Rare, Prototype Silver Arrow On Ebay.
$100,000 buy it now.
While stalking ebay I came across this rare Silver Arrow Prototype. It can be yours for $100,000 by it now. You can CLICK HERE for the listing. Now… A nice restored one can run between $35,000-$65,000 A project, $5K This one looks like from the pictures that it would defiantly be on the low end of that number. But we have not seen it, nor do we endorse anything here regarding this boat.
Here is the shot from ebay from clearly “back in the day”
But it is interesting to note what the price difference of the prototype would be VS a normal production boat. Is it a protoype Shelby? That would be a massive value difference, so whats different here? Is it the same as lets say a prototype Falcon? OK OK, stop your complaining.. Silver arrows are cool, very cool, less than 100 made. This was one the two first ones….
Here is the build sheet
But Silver Arrows have not taken off into the Cobra, or Riva category. Although very cool. In fact a Silver Arrow is on my bucket list. We looked around the internetter and found some more info you here.
Part of the restoration you can see on Woodies Restorations. Worth the click
This quote below is from Woodies Restorations who has done one of the nicest restorations of a Silver Arrow. Click Here
“The Mariners Museum in Newport New Virginia is working on providing a listing of information available for the Silver Arrow Of utmost interest was determining if SA-19-003 was in fact the first production hull or not Initially the museum indicated there were only two hulls prior to Hull #3, both of those hulls being prototypes. However, I asked that this be confirmed and today it was determined the serial number sequence was indeed “re-set” for the production hulls. We now hold, as part of our investigative records, copies of the hull cards for the first five (5) hulls. The first prototype hull was shipped to Chris Craft Motor Boat Sales – 221 Park Avenue, New York, NY. The second prototype was shipped to Newport Beach, California. Production hull #1 was shipped to Charlotte NC and production hull #2 was shipped to the Algonac Lions Club (for a raffle?).”
Here is the page out of the cataloge, coutesy of the Chris Craft Antique Boat Club Archives. One more fantastic reason to join the club!
There ya have it, this prototype also has its own web page from the seller. CLICK HERE. This is one of those type deals that the buyer and seller define the value. The value is clearly the serial number. Which if it needs restoring, is a lot. But you then have to ask yourself, do you restore a prototype… OH brother, that’ll make your head hurt.. What would you do?
It may be collectable however, I believe thje seller to be somewhat ambitious. Over on the Donzi board there are discussions of the First ever Donzi (a 1964 Ski Sporter) and the first ever outboard Donzi (OB1) BOTH of which I believe to be more collectable than a silver bullet and nowhere near the ask of this boat….but, who knows. I guess we’ll see.
i saw this yesterday and was going to inform you. what do you call the opposite of a barn find? i feel bad for the owner, hes in for a big let down. hope its not his retirement.
I will try to be nice here and only invoke the story/discussion we had on this site a month ago or two, in which we thoroughly discussed the practice by owners or their agents of hanging unrealistic or extremely high prices on boats. I would say that this glaring example has joined the thoroughly maligned though equally rare, $50,000 1958 Cadillac Seville moulded plywood O/B in our little pantheon of deluded classic boat dreams. Now, these dreams are of a decidedly different nature, depending upon whether you are the happy seller or the naive, soon to be remorseful buyer of some horribly over priced classic.
I agree with your value estimate, Matt and I also think these are very interesting and worthy boats. However, that doesn’t mean they are worth much. A proper restortion of this boat would also be extremely expensive and this needs everything. The motor was the cheap part, and that is probably why it has been done.
Perhaps you could link the topic I mentioned to this story somehow?
No matter how hard I try Paul, I’m always left wondering what you really think about things. Ha.
Seriously though, you singlehandedly refute the misguided notion among many women that men don’t express their feelings.
Hey Alex…have I gotta boat for you!!!
Buy it now….buy it now….buy it now…….
I tend to agree with Paul H’s points. In reading the eBay copy, I always wonder what it serves to type in ALL CAPS. I also noted “needs a little repair and paint” regarding the deck. Un..Huh! And because the seller “excepts” only Paypal, I take it that means all other forms of payment are agreeable. Seems to me-based on what I remember from previous pictures of these boats that the hull-sides should appear smooth. In this one they don’t – AND, these are from 15 years ago. Un…Huh! If one gets this boat for nothing, they might stick $100,000 in it and then it will still not be worth that much.
I’ll have whatever he’s drinking!!
I think the bidding ( 0 ) indicates what most of us think of that price.
There is another listed on Yacht World for $24,900 asking. http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1958/Chris-craft-Silver-Arrow-2303099/Muskegon/MI/United-States#.UqXdXY1VIb0
As there are no pictures of a great interior or restored anything in the Yacht World listing I would have to assume that both boats need to be fully restored. Being glass over mahogany adds an extra layer of difficulty and expense as well as the risk of rot that you can’t see until you start to take her apart.
I will chime in just because of the question at the end. “What would you do?”
Silver Arrows are cool for shore, a prototype is even cooler. I guess if I were the owner I might put it out there like bait just to see if there are any nibbles. As a possible buyer “YOUR CRAZY”!
Ultimatelly if I were to build a hybrid boat it would have a glass hull with wood decks.
Wood over fiberglass? …How about this wood deck Donzi 16?
I happen to have just started a similar project last month with a very early (1965 Donzi 16). Will it be worth BIG $… nope. But it will perform well and be fun.
Although anything is worth what someone will pay for it, I feel the range Matt has posted here (even based on past sales?) is high, including the start price for a silver bullet project. There are some pretty good classic glass boats in nice condition for not much more than 5K. Unless you just have to have one OR your disposible income is Ginormous…
People have to learn to be realistic. If for nothing else than to prove P.T. Barnum (or David Hannum) wrong.
This was listed before and also at tahoebasin.com.
Maybe the 3rd listing will be a charm
The people in the header/marketing material must be about 3 feet tall. The silver arrows I have seen were nowhere near that roomy!
Someday, it would be fun to see Matt’s bucket list. Must be a very, very large bucket.
Oh. I see there’s a Silver Arrow in it too? You’re gonna need a bigger bucket.
This is crazy. $100k for a prototype. Virtually by definition, a prototype is usually manufactured to test the product that the engineers and designers hope to bring to market. Since it is new and untested, there will no doubt be design flaws in the prototype that would be discovered (or proven) and thus would be rectified prior (hopefully) to production of the final product.
Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that this prototype has a few bugs. If during the restoration, these flaws are fixed – ie copied from the final production versions, does that not then make this prototype just another rectified production version, and thus worth only what the other production models are worth?
Or does the restorer keep true to the prototype and keep the design flaws intact, which thus could make it dangerous?
(I am talking flaws here, not merely design differences that were changed or designed out of the final production versions.)
And if they got it right on the first one or two (which I highly doubt), then the new owner really does not have a prototype but rather just one of the first ones built – and thus not worth $100k.
Obviously the SA is one of the cool looking boats around, but it has in my opinion the wettest back seat of nearly every other boat. All the fins do is catch water and funnel it into the back seat. I wouldn’t have one.
The boat to me at least has never appealed to me. I have never ridden in one but have seen some of the nicest in Ohio and they were over restored.i remember Chris Smith talking about them and he said they all had the wavy planked sides showing with a thin coat of paint on them. I gues that was state of the art back then. The exhaust had a sexy rude sound that let everyone know it wanted to fly with those wings.
this donzi with the wood deck was very well done and sold at mt dora march 2006 or less then $16k. great looking boat and I think he got a fair if not good price for the boat .
Todd, would you be so kind as to e-mail me that picture (and any others you may have of this Donzi)?
dcsconroy@gmail.com thank you.
There was a little Donzi Sweet 16 ( I think hull # 1) at Ocean Reef last year…I was an award winner.
In fact the very first Silver Arrow was all fiberglass. Due to an accident with one of Arena craft fiberglass boat with the 312 interceptor motor Chris Craft decided to make the Silver Arrow in wood/ fiberglass. The all fiberglass was shipped to a dealer in Cannes, France and still remains. I assume the prototype SA-19-00P1 had the 131Hp motor . This SA-19-00P2 will probably have the original motor as it was listed as an optional motor in the 001 to 092 series. Original price for the 131 Hp was $ 4,900.00. The 215 Hp $ 5,600.00 Not many Arrow`s were sold with the interceptor motor. This prototype has engine no: 351644. I owe SA -19-018 from 3/26/1958 with engine no: 351647. Silver Arrow`s are extremely difficult to restore and expensive. I am bidding on this one. If I win the auction I will keep the boat as is and put it on display in my boat collection.
Hi taco, I am the one who bought 002 and am so glad I did. I am a contractor in Malibu, California and make high end spearguns from many different exotic woods. Cant wait to get into this one and give it the love it deserves. The thing had almost NO rot and has original motor and trailer, I think I got a steal. After all-it is the ” first glass “!
Hi John, Gratulations with the purchase of this boat! I actually thought it did not make sense to place a higher bid when a just registered and zero feedback bidder jumps in an auction. This is mostly set up by the seller to raise the selling price. NOT this time so you got it for a “steal” { in my opinion}. You got a nice restoration project and a very fun boat to ride. Chris Craft called it ” a car for the waterways” and I agree with it.
Regards,Taco.
The hull sides are spruce planked under two layers of glass with paint. The planks always cupped and the factory fix was to rip the glass off, sand it out, glass it and paint it. The cupping would then happen again….. And again….. And again. Now that silver arrow being restored in the picture above. The customer wanted the sides constructed just like it would have been in the factory. The fix for one not to cup is to mold the sides like we will be doing on out next silver arrow project coming soon.
Hi Woody JR, “Now that silver arrow being restored in the picture above”. Is this about my Silver Arrow? In fact this boat is never restored. It has all his original planking and bottom,motor, seats,etc. The upholstery was renewed at one time. Due to an accident in the Baltimore harbour there was major damage to the fiberglass so that had to be repaired and the boat was re-painted.
Regards, Taco.
taco,
Can you confirm that the first silver arrow was all fiberglass? I believe the hull card for 00P1 says its wood over fiberglass? Also, where did you get the info that the original silver arrow is in france and still exists? I have been trying to find info on 00P1 for awhile now and ran across your old blog.
Now paying 100,000 for an unmolested (photo boat/ prototype) it’s wheather or not you can let it set in the collection as a collector only peice or use it while being 100% accurate. If I was sitting on 100k that I couldn’t figure out what to do with, I personally would add this piece to my collection. It would be hard to keep myself from wanting to go for a joy ride now and then. These are just flat out fun boats to run around the lake. If you have not had the chance to ride, don’t pass it up if the oppertunity arises.
If anyone is interested in a Silver Arrow, a friend of mine here in So Califorina is selling his.
Miles Kapper
The seller only accepts PayPal? Didn’t see that. First red flag it could be a scam.