Christopher Columbus Smith built his first wooden boat in 1874 when he was just 13 years old. This first boat was a lake boat designed for duck hunting. For the next seven years, Christopher Smith continued boat building on a part time basis. He seemed to have a natural talent for building boats from wood.
Chris-Craft boats can trace its roots back to 1874 when Christopher Columbus Smith, age 13, built his first wooden boat for duck hunting. By 1930 Chris-Craft had become the world’s largest builder of mahogany powerboats. This second part of the brief history of the classic boat builder covers the period from 1930 to the present day.