1954 Chris Craft Double Cabin Fly Bridge 45 ft
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A great opportunity to take over as the custodian of this art deco, classic, Chris Craft! You can make her sea worthy or have the most relaxing place to live in the city of Seattle, docked at a covered marina in Ballard. Both great options depending on what kind of boating experience you are looking for.
As Sea worthy project
As with any old wooden or fiberglass boat there is a list of service items you want checked or repaired before venturing out onto Lake Union, Lake Washington or Puget Sound. What this old Chris Craft needs to be safe and reliable out on the water:
- Fresh Hull inspection - I have the extensive hull inspection report from 2010
- New electrical wiring ran - Includes the best spec marine grade wire
- New engine ignition (x2) - Standard Chrysler tune up kit will work
- Closed and open engine cooling system flush and purge
The original Chris Craft straight six engines were swapped out sometime in the 60s for Chrysler Marine 413 Max Wedge motors. Way too much power for a 70 year old wooden boat but very cool retro motors. My plans for making her sea-worthy and better on gas was to move to standard GM Marine 350s which are cheap are very reliable. Another popular option is to use small marine diesel motors which lower the gallons per hour burn rate to a very small number, making those lake cruises not so expensive.
As a live-aboard in Ballard
A live-aboard Chris Craft is much simpler as the old Chrissy has been floating in Seattle as a live-aboard as far back as the 1980s. All she needs is curtains and you will have a peaceful and relaxing floating home on the Lake Washington Ship Canal. A 5 min drive to Ballard and a short walk past the marina parking lot to jump on a local bus on Nickerson Street. The Marina has two full bathrooms with showers and they are 10 feet from the boat slip. The slip is covered and this Chrissy should remain in covered moorage. The cost to make a 70 year old wooden boat rain proof is many multiples more than the extra $300 a month for a slip with a roof. The marina also has a full fire suppression sprinkler system above every slip, a must for any old wooden boats safety. The slip also includes power and fresh city water. Personally I would treat the city water as grey water and use it for dishes or cleaning but not drinking. The pipes on the boat are old and bottled water is easy.
For a tour of the Chris Craft please contact me and I will be happy to give a tour and explain in depth about all of the work that has been done during my custodianship.
If you have never owned a boat before, this is not the right boat for you. If you have never owned a wooden boat before, this is not the right boat for you. Thanks for your inquiries but this Chris Craft needs someone with wooden boat experience if you plan on getting her sea-worthy.
