“Miss Belle Isle”, 1925
Chris Smith & Sons Boat Co.
Algonac, Michigan
Gift of Chris-Craft Industries

One of the Oldest Known Chris-Craft Boats in Existence

Adopting Henry Ford’s practice of mass production, Chris-Craft became a worldwide leader in producing high quality powerboats. Other companies produced excellent quality boats, but they were mostly custom, made to order designs for wealthy clients. Chris-Craft developed a limited variety of models that could be produced at a lower cost while still maintaining a high level of quality. This allowed the boats to be marketed to a potentially wider audience and ultimately made the name “Chris-Craft” synonymous with the epitome of a classic boat.

Like many of the Chris-Crafts of the 1920s, Miss Belle Isle was powered by a World War I surplus Curtiss OX-5 aircraft engine. The boat originally sold for $2,950.