Chris Craft Runabout 80cm

When looking at handcrafted wooden boat models to create the right atmosphere in your office, the Chris Craft Runabout 1930 might just catch your eye. This boat is a fine example of the most famous classic American Runabouts.

Our 80cm Chris Craft Runabout wooden classic model boat is a fine example of what this kind of boat should represent. Every effort has gone into capturing the luxury of the Chris Craft itself, ensuring this boat model can carry on the legacy of the famous American Runabouts. Perfect for board rooms and for model boat enthusiasts, this is a must-have for those who love classic, powerful speedboats!

Key Features of the Chris Craft Runabout model boats:

• Dimensions: 80cm Long x 23cm Wide x 23cm High 1:11 Scale
• Handcrafted, fully assembled and ready to put on display.
• A recreation model boat of the Chris Craft Runabout 1930 with high attention to detail.
• Plank-on-frame construction used, with individual wood strips applied on the hull.
• Polished, smooth finish with numerous paint and varnish layers used.
• Brass and steel fittings are used throughout. Realistic upholstery seats.
• Based on real drawings and copies of the plans for the Chris Craft Runabout as well as photos.
• Comes with a wooden base for perfect display.
• Also perfectly suitable for storage in one of our many display cases: ask for more details.

About the Chris Craft Runabout 1930

In 1874, a 13-year-old Michigan boy built himself a skiff. The folks in Algonac liked it and asked the enterprising youngster to build more. And he did. Chris Smith went on to become one of the premier boatbuilders in America. His company, Chris-Craft, became synonymous with pleasure boating.

By the 1920s, Chris-Craft was building a variety of models at a range of price points so there was a “boat within the reach of everyone.” The public responded. It was the Roaring ’20s, with easy money, fast cars and leisure time for boating. At the end of the decade, Chris-Craft had become the largest-volume producer of standardized powerboats in the world. Among the most distinctive boats were the triple-cockpit runabouts — 11 models starting at 20 feet. (The boat shown here is a 25-footer from 1937.) Elegant dayboats, they were built of double-planked mahogany (with oiled canvas in between) on white oak frames. A single engine powered them at speeds that ranged from 28 to 45 mph, and they were deemed “safe for the amateur to operate.”

The sales pitch worked because the boats were a lot like automobiles. The driver sat up front behind an adjustable windshield, and the helm had an automobile-style steering wheel, throttle controls, a dashboard with gauges and a floor-mounted gearshift lever. The bench seating (with kapok filling) was separated into three cockpits, similar to the seats in a big touring car. The gas engine (Ford, Chrysler or Hercules) was mounted between the middle and aft cockpits.

This beautiful 1930 – 28′ Runabout was one of first quality pleasure power boats that was affordable. But the truth be known…these boats flourished during Prohibition with the demand for speed in water transportation. The remote areas along waterways on the Great lakes, upstate New-York and the Eastern shore were havens for gin mills. Both bootleggers and the Law required fast efficient transportation to travel to out-of-the way areas.