Original Orange Seam Color!
Little bits of orange original seam material
The gang at Katz’s Marina sent us in this little treasure. Turns out a boat they are restoring. A 1940 Chris Craft 19 Barrel Back had Orange Seams. This to me would be like winning the lottery, since the Orange Seams are a very very cool deal, and on a barrel back, you dont really want to mess around if your plan is to show it. And if you are having Katz’s marina do the restoration, you will want to show it.
Stripped down to the orange seams
Get out your color swatch
Not that you have to, its just that it will be dialed in to the …well, orange Seams. Thanks to Alan for sending us these photos.
Being stripped
Todays header
This is a 17 footer from Katz’s with orange seams and pigskin interior finished
Another one. Katzs has done a bunch of these.
The seams blend in beutifully
Featured on the Brass Bell cover – Salek is an amazing 19 footer
I recall that amazing triple cockpit barrel back that was at the Smith Mountain Lake show a few years ago. It was stunning.
Orange seams are cool. I have always put a few coats of varnish over white seams after they are completed. The varnish gives them a gold hue that I like better than the bright white.
Varnish over white seams, love the look.
Amen!
Second on the varnish over white seams but that orange flavor is cool!
You just gotta love those Burnt Orange seams from 1940!
In 1979 I purchased a 23′ Barrelback that had the decks and bottom fiberglassed. Starting the project with pulling the fiberglass off the deck I found the seams had been done emerald green to match the seats confirmed by the hull card. Project came to an end with the purchase of a 100 year old house. Boat sold. No pictures I could find.
The orange is the exact same color as red lead primer. Wonder how CC made the orange seam compound back in the day? Love the orange look!
While at the Muskoka’s spring shop tour (should be close to the top of your bucket list) you will see many boats with brown lines. “Very Cool”
I can not post a picture from my phone but my Hacker Craft Black Witch had the orange or what I call red lead filler in the seams. Where was no trace of any white. I actually like the color much better then the white. Maybe say white for a sporty look and the red for a more elegant look. The red just lets the wood blend in much better
Lets see if this picture works?
Yeah.., there is so much more of what was actually done..!
The 1940 17′ and 19′ barrelbacks did have orange deck seams, orange waterlines, and ‘pig-skin’ stamped vinyl and leather upholstery. Some 1940, 23′ barrelbacks and 24′ Sportsman (maybe 25′?) had green deck seams.
I wish I could post these scans of Chris-Craft, “Accessory Catalogs”, but I got these from Joe M, some 15-years ago, with a promise to hold them dear.
However, I can read them, and report on the “Deck Seam Compound” that they offered for sale that year. These ‘accessories’ were made available to CC customers for the repair and maintenance of their boats.
I’ll attach the 1936 catalog page, just to show that the factory available “Chris-Craft” logo decal was ‘Immitation GOLD’, not aluminum as some believe….
Cat year Deck seam compound Waterline enamel
1936 Mahogany, White Black, White, Aluminum
Cream, Green
1937-
1938 Mah, White Same as above
1939 Mah, Wht, Black Same as above
1940 Mah, Wht, Blk, Orange Same as above
1941 Mah, Wht, Blk, Orange Blk, Wht, Alum, Cream’
Green, Orange
Late-40’s
Early 50’s White
1953 White, Black
Yeah, well, sorry?
The words were properly spaced on my desktop…, they don’t appear properly spaced on this phone-forum?
It isn’t “seams” but when pulling the deck and hatches off Mainstay (a 1956 Matthews 42′ Martinique Express Cruiser) last spring I found remnants of the original Martinique canvas deck still stapled underneath the hatch rails…sporting their original Martinique Express green paint applied at the factory!
I have always been a fan of orange.
Mariner’s Museum has the list of all the boats that came with orange deck seems from the factory. Is this hull number on the list?