Parker Payne, a 22-year-old professional wake and surf hailing from Dallas, is trailing his elegant Chris-Craft as the rider ollies, spins and cuts his way through his way across Sarasota Bay, spouting a plume of frothy water behind him.
This boat is not your grandmother’s Chris-Craft. If feats of extreme Gen Z athleticism seem at odds with the 150-year-old boat builder’s elegant, understated image, Chris Craft’s leadership hopes its latest lineup will change the perception of Chris-Craft.
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Starting at $203,000, the Sportster 25 Surf is the company’s latest, most compact and most sporty vessel, specifically designed for wake-surfers with the ability to bob behind a boat that is cruising at 11 miles an hour. The live demonstration on display at Longboat Key Club Resort at Longboat Key Club–10 miles from Chris-Craft’s Sarasota, Florida headquarters–hinted at the energetic lifestyle Chris-Craft hopes to offer to its growing portfolio of wake and surf vessels.
Chris-Craft Targets Younger Watersports Enthusiasts
The company has been busy, launching models at a faster clip than any previously in its time. Famous for its iconic style, Chris-Craft has now left the pandemic with a plan to reach young, well-heeled watersports enthusiasts who find an expensive, million-dollar 37-footer too expensive.
“With the supply chain challenges facing the industry, we saw an opportunity to take a fresh look at consumers of boats below 28 feet,” Chris-Craft CEO Steve Heese tells Robb Report. “Typically buyers on smaller lakes don’t need a solid mahogany dash and the cost that goes along with it.”
Expanding Offerings: More Models for New Audiences
The venture into smaller, more sporty boats is an untapped business for Chris-Craft. Before the epidemic the company released two new boats each year, which is the industry norm. Today, the custom-built boat maker launches three to four new models each year and many of them are target at prospective buyers in their 30s and 40s.
“Above 28 feet, we have a customer who just wants what they want, and they’re not so focused on price,” Heese says. “Below 28 feet, we have a more value-conscious consumer, and we can’t go crazy on the design enhancements that cost a lot of money.”
Reviving Tradition: Crafting Boats for the Young
The new focus on a young demographic is a back to the roots of the company. The founder Christopher Columbus Smith built his first wooden boat, a skiff, in 1874, when he was a 13-year-old boy living along the St. Clair River in Algonac, Michigan. Smith’s early efforts led him into designing larger, faster vessels that attracted buyers with high net worth which eventually led to the creation of the world’s biggest manufacturer of mahogany-based runabouts.
Chris-Craft unveiled the $150,000 standard version of the Sportster 25 in July. The surf edition that includes an enormous aft sun pad and an expansive swim platform that has an easy pull-out step to allow safe access to the ocean, will be available in September.
Chris-Craft Joins Elite Wake and Surf Builders
The company is following in the collection of specialty builders which includes Correct Craft, MasterCraft, and Malibu, that created the wake and surf boat market more than 10 years ago.
The new emphasis on a younger demographic represents a revival of the company’s roots. Founder Christopher Columbus Smith built his first wooden craft, a skiff in 1874. He was just a young boy growing up along the St. Clair River in Algonac, Michigan. He incorporated his early work into the creation of larger, faster boats that attracted wealthy purchasers which eventually led to the creation of the world’s biggest manufacturer of mahogany runabouts.
Chris-Craft launched the standard version of the Sportster 25 in July. The surf version includes a large front sun pad as well as an expansive swim platform that has a pull-out step for safe access to the water, was launched in September.
Following Leaders: Towboat Quality and Expertise
The company is following the speciality builders, led by Correct Craft, MasterCraft, and Malibu, that created the wakesurf boat market more than 10 years back. These three brands are considered the best builders in the towboat market, primarily because of their quality and the expertise required to design new models for a clientele that is both focused on brand image and is enthralled by small details.
Unflinching and utilizing its own brand equity, Chris-Craft has launched three additional surf-themed editions since the beginning of 2019all based upon the company’s premium Launch GT range. This one, the Sportster 25 Surf marks the debut edition for surf in the Sportster collection.
Heese expects strong demand for the model, and anticipates an even part of the Sportster 25’s sterndrive as well as surf versions. “It was designed from the start to offer the wake surf system as an option, so we built compartments within the boat to hold water ballast tanks,” Heese says. “We allotted space for pumps and a control system for the dash to control the wake technology.”
Undeterred and using its own brand’s equity, Chris-Craft has launched three additional surf-themed editions since the beginning of 2019all based upon the company’s larger and more costly Launch GT line. Its Sportster 25 Surf marks the debut surf edition from the Sportster line.
New Model Combines Stern Drive and Surf Innovation
Heese expects huge demand for the new model, predicting an even distribution of sales between its stern drive as well as surf editions. “It was designed from the start to offer the wake surf system as an option, so we built compartments within the boat to hold water ballast tanks,” he says. “We allotted space for pumps and a control system for the dash to control the wake technology.”
The company will launch another surf boat, which is based on the bigger Sportster 28, in March.
Design engineer Callie Gillespie tells Robb Report that the craft features larger trim tabs that extend further downwards to create the appearance of a wave billowing out from behind It results in sports car-like handling that creates a formidable surf wave.
“We wanted to make sure that there was a perfect weigh-to-ride ratio,” Gillespie says. Still, the surf boat’s design is reminiscent of Chris-Craft’s classic aesthetic, boasting details such as majestic teak decks, smooth leather upholstery, with intricate stitching, and an elegant teak console that is located in the cockpit. To create the Sportster 25, the boat maker partnered in conjunction with JL Audio for a premium audio system. It’s a feature that’s standard on all wake-surf brands’ products. However, Chris-Craft owns the design for the bespoke aluminum grille and bezel that surrounds the speaker.
The stern has an enormous sunpad that can be used for relaxation.
Robb Report’s tour of the factory revealed the art hidden behind it, from the organized and labeled wiring hidden within the fiberglass, to precise grain-matching for the trim on the wood and soft carpet woven in the flooring. Each boat must pass through 700 inspection points, starting from the bow to the stern, before leaving the garage doors at the factory.
We openly invest in quality tooling,” says Ron Berman, vice president of engineering. This commitment to crafting top-caliber boats is crucial as Chris-Craft sets itself apart in the wake-surf marketplace, which primarily values quality
