Is There A Perfect Classic Boat Bow?
Regardless of in the water or in a workshop. This curved bow is stunning
Last week we posted a photo on Facebook that reached over 54,000 people, then the next day we repeated that shot and reached a quick 13,000 people, on Instagram the image had a nice response as well.
Its a wonderful rounded bow shape. A gentle perfect curve
Alex Watsons later Chris Crafts with a sharper bow design.
Bob Kays and his BW girl friends out in his late 50’s Runabout with a sharper bow, these later Chris Craft hulls were VERY similar to Higgins Shaped.
This perfect Higgins Bow looks great and rides even better
The bow on the YNOT yacht guys Red And White is customized to perfection
Clipper bow with no cut water – Photo Steve Bunda
Cobra clipper vs Pre war Hydro with cutwater
Side view of a clipper bow
Later Whirlwinds have an extreme pointed bow, where as the earlier ones are less raked.
This wonderful copper cutwater on a nice old stlyle bow
We have shared similar images of different boats, but nothing like this. Now, I know when we show images of Barrel Backs they draw big numbers. But others not.
Gar Wood Bow is very simular to the barrel Back bow. According to some Chris Craft borrowed the bow from Gar Wood
Same bow design
No matter how beautiful the photo, the boats bow and stern seem to draw larger crowds. The beautiful bow on the Riviera and late 40’s Customs, And U22s 25’s are pure perfection.
Then there is the Bow Wow Wow…Wow!
Sure the more pointed bow on the pre wars is cool, as is the Clipper Bow, and more raked 50’s bows. Do the likes and shares on Facebook tell us something? Do the general public have an image in their heads of what a Woody Boat should look like?
I am a big fan of the Clipper (Bull Nose) bow, but never really thought about how there was a change from a true cutwater to a half round strip. Interesting!
As far as the bow of a Chris Craft being borrowed from a Gar Wood goes. Since Chris Smith built the early hulls for Gar Wood and Wood hired George Joachim and Nap Lisee away from the Smith’s it is hard to say who “BORROWED” from whom.
Maybe they should have copywrited it, than we could have a huge discussion about it.
I do love the Barrel Backs! There’s just no denying their beauty!! I can agree w/FB folks there.
I have never heard the term “Clipper” bow applied to Chris Craft’s famous “Bull Nose” bow before. To me, this is a “Clipper” bow.
I think you are right Bill. They went from the Bullnose to the Clipper.
Hard to argue with any big triple, this 28′ Gar Wood is a good example.
Or a Super Aquarama
1955 24′ semi enclosed the design continues
The bows and cut waters of Greavette Streamliners are in a league of their own.
Bill B
Bows are kinda like…. Well you know. Love em all.
It would be easier for me to name the “bow”(s) I did not like….although I can’t seem to think of any right now. Off subject…those “Math Captcha” questions are going to require a calculator if they keep progressing at current rate.
I am rather biased, but I think that Carlo Riva nailed the bow design…….
Have to agree…riva nailed it
Hi everybody, this is Alexander from the Netherlands. Love this site. This is my swiss made 1967 full aluminum runabout. No working wood on this one 😉 yet it has the lovely hull shape. 😀
Late 40’s Chris-Crafts, with that soft curvy bow. So pretty. I think we are biased to love the bow of the boat we love the best. For me, it’s the 25 Sportsman, of course. Strong, proud, yet graceful.
Must have been a difficult choice between those and your Whaler.
say…..that looks like Chris Smith riding in the Riva!
John in Va.
Nothing more classic than this bow…
a little better pic.
Take your pick, but the more raked the bow is the more contemporary the boat looks. So I’m a plumb bow guy, although the 21′ Cobra is the most beautiful raked bull nose bow.
I don’t know what gives with Math captcha but according to my first grade math 1 plus 2 equals 3 but MC doesn’t think so, unless Matt has a new way of telling me I’ve posted enough b/s move along.
Lyman bow approval by a bow wow bow checker!!
I think the bow of Baby Bootlegger says it all. Photo credit is from Mark Mason, and the book Cutwater. This is the “fairest” of them all!
1956 Chris Craft 25′ Express Cruiser “Clipper Bow”
Not surprised that no one posted a picture of the aircraft carrier nose of a century resorter around the late 50’s.
Some bows are prettier than others but really cant be totally divorced from the styling of the rest of the boat imho.
1948 Century Resorter coming back to life. Love the bow!
Don, you asked for it. It is design not function, although it does make the bow larger, therefore added function. Unlike that other mfg, not boring.
Hmmm. I think I know where the stylist came up with that look. Mind you, it’s just a theory.
My Little Arrow Glass Flyer has a similar bow design.
But my favorite is with the lower reverse lapstrake on my MFG Niagara.
Please tell us about the boat!! We just bought one identical to URS and we want to know more information about it and it’s history!! Thank you so very much!! Please get back to me!!
Please tell us about the boat!! I just bought one and I would love to know some more information on the boat itself and it’s history!! Thank u and please get back with me! P.S. what do u think it’s worth?
the Bow of all Bows. the Century Coronado bow incorporates a chromed ram jet intake to supply Oxygen to the power packed carb of the Cadillac V8 in the upholstered engine box. Most owners of the other mfg, have only seen the transom of this speedster.
Well, Tommy, what can I say? the resorter deck is singular!
I think the coronado deck makes my point that as exotic as it is, it works well with the overall design of the boat.
This bow is no slouch either…my wife on the deck of…”Sirius” a 30′ Hacker Gentleman’s Racer up at Priest Lake, Idaho
The Dodge bow.
That’s just not fair. Gorgeous lady bow ornament makes any bow a winner. Love the Dodges.
Best bow is the one on the trailer in your rear-view mirror on the way to the boat ramp.
Seriously , I love them all
CC early Fiberglass has a nice shape to it as well.
Sometimes the bow is so nice it’s worth repeating at the stern! 26′ Bartender
I smile every time I look at the bow of my dad’s C/D “racer” Sears kit boat.
Of course, I also like the sweeping bow on my Broadwater.
I think this is perfect but what do I know….
’39-’48 Chris Craft 25′ Express Cruiser “Red & White” – The largest cutwater of any Chris Craft production model, the first bullnose on a Chris Craft and the art deco influence seen in the split top of the cutwater – not to mention the rest of the boat.
Don’t forget the hardware, Dick.
Alex – The horn cover was on all of them and unique to the model as was the “Witches Cap” bow light, but the post war boats didn’t get that light for the most part – I suspect the expense of the casting may have had something to do with it – they just decided to use off-the-shelf hardware. Nice “Unicorn” the Benz…;)
The most beautiful and most efficient is also the most uncommon. Due to the sinking of the Empress of Ireland with the loss of more than 1000 lives in the St Lawrence river we do not see reversed bows anymore. Although the loss of Empress of Ireland in 1914 did not attract the same level of attention as that of the sinking of Titanic two years earlier, the disaster did lead to a change in the design of ships’ bows. The sinking of Empress of Ireland proved that the reverse slanting prow, so common at the time, was deadly in the event of a ship-to-ship collision because it caused massive damage below the waterline. The bow of Storstad struck Empress of Ireland like a “chisel into tin”.As a result of the disaster, naval designers began to employ the raked bow with the top of the prow forward. This ensured that the energy of any collision would be minimized beneath the surface and only the parts of the bow above the waterline would be affected. After end of the 20s we do not see any straight or reversed bows anymore other than on race boats.
Modern reversed bow. I would love to see a mahogany runabout with a reversed bow.
Fascinating. I was familiar with that Canadian tragedy having seen the Museum of Civilization’s (in Hull, Quebec) exhibit about it. But I was not aware of the role the bow design played. Thanks for posting.
Here is a modern reverse bow.
Like they say “All that is old is new again.”
Zio Carlo did it best years ago and it has not been improved upon since. Questa è la verità.
Looks like you’re running low on lapstrakes today. Here’s a proud bow.
Big pre-war Sportsman for me.
Riva Florida.
The real thing for you, Tommy!
Rocket Man !
57 coronado I restored years ago.
I like the old look of a plum bow.
contrast the classic mid 30’s bow of the 17′ cc runabout with almost vertical stem, pointed bow, with minimum flair and overhang with the next picture of a later gar wood, next.
gar wood triple, “Truant II”
Did someone say bow shot?
I could play this game all night.
A Lyman bow shot in Wyoming!
Dane wins
Triplets. M&M
Anyone care to guess which bow this artwork adorns?
Hint: Photographed in Hessel, 2011.
John Allens Barnes
It is a Barnes named Lady El, but I am thinking that it is owned by someone else. I could be wrong, going by the ACBS Big Book.
your right that is Mark Andraea’s Barnes John Allen brought one to Hessel also a few years back.
57 Capri Knotty Blonde
They are all beautiful.