Chris Craft Made Pre War Houseboat – Any Still Out There?
Model 99 Factory image. And… In the background… A Houseboat. But?
During the flurry of B resto chaos, I did come across a little moment. I was so focused on any 99 details, that I missed the housebout. Until one day on Ebay, I saw THIS. A 1936 Houseboat ad from Chris Craft. Now the image above is 1930? 1931?
1936.
Like a barge. But there it is.
Are there any still out there. Not down there, or in the burn pile over there. Was it ever even built? Was the one in the 1930 image a pre curser, or just a general other houseboat from someone else and CC was trying to get in on the action? So may questions..
A barge with no power for 4 foot tall people. What a brilliant idea!
Barge is right….2 inch pine bottom and sides…?? Maybe just made a prototype? You also need a tugboat….??? John in Va
Classic boating has an article about Owen Smith and it has a few pictures of his Chris craft house boat and where it is now.
My family built several of them and would move them around to the best hunting and fishing spots on the Flats. This video shows them moving one with a 24′-25′ Sportsman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZeV-KlOaVk Yes Greg we were all a bit short, but all really good boat builders are.
Another pic
Another picture
Seems like it would have some headroom.
Well now we know. I am sure that in the Chris Craft archives, that there are numbers of how many were actually built. Thanks for the pictures, and sharing Brian
Not a house boat, but—There was a nice looking 50’s 50 foot Chris Craft cabin cruiser anchored on Lake Wawasee that was bought at a bargain price. The former owner had both engines removed and were lost after he couldn’t afford to overhaul. The fellow that owned it would use an outboard boat to tow it and commute to shore as he was living on it. I noticed it attracted a lot of babes.
That reminds me of the late 60s Disney movie “Boatnicks” where the one character had a cabin cruiser. Took out the engine and put in a wine cellar. In the movie he had a lot of babes also.
And we thought pontoon boats were butt ugly. There’s a term we use for something even more ugly…fugly.
Found this information from “The Legend Of Chris Craft”. The 16 ft utility was the tug. Door was short but was 2 steps down into the houseboat. Canvas top? According to this book, none are known to have survived.
I believe I read somewhere that the Smiths made a custom houseboat that they kept out somewhere where they liked to hunt and fish getaway and it was like their basecamp but I don’t remember where I read that. Will have to scour my books.
paragraph describing it
I had found this ad in Power Boating magazine in 1930. Maybe they were trying to compete with this idea?
Call me crazy, but the guy in your Model 99 factory pic wearing the fedora sure looks like he’s standing in the water next to the starboard side of the boat!