1959 Chris Craft Capri For Sale (Consigned)

This restored Capri is in wonderful condition and ready to to be enjoyed for the summer. Fully restored in 2004 with very few hours since restoration. Trailer included.

The following items were performed during the restoration of this 1959 Capri:

1. Restoration began with the disassembly of the hull. The engine is taken out, upholstery, hardware and wiring are removed. The boat is turned upside down and the bottom planking removed, so that is down to the bare bottom framework of the boat showing frames, chines, keel, stem and gripe.

2. Each joint in the bottom framework was taken apart and reassembled with new stainless steel fasteners and 3M5200 at all joints. This means all keel bolts, chine bolts, frame bolts, all the bolts in the stem and the gripe. This was done because the original bronze fasteners, (bolts and screws) begin to lose their zinc after about 30 years. The fastener looks pretty good, but it is somewhat green and is quite brittle since it is now mostly copper.

3. Any frame that was questionable was replaced. All the framework was painted with 2 coats of Smith’s CPES (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer. This is a wood product not a petroleum product. It never gets hard like you normally think of epoxy; it has the consistency of water and soaks into the wood. It seals the wood so no moisture goes in or out of it again. This means the frames will not swell or shrink in the presence of water. But after 2 coats of CPES and 2 coats of oil”base bilge paint, water should never get to them.

4. The inner bottom is new 1/4” marine grade plywood painted with 2 coots of CPES and fastened to the frames with bronze boat nails and laid in 3M5200. The outer bottom is all new planking painted with 2 coats of CPES and set in 3M5200 spread over the plywood inner bottom with a 1/4” notched trowel. After a week the 3M5200 solidifies into rubber making it virtually impossible for water to get into a joint to begin the rot process. This bottom should never leak, but it will still flex like a wood boat should.

5. Next the sides of the boat are installed. The old wood planking is removed and all frames inspected and any questionable frame was replaced. All the wood planks are new; the old wood was not reused. Old wood begins to lose its strength when the oils go out of it and with shrinking and expanding of moisture where the edges of the old planks are crushed.

6. Behind every plank seam is a batten. The planks on each side of the seam are screwed into the batten every 4 inches. Since the old battens would be weak for the reasons discussed above not to mention a hundred or so screw holes, all the battens were replaced before installing the new quarter sawn planks. Quarter sawn planks are cut so the grain is oriented for the greatest strength and resistance to warping. The battens and the planks are set in 3M5200. Not only can water not get in the joints, but the planks don’t move so the sides of the boat do not develop cracks along the seams.

7. Any weak or defective pieces of the deck framing were replaced with new wood. Where the hatch hinges are attached to the deck frames, a support was added on each side down to bottom for additional strength. The entire deck was replaced with new wood that is book matched so that the port side is a mirror image of the starboard side.

8. After 2 coats of sealer 18 coats of varnish were applied. Each coat was scotchbrited before laying the next one; after coats 6 and 12 the hull was sanded with 320 grit sandpaper. After coat 12 the hull surface is flat; there is no evidence of wood grain on the surface it feels like glass. After coat 18, it is buffed 2 times until it looks like a mahogany mirror.

9. All the wiring is new and color-coded as it should be: the dashboard switches were replaced with new ones. A perfectly good interior was discarded and replaced with the factory correct interior in black white and burgundy like it was in 1959

10. All the bronze hardware was rechromed and all the stainless steel parts professionally polished. The aluminum exhaust tips were badly corroded and have been replaced with new ones that are polished and powder coated to look like chrome.

11. A brand new King Saltwater trailer was ordered with brakes to make towing easy and to be sure the boat was adequately supported in the proper places to prevent hull warping that comes from improper support during

12. The flagpole is not wood as most of them are. It was originally cast bronze and chromed with the light on top being an integral part of the flagpole. This item did not come with the boat: so a new one was cast to be sure it was correct.

13. The engine has 300 odd hours on it and runs great, holds good oil pressure, and does not smoke. The carburetor was incorrect so it was replaced with an original type 4 barrel. The exhaust manifold spacers and exhaust elbows are a notorious weak spot in marine engines. Both sets of these have been replaced.

14. All fasteners in the boat are new and stainless steel for long life and no maintenance.