100 Museum Dr
Newport News, VA
23606
Museum: 9 AM - 5 PM
Park and Noland Trail: Open
100 Museum Dr
Newport News, VA
23606
Museum: 9 AM - 5 PM
Park and Noland Trail: Open
The Mariners’ Museum and Park Library holds the largest maritime history collection in the Western Hemisphere. With its rich collections and international scope, the Library is a premier resource for maritime research.
The Library collections consist of over two million items including books, magazines, rare books, manuscripts, maps and charts, vessel plans, newspaper articles, photographs, Chris-Craft archives, and The Mariners’ Museum’s archives.
The purpose of the Library, as envisioned by founder Archer M. Huntington, is to provide a research center for students, writers, scientists, and others pursuing various lines of maritime investigation. In addition, it is to create a repository for reference materials to be used by the staff in connection with the identification, appraisal, maintenance and display of the Museum’s collections, exhibits and programs.
In 2018, the United States Lighthouse Society deposited The United States Lighthouse Society Wayne Wheeler Library at The Mariners’ Museum and Park. The library holds 4,000 volumes, consisting of books, journals, postcards and lighthouse reports. Most materials are related to United States lighthouses, but a segment includes international lighthouses. It is believed to be one of the largest lighthouse libraries in existence.
Search the Library's Online CatalogThe Special Collections area of The Mariners’ Museum Library collects manuscripts, maps and charts, and log books and journals on the history of humankind’s relationship to the sea and its tributaries.
Major themes include maritime history, technology, art, commerce, and culture of the sea.
Following is a list of our most significant collection topics:
Discover the largest inlet in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the eastern United States. Find information on the history, settlement, exploration, culture, art, customs, commerce, recreation, navigation and seafaring life of the ports of Hampton Roads, of the Virginia portions of the Bay and of its tributaries. Search for material on Bay boats, as well as selected items on Maryland portions of the Bay, estuaries, marine resources, and the natural environment and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay.
Relive the Battle of Hampton Roads through eye-witness accounts and contemporary interpretations. Examine archaeological discoveries and learn how the event was viewed by the 19th-century press. Delve into all aspects relating to the design, construction, and operation of the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia. Review material from the NOAA MonitorNational Marine Sanctuary USS Monitor Collection and related material on Civil War naval history.
This collection has been transferred to National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Patrons should contact NARA at www.archives.gov for further assistance.
Become immersed in the ethnology, anthropology, religion, mythology, traditions, music, literary works, superstitions, and medical practices relating to the sea. Explore traditions and myths surrounding fishing rituals, crossing-the-line ceremonies, the lost city of Atlantis, sea monsters and tattoos. Survey maritime art including paintings, jewelry, printing, textiles, object d’art, scrimshaw, ship models, photographs, drawings, sculpture, rope work, knot work, furniture, figureheads, porcelain, pottery, folk art, woodcarving.
Search primary and secondary sources on voyages and expeditions that occurred over the past two thousand years. Although the concentration is on the last four hundred years, this topic contains descriptions of all types of voyages: circum-navigational, trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific, Indian Ocean, and polar. Accounts contain geographic, navigational, political, economic, cultural, scientific, and natural history information, as well as personal narratives and biographical data.
Examine maps, charts, and atlases dating from the 16th century to the present. Investigate works on cartography, historical geography, global locations, islands, ports, coastal communities, astronomy, geography of the oceans, natural resources, migration, and selected items on oceanography. Gain knowledge of national borders, natural resources, the slave trade, growth of nations, military engagements and sea power.
Explore histories, port activities, papers, photographs and images of major seaport cities, harbors, and river and coastal towns. There is a strong focus on North America.
Reconstruct the immigrant’s maritime experience, and in particular, emigration to North America. View selected passenger lists and indexes, as well as books on immigrant ships, early trans-Atlantic migrations, and immigration law. Uncover information on forced migrations, such as the transatlantic and coastal slave trades, and the movement of indentured servants.
Peruse information on canals, inland waterways and watercraft. Review business papers, correspondence and photographs of waterways, including the Great Dismal Swamp.
Search lighthouse reports, histories, personal narratives, architectural drawings, and correspondence. Examine photographs of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, lifeboats and the US Lifesaving Service.
Learn about the history of The Mariners’ Museum, founded by Archer and Anna Huntington in Newport News, Virginia in 1930.
Study international harbors, port authorities, marine terminals, and major trade routes. Research merchant companies and steamship lines that shaped history. Browse information on fisheries, whaling, the seafood industry, ocean mining, maritime shipping law and the trade of particular goods.
Become engaged in the development, growth, technological advances, and use of naval power. This material is international in scope, with an emphasis on North American and European navies and ranges from ancient eras to recent conflicts. Review vessel histories and firsthand, press and photographic accounts of naval campaigns. Analyze naval strategies, ordnance, the rise of the defense industries, and the development of submersible craft, steam powered craft, iron clad ships, air power, and battleships. Study the flags, manuals, prisons, customs, ceremonies, and medicine related to naval life.
Explore information on coastal, inland and ocean navigation. Study material on seamanship, including skills necessary to operate vessels, such as celestial navigation and the use of navigational instruments, including horological instruments. Seek out works on navigational aids, such as buoys, nautical tables, pilot’s guides and sailing directories. Find selected items on maritime weather and safety at sea.
Follow your recreational interests into boating, sailing, cruising, water sports, races and the history of Chris-Craft industries and antique classic boats. Trace histories of the Gold Cup Races, water skiing, surfboarding, wakeboarding, swimming, beaches, boat shows, yacht clubs, recreational fishing, diving, rafting, rowing, tubing and other water sports.
Discover sailing vessel design, construction and activities from around the world. Analyze historical treatments, commercial and recreational perspectives, using correspondence, plans, and photographs. Strengths include yachting, especially The America’s Cup, along with selected coverage of noteworthy sailing vessels.
Examine an extensive collection on shipbuilding, naval architecture, marine engineering, shipyards, navy yards, and boatbuilding, especially Northrop Grumman Newport News, formerly Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Study materials on marine machinery, marine engines, ship and boatbuilding materials, hydraulic engineering, hydraulic structures, ship model making, ship decoration including figureheads, and shipbuilding apprentice schools. Learn how to conduct maintenance and repair on ships, yachts and boats.
Immerse yourself in the study of underwater archaeology, marine salvage, shipwrecks, treasure and wreck sites, especially the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Examine materials on salvage standards and practices, excavations, legal issues, and deep diving.
Explore all aspects of the design, construction, and history of steam, nuclear and diesel powered ships. Trace the history of steamships from transportation to a means of recreation. Browse through photographic images, steamship line histories, scrapbooks, newspaper articles and business correspondence.
The collection of over 600,000 images has given support for research, publications, and exhibits. The photographic collection traces the historical, technological, and artist developments of the medium. The collection includes daguerreotypes, salt prints, ambrotypes, tintypes, stereographs, cyanotypes, cabinet cards, gelatin-silver prints, and recently color-prints. The Museum also has an extensive collection of approximately 20,000 post cards depicting a wide variety of maritime related activities including life saving, harbors and towns, ships portraits and construction,naval ships and deck scenes.
A partial listing of the scope and significance of the collections include:
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On the Deck of the Schooner, circa 1923Edwin Levick came to America in 1899 from London to work as a translator of Arabic for the Guaranty Trust Company in New York City. He soon turned his attention to photography and was supplying his photographic services to the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, and the New York Herald Tribune as well as Rudder and Motorboat Magazine. He began to write for newspapers and photograph for magazines of the day; he eventually decided to specialize in maritime photography. Within a few years, Levick’s successful business had expanded having to employing seven assistants, including Morris Rosenfeld, who would later gain a reputation as a premier maritime photographer in his own right.
Crowd Seeing Off Olympic, 1921 56288
Edwin Levick Collection
In 1929, Levick died at his home at 173 Mount Joy Place at the age of 61 and the peek of career, in New Rochelle, New York. The New Rochelle Standard declared he was the “best known maritime photographer in the nation…. a genuinely artistic soul.” He had lived in New Rochelle for the past fifteen years and was a member of the New Rochelle Yacht Club.
The Long Haul, 1952A true son of the Chesapeake, A. Aubrey Bodine was born in Baltimore in 1906. He became interested in photography as a teenager, and at only twenty-one he began working as a photographer for the Baltimore Sun-a professional relationship that would last a half-century. Every week Bodine’s work was featured in the newspaper’s popular Sunday magazine. Whether photographing watermen, cypress trees, or a Maryland power plant, Bodine showed a unique artistic vision and a love of the life and landscape of the Chesapeake Bay throughout his work. His exquisite photographs instantly distinguished him from other photographers and created in their viewers an awareness and keen appreciation of the beauty and diversity of the region.
Dawn Arrival, 1958
The Stevedores, 1959
1st Lt. Chetlain Sigmen and Company K, 3rd Battalion, 91st Division aboard HR-103 before Sailing Overseas, April 1, 1944A natural harbor, Hampton Roads had served the nation as a military port in the Spanish-American War and World War I. During World War II the port headquarters was established in Newport News, Virginia. During this time, the port ranked third in total tonnage after the ports of New York and San Francisco, California. The number of ships that left port during that time numbered 3,294. An astounding 12.5 million measured tons of supplies and equipment and more that 1.6 million troops would move through the facility at the wars end. Brigadier General John R. Kilpatrick, former commanding officer of the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, donated more than 150,000 negatives and photographs to The Mariners’ Museum. Created by the United States Army Signal Corps, these images of Hampton Roads’ role in the war have become a poignant visual diary of a nation in time of war.
Red Cross Volunteers Serve Coffee to Soldiers on Pier 6, Newport News, VA March 20, 1945
Welcome Home, Homeward Bound Veterans Marching through Victory Arch August 8, 1945
McDougall by David BarryDavid Barry was born in Honeoye Falls, New York, March 6,1856. In 1878, David Barry apprenticed with photographer O.S. Goff who had an established business in Bismarck, North Dakota taking photographs of military personnel and Indian subjects. Two years later Barry established himself as a professional photographer. He specialized in photographs of the Sioux Indians involved in the Custer Battle and was nicknamed “The Little Shadow Catcher”.
In 1891, he moved and established a photography studio at 522 Tower Avenue in West Superior, Michigan and began to take photographs of the Great Lakes whalebacks as they were built. By 1892, thirty-one whalebacks were constructed, and of these fifteen were freight steamers, twenty-four were barges, and one passenger steamer, Christopher Columbus. Whaleback construction ended in 1899, but Barry continued to photograph until his death on March 6th, 1936 his eightieth Birthday.
Airship Akron over Ferry Boat President Roosevelt, circa 1926Percy Loomis Sperr was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1889 and gravitated to New York City after college sometime in 1924. An author by choice, he began to illustrate his literary ambitions with photographs and then discovered his photographs were in greater demand than his writing. Sperr sold enough photographs to maintain a livelihood but eventually opened and managed a second hand bookstore until his death in 1964.
Sperr became know as the “official photographer of New York City,” photographing community activities and events. His photographers business card read “A growing collection of over 30,000 views of: New York Harbor; ships; old and modern, Sky-lines, dock scenes, skyscrapers, Old Houses, Foreign Quarters, Pushcarts, Farms, Old New York Scenes.” His chief interest became the waterfront and his photographs often show ship’s mast and harbor scenes juxtaposed in the background seen against the towering city skyline.
Dockworkers Nosing Barge up to Pier, circa 1927
Schooner Theoline at Pier 11, circa 1935
Air-Blown Skin Boats, Bajuar, Nepal, circa 1880 by Samuel Bourne, photographerThis image of inflated animal (possibly goat or sheep) skins being carried to the banks of the Beas River, Bajura, Nepal was taken by British photographer Samuel Bourne. In the 1860’s, British photographer, Samuel Bourne (1834-1912), traveled extensively across India photographing landscapes, historical places and people. The inflated skins would be secured to one another and a small platform placed on the top to form a buoyed raft or “sarnai.” Such rafts have been used in Asia – India, Afghanistan, Tibet, Nepal, China, Iran, Iraq, and Armenia – as a means of transporting people and cargo for thousands of years. Bourne’s dark room tent can be seen under the tree on the left side of the photograph.
The Reliance, 1903, Nathaniel Livermore Stebbins, photographer Nathaniel Livermore Stebbins was born in 1847 and began photographing around 1887. His documentation of early America’s Cup races includes yacht launchings and construction, shipyard workers, and those who sailed in the early Cup races. In 1899, his photographs were displayed at the International Maritime Exhibition in Boston alongside the work of America’s premier marine artists, including painters William Pierce Stubbs and Antonio Jacobsen. Stebbins was the only photographer represented in the exhibition, attesting to the high esteem in which his work was held.
Library staff provide assistance to researchers visiting the facility. Prior to your scheduled visit, please read the Library Guidelines, search the Library Catalog to identify items of interest, and review our Special Collections.
As a general rule, the more information you provide, the better the final research product.
Essential
Highly Desirable
Desirable
For sailing vessels, rigging such as Bark, Brig, Brigantine, Schooner, Ship, Sloop, Snow, etc.
Hull structure or function of vessel such as Bugeye, Buy Boat, Canoe, Deadrise, Dory, Ferry, Hydrofoil, Liberty Ship, Skiff, Skipjack, Tanker, Tugboat, etc.
When searching for your immigrant ancestor’s vessel
Note: our collection focuses primarily on vessels rather than on individuals although we have a limited number of passenger lists from the late 19th century.
For the Library or general research requests contact:
Library & Archives
(757) 591-7782
[email protected]
For information on Chris-Craft, or for Chris-Craft research requests contact:
Chris-Craft Archives
(757) 591-7785
[email protected]
For Licensing information (commercial use, public display, licensing agreements) contact:
Digital Services Department
(757) 591-7703
[email protected]
Effective July 1, 2018
Low-Resolution Digital Scans
Library staff can provide low-resolution digital scans upon request. A processing fee of $15 for Museum members and $30 for non-members will be added for scans in excess of 50 pages and will be applied to each set of 50 pages.
| Non-Members | $1.00 per page |
| Members | $0.50 per page |
Research Fees
Library staff members are available to conduct in-depth research of our collections for patrons. Research requests should be submitted to [email protected] or via the online Request Research Assistance Form.
Pre-payment for research is required and will be invoiced via PayPal. Payments can also be made by check or money order. Research packets include up to 15 low-resolution digital scans. If additional scans are required, additional fees may be assessed. Research packets include up to 15 low-resolution digital scans. If additional scans are required, additional fees may be assessed.
A prepaid non-refundable research fee is required:
| Non-Members | $60/hour; $30/half-hour |
| Members | $45 per hour; $22.50 per half-hour |
Requests are answered in the order received. Although our staff will do their best to answer your questions, please understand that we cannot guarantee a positive result.
Shipping and Tax
Any applicable shipping cost will be based on delivery address. Virginia residents are subject to tax.
Plans and High Resolution Reproductions
For inquiries regarding reproductions of our plans or for high-resolution reproductions, please contact digitalser[email protected]
The Mariners’ Museum Library
100 Museum Drive
Newport News, VA 23606
To facilitate the research process, we prefer electronic or written research requests containing detailed information.
The Chris-Craft name is synonymous with speed and craftsmanship. For more than sixty years, this world-wide boating empire, founded by Christopher Columbus Smith, was a leader in producing powered pleasure boats.
The archives of Chris-Craft Industries were acquired by the Museum in 1986. Comprising more than 350 linear feet of records, this collection is considered one of the most complete histories of a boatbuilding company. The collection covers all models produced by Chris-Craft from 1922 through 1980 and consists of the major components listed below.
The Mariners’ Museum Library is proud to have the responsibility of maintaining the legacy of Christopher Smith, the “dean” of American standardized boatbuilding.
Boat Equipment Records
Popularly termed “hull cards,” these are primary sources of information. Approximately 119,000 of these documents were created by Chris-Craft as a permanent record for the original standard and optional features of each hull produced. Details such as hull number, model, engine type, paint color, upholstery, place of construction, original dealer, and other hardware features are contained on these cards.
Photographs
More than 25,000 black and white photographs in the collection depict early boat construction, dealer showrooms, marine engine productions, and celebrity Chris-Craft owners, as well as the many models of runabouts and cruisers produced by the company.
Boat Plans
More than 55,000 original design plans document virtually every model built. Some of the more popular models represented include the Cadet, Riviera, Cobra, Continental, Holiday, Sportsman, and Racing Runabout, in addition to a full range of cruisers. These plans illustrate the beauty and strength of the Chris-Craft boats.
Sales Catalogs, Price Lists, & Boat and Engine Manuals
A nearly complete collection of sales and boat literature provides accurate data on boat styling, pricing, and general specifications.
Learn more about the history of Chris-Craft Runabouts, by reading an article written by Tom Crew, former archivist of The Mariners’ Museum, who has a national reputation as an expert on the history of Chris-Craft boats.
By Tom Crew, former Archivist, The Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, Virginia
The Chris-Craft name is synonymous with both speed and craftsmanship. For more than sixty years, this worldwide boat building empire, founded by Christopher Columbus Smith, was a leader in producing standardized powered pleasure boats. Thousands have enjoyed the cooling spray while boating on a warm summer afternoon in a classic Chris-Craft. Many antique boat enthusiasts easily recognize the design features and rakish style of these varnished mahogany beauties. Yet most people know little about the early Chris Smith runabouts or their features. Documentation is sparse and photographs are rare, but through careful research and interviews with some owners of these rare boats, the specifications begin to emerge.
It is commonly accepted that Chris Smith’s runabout business did not begin until the establishment of Chris Smith and Sons Boat Company in February 1922. In fact, as early as 1915, Smith advertised his custom boat building services in Power Boating Magazine, urging readers to “Let Me Build You A Smith Boat.”
This promotional piece featured designs for “pleasure launches, fast runabouts, express cruisers and passenger carrying hydroplanes.” It also clearly showed Smith’s interest in and capabilities for building pleasure boats long before he began the runabout business in 1922. An increasingly successful racing career probably encouraged him to expand his business. Competitive speedboat racing was a method by which boat builders and hull designers tested the quality of their ideas and gained recognition among their peers, Many were propelled into the ring as popular heros. The lust for speed was fueled by such designers as John L. Hacker, George Crouch, and Christopher Columbus Smith, but financed by gamblers, industrialists, and syndicates.
By 1915, Smith’s proven winners, Baby Speed Demon and Baby Reliance, were awarded the American Power Boat Association’s coveted Gold Cup. His dreams for a successful pleasure boat business began to take shape. Smith’s racing career continued to flourish during the next several years. An admiring media extolled the string of victories achieved by the Miss Detroit series and it’s championship designer the “wizard 2 of Algonac.” Despite all his racing success, Smith apparently did not wish to remain a one-dimensional boat builder. Although most of his energies seemed to concentrate on racing hulls, he continued to solicit pleasure boat contracts. Stunning documentation of Chris Smith’s ability and virtuosity as a hull designer and boat builder is published in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts. This premier compilation of data regarding American and Canadian-owned yachts offers indisputable evidence of what was perhaps Smith’s most ambitious project, an 80-foot cruiser. The record indicated a wooden-hulled vessel named Hourless measuring 80ft.x16ft.x6ft., weighing 42 gross tons, and powered by twin, six- cylinder Murray and Tregurtha gasoline engines, designed and constructed by C. C. Smith Boat Company, Algonac, Michigan, in 1919 for Walter E. Flanders of Detroit, Michigan. The cruiser enjoyed a long career, continuing to appear in the registers as the Hourless until 1947. Subsequent name changes and final disposition of the vessel are not indicated. It is, however, an astonishing historical fact that Chris Smith, undoubtedly with the assistance of his talented sons, produced this 80- foot marvel. Their accomplishment is all the more remarkable when you consider that their giant boat building empire never produced a standard cruiser greater than 72 feet in length.
By 1921, Smith was marketing a standardized 26-foot express runabout through a boat broker, the Central Marine Service Corporation, Detroit, Michigan. A remarkably informative advertisement about this design appeared in the August 1921 issue of Power Boating. The boat was powered with a Hall-Scott four- cylinder 100 horsepower engine and equipped with electric starting and lighting, standard reverse gear, and water-cooled exhaust. It sold for $3,950 and was available in two models, a standard painted finish with mahogany trim or a full mahogany hull for $500 extra.
Both models were built with Smith’s trademark double- planked bottom. The ad also featured a rare photograph of this runabout showing a large rear cockpit design aft of the engine rather than the more familiar forward steering. This is clear evidence of a design transition. Smith’s design reflected the work of his contemporaries, who typically built runabouts which resembled automobiles with steering controls behind the engine. Within two years, however, Smith redesigned his runabouts with the more popular forward steering. This will be discussed in more detail later. There are no existing records to indicate how many of these boats were built, but here again is clear evidence that Chris Smith was anticipating a move into pleasure boat production before the storied dissolution of his racing partnership with Gar Wood. The following year, Chris Smith and his four sons, Jay W., Bernard, Owen, and Hamilton, established the new Chris Smith and Sons Boat Company.
What was perhaps the company’s first advertisement appeared in the April 1922 issue of Motor Boat magazine. Many of us have conformed to the popular notion that the standard 26-foot runabout was the only boat model initially offered by Chris Smith and Sons. This ad contradicts that misconception by listing four different models available. First, there was a 24-foot, 18-mile-per-hour runabout which sold f or $2,200. There were also two different 26′ models, a forward drive double cockpit and a rear drive single cockpit. They sold for $3,000 and $2,800, respectively. These two models reflected the Smiths’ transition from the traditional rear cockpit design to the modern forward cockpit steering. It also indicated their awareness of what was in demand by the popular market. The fourth model offered, a 33-foot Baby Gar, may be a complete surprise to many.
This boat achieved advertised high performance speeds from 50 to 60 miles per hour and sold for $7,500. It is true, the first 33-foot Baby Gar runabouts were built by Chris Smith for Gar Wood. The original table of offsets is found in the Chris-Craft Collection. Incidentally, this same advertisement may be the first published use of the nickname “Chris Smith Craft.” This was soon shortened to the better-known Chris-Craft.
So what were the first Chris- Crafts? Research into the early accounting and purchase ledgers reveal that the first hull built by the Smiths’ new company was not a runabout, but rather a racer, the Packard-Chris Craft. It was contracted by Colonel Jesse G. Vincent, founder of the Packard Motor Car Company, and delivered to him in August 1922 just in time to participate in the Gold Cup races to be held the following month in Detroit.
This powerful new entry onto the racing scene measured 26ft. x 6ft. x 2ft. and was equipped with a six-cylinder Packard 200 Hp. engine which could achieve speeds up to 45.6 miles per hour. The racer had a white painted hull with the words Packard and Chris Craft written in distinctive script on the sides. Colonel Vincent drove Packard-Chris Craft to victory, defeating GarWood, who had won the race the previous five years. Wood’s boat, Baby Gar. Jr., was also a Chris Smith design. A third Smith-built boat known as Chris Craft II also participated in that Gold Cup race. This boat was driven by Gar Wood’s brother George, no doubt in friendly competition, It differed greatly in appearance from its Packard counterpart because it was designed as a standard 26- foot runabout with a single cockpit and steering controls forward of the engine. It was powered by a 180 horsepower Hall-Scott model A7-A aviation engine which proved to be too small for competitive racing. Nevertheless, its importance lay in the fact that this was the second hull built by the Smiths. A previously unidentified photograph found in the Chris-Craft Collection provided a rare glimpse of this early runabout. Through persistent research, the boat’s Gold Cup racing number, G-31, seen in the photograph, was verified to be the Chris Craft II.
This photograph proved an excellent source of documentation for many features found on the carly Smith runabouts. Several notable details appear: a single cockpit forward of the engine, no windshield, no lifting rings, pleated upholstery, a raised engine hatch, four large engine compartment vents installed on the covering boards, a large open rear cockpit with wicker chairs, and dark seam compound instead of white deck stripes. Another photograph of a 1922 model boat identified as hull number four, named the All Star, reveals many of the identical features. One notable exception is that the engine hatch was no longer raised, but was redesigned and widened to give a smoother appearance. This boat was originally owned by Dr. W. E. Sanborn.
So did the Smiths follow any standards in building these carly runabouts? In addition to photographic resources, the original hand-written specifications for the 1922 model “Standard 26′ Chris Craft” are carefully preserved in The Mariners’ Museum Research Library and Archives. This seven-page equipment and materials list unquestionably confirms the original features, both seen and hidden, found on these boats. The hull’s overall dimensions were 26ft.x6ft.6in.x24in. The boat was powered by an eight- cylinder Curtiss OX-5 aviation engine, converted for marine use, which generated 90 horsepower at 1400 rpm.
It turned an 18×24 Hyde propeller, with a left-hand rotation to achieve a maximum speed of 32 miles per hour. A single forward cockpit provided seating for three people including the driver, while the larger aft cockpit could comfortably carry five on a bench seat and two wicker chairs. The standard double-planked mahogany hull bottom was designed the same as the 26-foot Gold Cup model with canvas coated in white lead laid between the layers and the sides of batten seam construction. The interior featured pleated blue upholstery and gray linoleum flooring. Surprisingly, all the deck hardware consisted of polished brass instead of nickel. This included all the following: cutwater, chocks, cleats, vents, hatch handles, piano hinges, fuel filler plate and cap, bow light, stern flagpole socket, exhaust flanges, self- bailer, and some additional items. All the instruments, however, were nickel-plated, If you purchased a Smith boat it was also equipped with some accessories: mahogany paddle, mahogany pike, canvas fenders, life preservers, 25-pound anchor and line, mooring lines, and tools. It is interesting to note that although the boat was constructed primarily with Philippine mahogany, it also included significant amounts of white oak, butternut, spruce, and ash. Construction costs for this sturdy and well-appointed runabout were calculated to be $997.50 plus motor, installation, and overhead. The boat, therefore, retailed for $3,200.00 plus tax. The Smiths were very pleased with the performance and design of the Chris- Craft, which was described by A. W. Mackerer as a “splendid boat; handles easily — dry, fast and turns.”
By 1924 very few changes were evident. A slightly larger 100 horsepower Curtiss OX-5 engine was offered and the runabout’s beam was widened two inches to 6ft.8in., but the addition of a windshield as standard equipment was perhaps the most significant improvement. This attractive curved bottom tilt windshield was eventually offered in two sizes. On the smaller one-piece model the glass was mounted in a metal frame on fifteen-inch stanchions; on the larger two-piece model the glass was divided by a frame molding and mounted on seventeen-inch stanchions. Interestingly, the larger windshield secured on fifteen-inch stanchions, is found on the Miss Belle Isle in The Mariners’ Museum. After only two years in business, the Smiths runabout was beginning to make an impact on the marketplace. Rapid sales growth of the Chris-Craft in the spring of 1924 resulted in the company’s increased production to four boats per week. By May, forty-one new boats were completed for delivery.
This new growth prompted a media campaign in 1925 to expand the public awareness of the Chris-Craft. A redesigned runabout with a new forward double cockpit illustrated full-page advertisements promoting the ability of Chris Smith and Sons to maintain lower prices as a result of their application of “motor car standardization and volume production methods” for their boats. The Smiths were probably the first boat builders to apply these techniques. In an effort to stay ahead of their competition, they cleverly offered the first time payment plan ever presented for selling boats. A potential buyer only needed a down payment of $1,340 to secure his Chris-Craft, with the balance due within twelve months. Another sales incentive fully guaranteed the quality of each boat against construction defects for one year. The literature declared, “It is so nearly trouble-proof that this guarantee has cost an average of only $6 a boat.”
The Smiths also tried to avert any possible consumer fears of unscrupulous dealers who would not honor the company’s guarantee with the statement, “When you purchase a Chris Craft, you deal directly with the builders, who are fully responsible for service.” Several more years passed before a dealer network was established.
Encouraged by their early success and eager to reach a national market, the Smiths registered their first boat display at the 1926 National Motor Boat Show held in New York City. Here was a wonderful opportunity for the boating public to comparison shop. Fortunately, the Smiths received a great boost from the show’s advanced publicity found in Yachting Magazine. Its editor awarded Chris Smith and Sons Boat evolved and built what are today recognized by many as the world’s fastest boats. This new model assures the Chris-Craft owner a complete unit, economical to operate, fully guaranteed, and setting an envious pace for safety, comfort, speed and smartness.” what a recommendation! The 1926 model did offer two new features, a larger 150 horsepower Kermath engine and a reinforced tilt windshield. This redesigned and strengthened windshield had a solid wood base. It replaced the stanchion- mounted model, which lacked rigidity. Despite only four years in business, the young Chris Smith and Sons Boat Company had achieved a reputation for excellence. Their standard 26-foot runabout known as the Chris-Craft was speedy, strong, safe, and stylish.
Continuing improvements, along with an expanding product line, attracted an increasing share of the boating market. The ambitious Smiths made a calculated risk in starting a pleasure boat company, but their love of boats and history of success carried over from racers to runabouts. A boating dynasty was begun.
Tom Crew was The Mariners’ Museum Archivist for 14 years, from 1982-1996, and responsible for arrangement, preservation, and administration of the manuscript and photographic collections of The Mariners’ Museum, and has acquired a national reputation as an expert on the history of Chris-Craft boats.
Chris-Craft staff search the company archives to prepare research packages tailored to a specific Chris-Craft boat. The research is based upon the Chris-Craft hull identification number and/or the original engine serial number. If you would like to order a Chris-Craft Research package, you must provide the hull number. Failure to do this will necessitate additional correspondence and delay your research, since the Chris-Craft Corporation filed the permanent record of each boat, by this number.
Effective July 1, 2018
Research Package
A research package consists of photocopies of the following types of primary documents, depending upon the quantity of archival information available for a specific boat.
A prepaid non-refundable research fee is required:
| Non-Members | $60.00 |
| Members | $35.00 |
Hull Card Only
| Non-Members | $10.00 |
| Members | $8.00 |
Plans
Prices vary based upon the size of the original drawings.
| 8×10 | $10.00 / $8.00* |
| 12×18 | $25.00 / $20.00* |
| 18×24 | $35.00 / $28.00* |
| 24×36 | $45.00 / $36.00* |
*Members receive a 20% discount on plans and photographs.
Photographs
| 8×10 | $20.00 / $16.00* |
| 11×14 | $35.00 / $28.00* |
| 16×20 | $45.00 / $36.00* |
*Members receive a 20% discount on plans and photographs.
Manuals
Prices vary depending upon the number of pages.
| Non-Members | $10.00 – $20.00 |
| Members | $8.00 – $16.00 |
Color Reproductions of Sales Literature
Prices vary depending on size, number of pages.
Low-Resolution Digital Scans
Archives staff can provide low-resolution digital scans upon request. A processing fee of $15 for Museum members and $30 for non-members will be added for scans in excess of 50 pages and will be applied to each set of 50 pages.
| Non-Members | $1.00 per page |
| Members | $0.50 per page |
Shipping and Handling
Shipping cost based on delivery address. Virginia residents subject to tax.
The locations of the hull numbers are as follows:
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The Mariners’ Museum and Park Library reopened to staff for partial access in June 2018. This allows researchers from all over the world to access the Museum’s Library and Archives through staff assistance. The staff is now able to access roughly 90% of the Library’s extensive collection, including the renowned Chris-Craft Collection.
We look forward to assisting patrons with remote research requests.
Send your research questions to [email protected]
Although the current configuration of the Library does not include a public reading room, library staff can make arrangements for in person research visits on an appointment only basis. Please review the guidelines and email us at [email protected] to schedule an appointment. The museum is working toward a permanent solution for housing the vast collection.
The Mariners’ Museum Library houses a collection of over 10,000 plans and drawings related to historic watercraft. Publication dates range from the mid 18th through 20th century and include steam, motor, sail and human powered watercraft.
The plans collection includes naval, merchant, passenger, combination, recreational, fishing, and yachting vessels. The plans depict primitive vessels through modern-day craft, with a focus on the last two centuries. There is also an assortment of architectural views, such as rigging plans, inboard and outboard profiles, deck arrangements, midships sections, hull lines, general arrangements, and sheer, body and half breadth views. In addition, there are more than 55,000 original design plans for Chris-Craft boats built from 1922 -1980.
Search the Library’s manuscripts, logbooks, and journals.
Search our plans and drawings
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