Need Advise on Chris Craft Constellation Purchase

My dad had a 1969 65' CC Connie, RPH we kept in Holland, Michigan. As best I remember, it was only one of five built. It was a real yacht in those days, but a boat by today's standards. Spent weekends cruising to Grand Rapids with an occasional crossing to Chicago. At 14 years old, I had worked up to being captain, but my dad was always close-by when docking and I can't say I ever backed it down a slip. However I was pretty good at it with a 13' Whaler.

My dad had a number of boats through the years but always reflected on the Connie with great admiration. I don't recall any of the boat's nuances and I certainly couldn't venture a guess to the problems that manifest themselves in a 50 year old boat, no matter what material the hull is comprised of. If you proceed to purchase, just keep in mind it's a labor of love and wood is good... unless it's in water.

I question only 5 built, unless you mean in 1969, as here in Southern California we have 2 65' Connies, Legend & Victoria (which is hull #1) and about 5 years ago I was involved in the wreck removal of a 65' called Pacific Pearl at the time of sinking. We also have a 65' Pilot house model out here. We have owned 3 57' Connies. They are were fast orginnally the first 57' we had was a 1971 and we got it up to 21 knots. Watch for wood rot at the stern corners. You can easily spend more than your $30,000 inital investment on the bottom if your not careful.

My preference would be the 1963-52' with the diesels. By 1963 the profile had evolved to what I view as the "classic" Connie cabin side with the "bullet" shaped forward end. The 52' is a great model with a nice layout. They typically do better at haulout in the aft end, where the 57'ers want to sag due to the weight of the fuel tanks in the lazarrette. Many of the 57's have quite a droop in the aft 10' of boat when you sight them from bow to stern.

The 1961-50' still has the round port at the forward end of the cabin side, which only existed for a year or 2 and (I think) really dates the boat.

Plus, I think with a big girl like this, they should be diesel not gas.

Be careful of teak side and fore decks that may be leaking and allowing rain water to run down the inside of the hull. Since the Connies are batten seamed, standing water inside the hull sides will make them rot from the inside out. If you ever walk up to a Connie and see that the hull paint is bubbled or loose, its because there is moisture in the wood.

The other big problem with these models is the steel posts that support the cabin top and hardtop. They are encased in wood so they are hard to inspect. When water intrudes on these they obviously rust out. Once structurally compromised they begin to allow the cabin top and/or hardtop to rack. In a heavy sea, there can be quite a bit of movement. Not good. A telltale sign of this is cracked glass in the cabin windows, or cabin leaks that are impossible to trace or fix. The steel post repair is not easy or cheap to do.

In their day, the big Connies were that yachts by which all others were judged. There truly is no more Classic production wood boat than a big Connie. Its amazing how many have survived and still thrive.

Good luck with whatever your choice becomes.

Are these the bull-nose (rounded) or cutter (sharp) styled bow?

A buddy has a 42' bull-nose Connie and it is a much more complex assembly than the cutter style I've got on my 52. The drain pipes get to leaking and are a pain. They are pretty though.

ohcandyman, have you done a detailed inspection yourself? I'm talking about spending one whole day crawling through the deepest, darkest corners of each boat. Did you use a camera to take pictures behind panels everywhere you could stick your hand in but not your head? Were both boats refastened at least from the keel to the waterline? You can spend >$10k on silicon bronze screws for a proper refasten job (that doesn't include labor, and it is a very laborious job).

Do you have any pix?

I loved the look of the RPH, it must have been something else to have owned one of them new. Sad to hear about the FTL yacht sinking.