A couple of folks have suggested the disappearing post was a FB problem, not a moderation issue. So, Ill try a couple more, since these have gotten so many likes. Ill try to recreate the original text without re-doing the research. Experts among you, please forgive any mistakes. Chris-Craft wanted to try fiberglass. The 1958/59 Silver Arrow was originally intended to be a molded, all-fiberglass boat, borrowing from competitors and from the fledgling automotive fiberglass industry. However, as I understand it, a competitors all-fiberglass boat suffered a crackup at-speed in front of a boat show audience. This spooked the family ownership of C-C. They decided that theyd fiberglass over a traditional plank-over-frame hull (except for an all-glass deck and engine cover), but only down to the waterline. Of course, this required the wood be finished before it was fiberglassed, and since it wasnt done in a mold the fiberglass had to be finished in a duplicate step. That, in turn, drove up weight AND cost. Ive heard speculation that C-C lost money on every SA built (92 as I recall). Since the hull below the waterline was still wood, and buyers (not to mention subsequent purchasers of used SAs) tended to treat them like all-fiberglass (which requires a lot less car), few of the SAs survived. I understand the family ownership converted to a corporate structure shortly after all this.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 01:41:21 +0000
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