Courtesy: Ray Daugherty
We have been in the market for a sailboat for a while now that we’ve moved to Tampa. The search came to an unexpected turn when we came across a 35′ Chris-Craft Carribean. I was shocked at first. I’ve been a fan of the Chris-Craft brand my entire life. The powerboats they’ve built have been turning heads for more a century. The wood finish of their classic runabout makes her a real looker. You often see them used in any film that has anything to do with Venice. You see a few of them in an epic boat chase through the Venetian lagoon in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
I learned during a search that Chris-Craft designers Sparkman and Stephens were tasked to design sailboats for the legendary powerboat company. It’s like if you asked Ferarri to a motorhome and the results were amazing. In the next 15 years, they built eight models between 26 and 35 feet.
I got the opportunity to do a walkthrough of one of these amazing ladies in Cape Coral, about 2 hours and 20 minutes south of Tampa. The owner Ray has kept her in remarkably good condition. You’d never guess the vessel was more than 45 years old. Her lines are classic with a sharp bluff. The cabin is remarkably spacious with plenty of headroom. You have two staterooms (one fore and one aft) each with a head (bathroom). The center of the cabin (or the lounge) has a nice dinette and a great galley. He even equipped it with fridge designed by a physicist that specializes in thermodynamics. In short, you can keep ice cream in your galley. I snapped a few pictures during my tour and hope you can appreciate the beauty of this wonderful example of marine architecture.
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