Chris Craft Constellations by Murray, Uniflite & Pacemaker

The History of the Chris Craft Constellation 460, 500, & 501 Their Predecessors and Successors

Egg Harbor
In 1946, Russell Post, Phil Boyd, Harold Care and C. P. Leek formed the Egg Harbor Boat Company and began producing a 28 foot wooden sea skiff. During the 1950s C.P. Leek took financial control of Egg Harbor and merged it with Pacemaker Yachts.

Pacemaker
In the 1960s this new merged company became one of the largest yacht manufacturers in the US. In 1965 the company was sold to Fuqua Industries and in the early 1970s, converted from wood to fiberglass construction. In 1976 Fuqua Industries sold both Egg Harbor and Pacemaker to Mission Marine & Associates who operated the companies as separate businesses.

Pacemaker 46 MotorYacht
Due to the conversion from wood to fiberglass and its changed business status Pacemaker needed a design for a new motoryacht in the mid 40 foot length range which could be constructed in fiberglass. Pacemaker went to David Martin, a well known New Jersey naval architect, for the design of this new yacht. Mr. Martin produced a 46 foot long design which became known as the Pacemaker 46 Motoryacht and was introduced by Pacemaker in 1977.

Pacemaker
The David Martin design was 46’3” long with a 15’3” beam and draft of 4’4”. Its displacement was 41,000 lbs. Between 1977 and 1980 (when Pacemaker went out of business) about 22 Pacemaker 46 Motoryachts were built of which 13 (59%) are presently on the market.

Similarity to Murray Chris Craft Constellations
The Pacemaker 46 foot motoryacht was extremely similar in construction and décor to the later Chris Craft Constellations. A Constellation owner would barely notice the difference. While Pacemaker was a financially profitable business, its parent company, Mission Marine and Associates, got into financial trouble and was forced into Chapter 11 in 1979.

Uniflite
Shortly after Pacemaker closed its doors Uniflite (United Boat Builders) of Bellingham, Washington acquired the mold for the Pacemaker 46 Motoryacht from Pacemaker’s plant on the East Coast and started a second Uniflite plant in Swansboro, North Carolina. In April 1980, a fire almost totally destroyed the Uniflite plant in Bellingham but since the mold was in Swansboro Uniflite was able to continue production of the 46 foot motoryacht.

Uniflite 46
The 46’ Uniflite was called the Uniflite 46 Motoryacht or sometimes 46’ Tri-Cabin Uniflite and was produced from 1981 to 1984. On the basis of documentation records 21 Uniflite 46s were built of which only 3 are presently on the market.

Uniflite 50
In early 1984 Uniflite extended the 46 foot hull to 50 feet with the intention of marketing a 50 foot motoryacht but apparently only one was ever built.

Murray Chris Craft
In 1984 Murray Chris Craft purchased Uniflite, Inc. and its plants in Bellingham, Washington and Swansboro, NC. The acquisition added the 46 and 50 foot Uniflite motoryachts to the Chris Craft line of boats. The new models became the Chris Craft Constellation 460 and Chris Craft Constellation 500 respectively. The Uniflite 46 and 50 foot motoryachts had been built at the Swansboro facility and production of the two Constellation models under Murray Chris Craft continued there.

Constellation 460s
Constellation 460s were produced from 1984 to 1988 using 475 Hp. Detroit 671TIs for power plants but the level of production was small relative to the Constellation 500 model. Only about 30 Constellation 460s were produced in contrast to more than 73 Constellation 500s in the five years (1984-1988) they were built.

Constellation 500s
The first Constellation 500 was built in June of 1984 making the first model year 1985. Engines for the Constellation 500s were the Detroit 530 Hp. 6V92TI and the more powerful but also more troublesome 550 Hp. 6V92TA models. In 1986 production of the 500s dropped to less than 24 followed by further drops in 1987 and 1988 in which only about 10 and 7 were built.

Constellation 501s
The first Constellation 501 was built in August 1986 making the first model year 1987. It was not listed as introduced in the 1987 model line but apparently at least five were built. The 1988 model year officially introduced the 501 as Chris Craft’s top of the line motoryacht. About 19 of this new model were built compared to only 5 of the older 500 models. Unfortunately, total production was only 24 yachts.

OMC Chris Craft
After 1988, when Murray Chris Craft closed, OMC bought out Murray and carried on the Chris Craft name but dropped the 460 and 500 models. Small scale production of Constellation 501s was continued but over the 3 year 1989-1991 period only 50 (12 per year) 501s were produced. The last Constellations were finished in 1990. After completion of the last Constellation, the Swansboro plant was sold to Tiara Yachts. It is visible from the ICW and was still producing Tiara yachts in 2004.

Total Production
Altogether about 176 motoryachts of the Jack Martin design were built. Most of them are still in existance and operating. These were wonderful yachts and still are but most of them are nearly 20 years old now and requiring more maintenance than when they were new. As an owner of a 1987 Chris Craft Constellation (similar to the one shown below) I would like to use this forum to exchange ideas and experiences in repairing and maintaining Constellations.

If you have a Constellation or or one of it's relatives and know of someone who does please post a message on this forum.

CaptOlin

Hi SeaEric,

Yes I know about the location of “Resolute” the first Connie 501 built. It’s on the hard in a boat yard just north of my slip at Piney Narrows Yacht Haven on Kent Island, MD. I can see it out of the starboard windows of my Connie. It’s been there for about three years and is for sale by the brokers. She’s probably priced too high because there hasn’t been any action on her for years. Prior to coming to Kent Island she was for sale in New York for several years.
There were approximately 176 Connies (and their predecessors) built and most of them (over 160) are still afloat and operational. Not too bad a survival rate for yachts that are up to 37 years old with the bulk of them 25 to 28 years old.
I have addresses for the owners of about half of them but it is getting harder to track them down because as the price drops many of the new owners aren’t bothering to document. I’ve been making up address labels and have about 75 complete. In the near future I’ll send out letters announcing this new forum to all the known owners.
But the whereabouts and ownership of about half of the Connies is still unknown. So if any of you guys see a Connie, try to copy the hull number and name off the transom. The hull number is molded into the right hand side of the transom about 4” below the gunnel in letters about 3/8” high. The address of the owner wouldn’t hurt either provided he doesn’t mind. And pass the word on to him about this new web forum.

I get most of my info on Connies from ther CG Documentation records. But occasionally I get info from other sources. My records show that about 40 501s were built with the last being completed in 1990. This is about the same conclusions that you have.

Every once in a while one of these yachts comes on the market and when it does I record the broker's listing and post it the Forum DVD. But I'm getting ahead of myself because I haven't yet defined what the Forum DVD is. That will be done in a post in the near future.

CaptOlin, 2/15/13

Hi Eric,

Yeah, I figured out who you were by reading some of your old posts. And it didn't take long for you to figure out who I was. Small world, isn't it?

Now that you mention it I do remember that they put "Resolute" back in the water. She used to be way out in the back of Walt's yard. The Connie I'm seeing now is closer to the front.

I don't dread brokers. They are a necessary evil. I was one myself a long time ago. Back when I was a broker they had programs that would search the CG (and other) records to find the owners of specific types of boats. If you have access to one of those programs it would be quite useful in getting this forum going. In order to make a forum work you have to contact the owners. There are thousands of web sites so the probability that they will accidentally find out about this forum is very small.

I'm in Florida on vacation now but we can talk about it when I get back (in early March). My goal is to expand on the glories of Connies. Your goal is to sell them. So maybe we have mutual interests.

CaptOlin, 2/15/13

Hi All,

I'm in Florida and went to the Miami Boat Show yesterday. There wasn't much new and the show seems to be dwindling with the years. Every year it seems a bit smaller. But I did find one thing of possible interest to Connie owners

Do you know about that J shaped sofa in the upper salon. Mine is of course about 26 years old now and looking a little shopworn. I've been planning on replacing it. So when I saw a display of new sofas by Glastop I checked into it. The sofas looked pretty good and they will make them any size you need in a wide range of colors. At first it seemed like the answer to a maiden's prayer but when I looked at the price it was about $2800.

So if you've been planning on a new sofa don't throw the old one out quite yet. It may be worth reupholstering it although that's expensive too. Anyway I've now got a ballpark price. And with that ballpark price I'm thinking that reupholstering looks like a pretty good alternative.

CaptOlin, 2/15/13

Hi All,

While at the Miami boat show I also looked at anchors. My old 35 lb. Danforth (now 26 years old) is beginning to rust and look shabby. Rezincing it is one option but it seems to be almost as expensive as a new anchor.

All the anchor guys have those new stainless steel models that look beautiful on your bow but I'd never buy one. They're too tempting to crooks who will steal one. And those SS anchors are expensive!! It's interesting that the latest Defender catalog doesn't even offer a single stainless steel anchor. I guess they dont sell too well. They're just eye candy at the boat show.

Actually, an old rusty anchor is probably best (as long as it works and is sound) because no one would want to steal it. But of course it doesn't do anything to boost your pride in your boat.

My old Danforth has been pretty reliable. It always hooks except when you get some of that soft gooey Chesapeake mud that's 20 feet deep. Then nothing will hold.

The Fortress works pretty well in mud because you can usually oversize it without overstressing your windlass. But in grass they just seem to slide over the bottom without hooking; not enough weight. Cost wise it seems the Danforth Standard, Danforth High Tensile and Lewmar Delta are about the same with all slightly less than $300 in a size suitable for a Connie.

The Rocna, is an excellent design but costs about 50% more. I'm sort of leaning towards a Delta because it fits the bow pulpit better than the others but on the other hand I've had 35 years experience with Danforths and been pretty satisfied. So perhaps I should stay with the "tried and true".

Anyone have any comments?

CaptOlin, 2/15/13

Old Backup Anchor

Hi Chesapeake46,

I have an old pre-WW2 Danforth which I use as a backup anchor I painted it with red Rustoleum several years ago. I'm not sure of it's exact rating but it looks like it's slightly smaller than a 35 pounder. It isn't very pretty but it works.

Painting makes an anchor look better but it doesn't make the rusted parts any stronger. I think my old 35# Danforth has lost some of it's strength and needs to be replaced. Painting won't solve problem. Also Danforths don't fit the bow pulpit very well. The cross arms stick out beyond the pulpit and snag pilings. This is another reason I think a Delta anchor would work better.

I'm not looking for greater holding power. The holding power of the present Danforth maxes out the 5/16" chain rode for most bottoms.

CaptOlin

Connie Wiring

Hi John,

I have pictures and specs on your 1982 Uniflite 46 in my archives. She's a nice looking yacht. She used to be called Alisyn.

As you know, Uniflite, was bought out by Murray Chris Craft in 1984. At the time the Uniflites were being built at the Uniflite plant in Swansboro, NC. As far as I can tell Murray continued building the Uniflite 46 (now named the Chris Craft Constellation 460) through 1986 at the same plant with pretty much the same employees.

My drawings of the electrical system on my 1987 Connie 500 have Chris Craft labels but indicate that the drawings were made in 1982 (two years before Murray took over). This makes me conclude that they are carbon copies (except for the title block) of the Uniflite drawings. It makes sense if you are making the same boat with the same employees in the same factory to keep the drawings the same.

So I think you could use the Chris Craft electrical drawings for your Uniflite. They would, at least, be an excellent starting point.

When I first got my Connie, I took my electrical drawings to Kinkos and had them copied. I like to have copies of important documents. I keep the new copies on the boat and the originals at home.

My originals are rather dogeared but I can have copies made if you want. Perhaps another Connie owner with better originals would volunteer to make copies of his drawings.

CaptOlin

PS: I would be remiss if I didn't mention unifliteworld. There's a lot of good data there. But you've probably alread found that site.

Hi John,

This post was originally made on June 01, 2010 on another forum but since it applies to your window problems I'll re-post it here.

Subject: Window Leaks

In the past a lot of owners have complained of window leaks from the side windows in the upper salon. The windows were made by Aluminum 2000 (a division of Pompanette). You can find them easily on the web. The figure below is a cross section of one of the side windows:

[Sorry John, this forum has no way to post images from my computer, I'll have to see if there is a fix for this.]

As you can see the windows ride in tracks and are captured on the top and bottom by the window frame. If you look toward the bottom you will see the label "WEEPS". These are the holes which are supposed to drain the water out of the window frame. But over time debris accumulates in the cavity below the frame and plugs the Weeps.

This can be reduced by occasionally hosing out the window frame. But even with care the debris acts like a sponge which traps and holds water at the bottom of the cavity. And since there is a certain amount of salt in the water it eventually corrodes out the bottom of the window frame. From there on out you have window leaks.

The glass can be removed easily but only after removing the upper anti-lift strip (#7). Use a pair of needle nose pliers to grip it and then pull it out. Once removed the glass can be lifted enough to clear the lower window channel (#8).

The only way to fix the leaks is to remove the windows and frame from the boat, clean the frame and then weld up the leaks. Caulking compounds may work for a while but will not stick to corroded aluminum and the leaks will eventually re-occur.

This post has been stored in the Connie On-Line Library under Windows/Connie Window Channels

Pete37

PS: Yes John, I am also the infamous Pete37 from another forum. I'll try to email you a picture to go with this post.

CaptOlin

Hi All,

Subject: We Can’t Anchor Out

My wife and I have a 50’ Chris Craft Constellation motoryacht which we call a Connie. It has three staterooms, three heads (2 in suite), spacious upper and lower salons, a fully equipped galley with stove, microwave, dishwasher and 20 cu. ft. refrigerator/freezer, 1000 hp. of diesel engines, a 20 KW diesel generator, 3 TV sets, a stereo with 8 speakers spread about the boat, 20 mile radar, color GPS plotter, hailer, two depth sounders, three showers, hot and cold pressurized running water, a fully stocked bar, etc., etc., etc. We should be able to go anywhere and do anything we want.

What can’t we do? We can’t anchor out.

With all these luxuries my wife just can’t even conceive of roughing it in any way. We can go just about anywhere we want. The diesel engines and 600 gallons of diesel will take us anywhere within 450 miles. Expensive, but we’ll get there. But once we get there and anchor, the wife insists we crank up the genny so that we can enjoy all the benefits of 20 KW of electric power. After all we have the power so why shouldn’t we use it?

But the genny makes a lot of noise and is expensive to run (over $100 a day at full load). There’s no way we could sleep with all that generator racket. And all the sailboats in the anchorage would probably gang up and cut our anchor rode anyway to “get rid of that noisy powerboat”. Without power all the food in the refrigerator would go bad, the heads wouldn’t work and lighting would be minimal. Air conditioning, of course, would be out of the question. And showers, if we could get the water pressure working, would have to be cold. In short, our beautiful yacht would have all the creature comforts of an army pup tent; except of course, that the beds and bunks are more comfortable.

So what can’t we do? We can’t anchor out.

The obvious answer is to add some sort of power source that is quiet, safe, doesn’t burn much fuel and doesn’t cost too much. A smaller auxiliary diesel generator was considered but after considerable looking we found that the lowest price was about $4,500 plus another $2,000 for installation, that they were quieter but by no means silent and that they tended to produce prodigious amounts of smoke. Not exactly what you would want to put up with all evening. We looked into solar panels and wind generators. Solar panels in particular didn’t work too well at night and wind generators were a flop during calms. Of course you could add battery banks to store up the energy but they really didn’t create enough power to make it worth storing.

So what couldn’t we do? We couldn’t anchor out.

The small portable, gasoline powered, Honda generators introduced last year looked promising for a while. They were small, lightweight, inexpensive and produced about 1,600 watts; plenty of power for anchoring out but not enough to run the galley for preparing meals. And in spite of their advertising, under load they were noisy. Because they were gasoline powered the only safe place for them was on the swim platform just behind the master stateroom. So it would sort of be like having a chainsaw motor running outside your window all night. And because they are so small and portable they are a prime target for thieves. You would have to chain them to the swim platform and you wouldn’t be very popular with the sailboats in the anchorage either. After much consideration we abandoned that approach.

So what can’t we do? We can’t anchor out.

At this point we seem to be down to one remaining option; the inverter/generator approach. In this approach a large bank of batteries is installed in the boat. During periods when the generator is on the battery bank is charged with a battery charger. When the generator is off the energy in the battery bank is tapped off to an electrical inverter which converts the DC to AC for powering whatever AC devices are needed during the periods when the generator is off.

We know the inverter/generator approach works. The Germans operated a whole fleet of submarines during WWII with this technique. Of course there will be differences between our Connie and a German submarine. We won’t be firing torpedoes at anyone and I doubt that anyone will depth-charge us in return. We won’t be operating much under water and we won’t have 70 men sharing the same head. So things should be much more pleasant on our Connie.

What can we do? With the inverter/generator we can anchor out until we run out of food, water and fuel.

I’ve been looking at the “anchoring out” problem for about a year and now I know how to build the inverter/generator system and what the cost will be. In the next post I’ll discuss why we want to anchor out and what the benefits are. And then in subsequent posts I will describe how it’s built and what some of the problems are.

Hope you are interested in this thread. It can save you quite a bit of money.

CaptOlin, 3/14/13

Deleted due to 60 minute limit.

Hi rcrapps,

No, I'm not looking for a new wife. I'm still happily married to my first wife and intend to keep it that way. Naturally, she doesn't like to anchor out on a hot day without the AC. I don't either.

The inverter won't solve the AC problem but at least we will have enough power to run the fridge, a TV, a computer, some lights, etc.

Glad to hear that you have an inverter and that your wife likes to anchor out on it. Hoping my wife feels the same way when (and if) we get ours installed.

What type of inverter do you have, have you had any problems with it and are you satsfied with it? Could you give us any details on your inverter? I and probably other readers would like to hear about it.

No, the post was definitely not a sales pitch. I don't have anything to sell except the concept of having an inverter. I think, the inverter is one of the best gadgets you can add to a Connie and I'd like to get as much info as possible on what experience other owners have had with their inverters.

I did a survey and found that only about three Connie owners out of 73 have inverters. I hope to be the fourth. Your info may help me sell the concept of having an inverter to my wife.

CaptOlin