Chris-Craft Industries
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It has been suggested that Chris-Craft be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
| Former type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting All other plastics product manufacturing Unsupported plastics film and sheet (except packaging) manufacturing |
| Fate | Sold to News Corporation |
| Predecessor | National Automotive Fibers, Inc. Chris-Craft Company |
| Successor | News Corporation |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, {USA} |
| Subsidiaries | BHC Communications, Inc. (79.96%) Chris-Craft Industrial Products, Inc. |
Chris-Craft Industries, Inc. was a privately held American corporation. Its forebear was founded in the late 19th century by Christopher Columbus Smith, and became famous for mahogany hulled powerboats in the 1920s through the 1950s.
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[edit] History
Smith built his first wooden boat in 1874 at the age of 13. Years later, he built a duck hunting boat. His friends liked the way he built them, and they asked him to build them one. This was technically the start of the Chris Craft Boat Co. He soon began to build more boats and joined his brother Hank in 1881 to begin producing boats full time. In 1922, the brothers joined with other partners to form the Smith and Sons Boat Company. The company name was changed to Chris-Craft in 1930.
The Detroit area company became well known for their sleek racing boats in the 1910s and 1920s. Chris-Craft sold high end powerboats to wealthy patrons such as Henry Ford and William Randolph Hearst. In the late 1920s, Chris-Craft extended its market into the middle class when it became one of the first mass producers of civilian pleasure boats. The company began assembly line production at their Algonac, Michigan plant, dramatically lowering production costs. Formerly, most powerboats had been hand-built.
In 1927 the company introduced the Cadet, an affordable 22' runabout. At the time, the domain of speedboats was largely confined to the wealthy. Its innovative advertising campaign promised a piece of "the good life" to the growing American middle class. The company sold its boats on the installment plan, making them among the first powerboats available to the general population.
The Great Depression robbed many Americans of discretionary income, and Chris-Craft sales suffered. The company introduced a line of low-priced powerboats to stay solvent. By 1935, a 15.5' Utility boat sold for as little as US$406. During World War II, the company produced small patrol boats and launches for the U.S. Navy.
After the war, Chris Craft introduced a new lineup of civilian pleasure boats in time for the massive American consumer expansion of the 1950s. That decade marked the height of company prestige and the brand name Chris-Craft became virtually synonymous with pleasure boating. The company offered 159 different models and was the sales leader in many categories of small civilian powerboats.
The company sold high-end boats to famous customers such as Dean Martin, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. Their boats were often made from the finest mahogany and were considered to be among the best available. They were easy to operate, a must for their "weekend sailor" owners. In some circles, owning a Chris-Craft was considered de rigueur. Even their lower-priced boats were considered to be of high quality, often featuring such luxury items as a liberal use of mahogany, teak, and brass.
In 1957, Chris-Craft Corporation added a metal boat division, designated the Roamer Steel Boats Division (RSBD)—founded upon its purchase of the Roamer Boat Company, now known as Chris Craft Roamers. So now, the Roamers that were supposed to always be steel forever, are fiberglass.
[edit] Chris-Craft Industries
The company continued to be independent until it was acquired by Shields & Company and National Automotive Fibers in 1960 and merged with National Automotive Fibers. They renamed the company Chris-Craft Industries, Incorporated. In 1962, the company acquired the Old Crown Brewing Corporation, a brewery company based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
In 1964, Chris-Craft launched the all-fiberglass Chris-Craft Commander. This dramatic new design was unveiled at the New York City National Boat show, perched at the top of the escalator on a giant, castered cradle. This first Commander was a 38' express hardtop with a 13' beam. The line of Commanders soon grew to include sizes ranging from 19' to 60'—all "styled in fiberglass."
In 1968, Baldwin-Montrose Chemical Co., Inc. took a controlling interest in Chris-Craft and installed its chairman as Chris-Craft's chairman.[1]
Chris-Craft Industries formed BHC, Inc. to hold its two existing television stations, KCOP in Los Angeles and KPTV in Portland, Oregon, both placed within BHC's Chris-Craft Television, Inc. subsidiary. That same year, Chris-Craft purchased a share of 20th Century Fox. In 1981, the 20th Century Fox share, then at 20 percent, was traded for 19 percent of United Television.[1]
Between the 1960s and 1980s, Chris-Craft lost market share as competitors with more innovative designs and less expensive manufacturing techniques such as fiberglass hulls came on the scene. Chris-Craft ended production of its last mahogany-hulled boat, the Constellation, in 1971.
Chris-Craft Industries sold its boat division to Murray Industries in 1981. Chris-Craft Industries retained the Chris-Craft trademark and licensed it to Murray.[2]
Chris-Craft Industries was acquired by News Corporation in 2000 for its television subsidiaries.
[edit] See also
- Chris-Craft - a company that reunited the brand with the manufacturing division.
- Chris Craft family historic home sites - a list of addresses where the Chris-Craft family lived.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "BHC Communications, Inc. Companies History" (html). Company Histories. Funding Universe. 1997. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/BHC-Communications-Inc-Company-History.html. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ "Everything Old Is New Again: The New Chris Craft" (html). boat digest.com. Force 12 Media, LLC. January 7, 2007. http://www.boatdigest.com/node/151. Retrieved 2009-07-20.[dead link]
