Chris Craft Constellation

trainermb said:

I'm pretty new in this game; we've owned our 34 ft trawler for a little over a year. I won't pretend to be an expert of any sort. However, here's something that struck me as we spent more and more time on our boat. It might apply to you, might not.

I found I tended to "fall in love" with the exterior of boats. (Truth be told, I still do.) Makes sense -- it's mostly what us non-owners see. Once you own the boat though, you'll see way, way more of the interior than the exterior.

Example: Our original dream was for a sailboat. Like you, we spent months on YouTube gazing gooey eyed at sloops, ketches, catamarans, etc. Then we finally started shopping for one. I'm 6'2" and after about three boats worth of standing stooped over in the low ceiling cabins of sailboats in our price range my back hurt! Our trawler, on the other hand, offers about a half-foot of headroom even for me.

It's one thing to be bewitched by the cool styling of a Chris Craft and quite altogether another to spend a week living in one. RT's advice to get inside as many boats as you can is some of the best in this thread.

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72tpiK5 said:

I guess that is an option. How much are my kids paying you? :lol:

Regards, Mike.

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72tpiK5 said:

I am new to the forum and looking for a voice of reason. I have wanted a Chris Craft since I was a teenager, and have managed this obsession all my life. I suddenly find myself obsessed with the desire to own a mid-80s Constellation, and despite all the research I have done suggesting that this is not the best idea, at 62 years of age, I don't care. I have previous boating experience, but nothing in the realm of a big boat. I live in south Texas, and Corpus Christi would probably be my Port of choice. I am hoping that some of you sane, experienced gentlemen will regal me with tales of ownership horror, to save me from myself.

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72tpiK5 said:

Will do, makes perfect sense. Thanks for all of your help.

Mike.

PS. Peter Ricks says hello.

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CharlieO. said:

HA, I work cheap!

We bought ours when we had the chance and love it. The ownership costs took a little getting used to.

Good luck!!

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Blissboat said:

1) We can and will regale you with tales of horror.
2) We cannot save you from yourself, and probably wouldn't even if we could.
3) I wish I was 62 again!

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Comodave said:

Peter is great. We had Boat/US- Geico boat insurance for over 40 years. But Geico went crazy on how they underwrite and value boats. So I decided I had to make a change. Called Peter and he got everything and more that I wanted in a phone call. And I now have better coverage.

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jimfrens said:

A friend in Boston has a Hatteras 53, nice boat. I haven’t been on a Connie 50 but my guess is it doesn’t have the space the Hatteras has. But the Hatteras will be considerably more expensive to buy.

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Pcpete said:

You are in a situation where the answer is obvious, but terrifying at the same time. For us, the boat that I admired and kept coming to the head of our list is the 38xx Bayliner. For over ten years I’d see one and lust after it. For nine and a half years two things stopped me. The first was that, okay, I never looked at the interior layout either in person or on paper, was although I’d been in the salons of several, I had never seen the master bunk and assumed it was over against one side of the hull, rather than a walk most of the way around bunk. Once I found that out, I began trying to mitigate the ladder to the command bridge. It took a bit, but once I had it figured out, we found and bought a 1988 3818 that we have thoroughly enjoyed for the past six years. The same thing has happened to me a bunch of times in my 70+ years. Once I figured out that a message was being sent, then acted on it, the results have been awesome.
Moral of the story, you are being sent a message. Find one you want and buy it.

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grandbanksbayfield said:

I ran a repair/rebuild shop in Denver (Yes, Denver. Lots of mountain lakes and many 17- and 19-footers) and found them to be very well built. You only see this when get into the structures beneath the varnish. Unless it is a totally wasted boat, the bones are usually good -- like quality fittings, engine and tranny control cables, etc. But I am biased.....

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Darlin said:

I have a 1982 OA 43 Tri cabin I bought in 2000, I cruised San Francisco and the Delta for 9 years and used the boat for a commuter apartment, I then retired and went to Ensenada Mexico for six months, then back up the coast t Seattle. I have cruised over 3,000 hrs up the west coast to SE Alaska one year, another to Tofino, Canada and then 10 years ago south to The Sea of Cortez Mexico where Darlin stays on a mooring ball. I live on the boat 1/2 of the year. I reconditioned the boat three years ago, she looks better than new, and has 2 fine reliable Ford Lehman 120 engines. I turned 60 10 years ago. I hope to spend another 10 years on the boat, Search "MVDarlin" online and you will find an extensive history at her blog. Interest rates were 10% when I bought her and I paid 35% more and bought much bigger than budget. She was my first boat, I doubt I'll need or want another. I looked at boats for about 6 months from Vancouver Canada to San Diego before I bought. When I sat in the salon of Darlin and saw all the space from stem to stern and the beautiful teak wood I knew she was the right boat. She is very seaworthy, able to handle much rougher water than me. A well-maintained fiberglass boat can be maintained indefinitely. She will likely last longer than me.

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Pcpete said:

You are in a situation where the answer is obvious, but terrifying at the same time. For us, the boat that I admired and kept coming to the head of our list is the 38xx Bayliner. For over ten years I’d see one and lust after it. For nine and a half years two things stopped me. The first was that, okay, I never looked at the interior layout either in person or on paper, was although I’d been in the salons of several, I had never seen the master bunk and assumed it was over against one side of the hull, rather than a walk most of the way around bunk. Once I found that out, I began trying to mitigate the ladder to the command bridge. It took a bit, but once I had it figured out, we found and bought a 1988 3818 that we have thoroughly enjoyed for the past six years. The same thing has happened to me a bunch of times in my 70+ years. Once I figured out that a message was being sent, then acted on it, the results have been awesome.
Moral of the story, you are being sent a message. Find one you want and buy it.

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Bob LaPrelle said:

I’m the proud owner of a 1986 Chris Craft Constellation 500. As others have stated, it’s kind of a blend of three legacy boat builders. Honestly, I have no issues or concerns about the boat. I too like the classic flush deck styling. If you stand back and squint your eyes just a bit, she has the lines of the old wooden 57’ Connie’s - simply the most beautiful pleasure boats ever built! The DD Covington 6V-92 TA engines are rock solid power. These boats do have cored decks, so you may see some slight cracking along the outer edges . It’s nothing structural, just needs to be sealed to prevent water entering those areas. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy this boat again. Happy to answer any questions.

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jimfrens said:

A friend in Boston has a Hatteras 53, nice boat. I haven’t been on a Connie 50 but my guess is it doesn’t have the space the Hatteras has. But the Hatteras will be considerably more expensive to buy.

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