42 CLASSIC BOAT AUGUST 2016CHRIS CRAFT RESTORATION
With no engine box, the cockpit could be given a
U-shaped seating plan for eight people, plus
swivelling helm and navigator’s seats – red leather
upholstery making a striking contrast to the dark
hull and rich timber.
Down forward there was room for a double berth,
flushing lavatory compartment to port, and small galley
to starboard. It was decided to avoid the complication
of cooking, with priority being given to fridge and
cool-box capacity. This is fed from the mains shore-
supply when the boat is alongside and the main battery
bank when it is afloat.
As an aside, while we may look at Chris Craft as
being hand-built wooden boats, they were in fact as
much production craft as the most modern glassfibre
Fairline or Princess. All the timber was pre-cut in giant
kits, which were assembled on production lines,
enabling the factory to turn out literally thousands of
identical boats, at economical prices, mirroring the
example set by Henry Ford. It is a tribute to its
methods that hundreds of these craft still remain in the
USA today. Their berth is right in the centre of Henley,
and when Pip and Matthew spend the night on
board, they have an arrangement with the adjacent
pubs and tea-rooms, who sometimes even bring
breakfast and dinner down on a tray.
Covers and canopies are always a chore on an open
boat like this. Casino Royale has a full-length, standing
headroom canopy to keep off the sun and rain, which
stows neatly out of site behind the rear seats. An overallClockwise from
top left: Casino
Royale cruises
silently with
minimal wash;
Iroko planking
replaced the
original
mahogany; the
TELCO Ecodrive
fits neatly under
the floor; Steve
Dennett working
on the new
transomEMRHYS BARRELL; DENNETTScover keeps the boat clean between trips, and is held
down with lead pockets and hidden straps to make it
quick to deploy and remove.
Classic Boat went out in the boat during Regatta
Week and loved the trip. Underway the boat handles
superbly. The electric motor gives instant acceleration,
with a noticeable surge as it takes off. The big rudder
and positive steering enables it to turn almost in its own
length, while there is enough power and speed to pass
the dawdlers down the reach, cruising almost wash free.
It seems too obvious to say the motor is silent, but
underway all you hear is the wake bubbling up from
under the stern. As we settled down with our first
drink, we suddenly looked up and found the boat had
glided away from its berth and was in mid-stream.
From then on it was just a question of waving
to the admiring passers by, on the river and the bank,
for this is most definitely a boat that turns heads
and gets admiring glances from newcomers to the
river and old hands alike.
And the name? Well John was a fan of James Bond,
and Casino Royale was chosen as the working title for
the project as being appropriate for a boat that captures
the spirit of a raffish era and lifestyle.
And remarkably it was then found that no-one had
registered the name previously on the Thames.For more information or to try the boat out, go to:
dennettboatbuilders.co.uk, thameselectric.com,
henleyontamesis.com