D
uring my previous life as
a yacht broker, I spent
more than a solid year in
total stood on boats at
boat shows observing
and talking to potential
boat buyers. About 90%
of them headed straight
inside and started comparing the interior with
other boats that they’d seen.
For many families the boat is as much a holiday
home as it is a passage-making seafarer so the
interior is fundamental to the buying process. But
as manufacturers major on the interior, there’s a
degree of ubiquity creeping in too. If you lined up
mid 30-foot sportscruisers from Bénéteau,
Bavaria, Jeanneau, Sea Ray and all the other
mainstream builders, could you honestly tell
which was which with the badges removed?
Put a Chris-Craft among them and you’d spot
it a mile off. Those elegant retro lines with its
fl ared bow, tumblehome stern and distinctive
colour scheme of dark blue hull with contrasting
cream upholstery would stand out anywhere.
And even though this all-new Launch 36 has a
very comfortable interior, there is no escaping the
fact that it has been designed with the emphasis
on outdoor living.
Chris-Craft owner Stephen Julius knows
there is no point chasing the volume end of the
market. “It is already being done very well by
very established brands,” says Stephen. “I don’t
want Chris-Craft to be another ‘me too’ brand.
Chris-Craft has something else to offer, it has
real heritage.”
He should know. It was Stephen who bought,
turned around and sold Riva to Ferretti in the
1990s and he’s been following a similar path with
Chis-Craft since buying the bankrupt business
and empty factory in 2001.
His goal is not to chase the 90% of buyers
looking for the biggest possible boat for the
least possible outlay but to attract the
10% of buyers looking for something altogether
more special. “Look at the new MINI,” says
Stephen. “The MINI offers less space, a tiny boot
and three doors when you could buy a larger,
more practical car for less money, and yet it is a
massive success. And that’s because it has fantastic
styling and behind the looks, real ability.”
In fact, the Launch 36 is the latest and largest of
the Chris-Craft range, a sportscruiser that’s
designed primarily for use as a dayboat but with
space to stay on board for several nights.
Not your typical 38-footer, this weekender from Chris-
Craft has more than enough to get the heart fl uttering
Text: Nick Burnham Photos: Chris-Craft
CHRIS-CR AFT
LAUNCH 36
