disassembled, rebuilt and reinstalled in the boat. Every wire, cable and mechanical was restored or replaced with OEM parts when possible, and the boat was ready to be delivered to my Uncle. My Uncle purchased a brand new $5000 trailer used it to bring the boat home.
USE AFTER RESTORATION:
The boat has been treated like the show piece it is since restoration. It has been used once or twice a year on a very nice lake here in Illinois. It has spent its entire post restoration life in a air conditioned / heated climate controlled environment next to my Uncles restored 1960 Corvette. The boat has been taken every year to our local boat dealer and been meticulously maintained. The boat is not perfect but this is possibly the nicest boat for it’s restoration age in the country.
CURRENT CONDITION OF BOAT:
The boat has not been in the water at all this year. My Uncle and his wife both passed away last year so it has not moved out of its climate controlled storage. The boat was winterized professionally before being stored away over a year ago. The battery has been on its tender during this period. The fuel is a premium fuel with a fuel stabilization product (stabile) in the gasoline. The boat ran perfectly last use but the new owner should expect to spend a little time and a few dollars on the typical maintenance that comes from starting a boat up that has sat over a year. Don’t forget, as with all wood boats, you will need to soak the boat as is required every year. The boat was also treated to a new $1500 fitted cover recently as well as a “travel” cover to go with that.
TERMS OF THE SALE:
This boat and boat trailer both have free and clear Illinois titles on them. All paperwork associated with this boat has been reviewed by Attorneys and is 100% correct. The money transfer will be made by wire transfer or cash in hand. The boat and trailer will not sell until the funds are cleared at the bank.
CONCLUSION:
We as a family are excited someone out there is going to carry on the passion my Uncle had for his 1953 Chris Craft wood boat. The boat has brought him many hours of pleasure and we hope you will enjoy it just as much. I alway like to turn on Kid Rocks Video Summertime because this is the exact same boat used in the video(only this one is much nicer). I miss my Uncle greatly and I will miss the boat. The boat will be like a classic car in that it would be a wonderful investment for someone that you can buy for 30% of the cost to restore the boat. The restoration file is available to view but I will not copy it or send pictures or faxes as it has a lot of personal information as well as copies of all checks for money spent. I do not need help selling this boat or advertising this boat. I will not be pleasant if you call and act interested in the boat then give me your sales pitch. I do not have to sell the boat. Not in a must sell situation. Please feel free to call or text me with questionsbetween 7:00 AM and 10:00 PM Central timeat(618) 977-5966Thank you, Jeremy.