1961 Chris Craft Constellation 55ft'

Showcase presentation of this beautiful 1961 Chris Craft Constellation. 55 Feet in overall length.

[@monizdm]

There is no mistaking the beautiful lines of a Chris Craft.

[@bettermost]

The 50/60s era Chris Crafts were the pinnacle of boat making. There designs were magnificent.

[@nicke.3011]

Chris Craft yachts from the 20's to the 60's are unrivaled floating beauties.

[@scottbruns5142]

For me, that will forever define the way a boat should look.

[@kairobertmoser8871]

What a grand old girl, so beautiful! I am currently considering a 1967 Constellation 40 that has been restored and is near all original (427 Ford Cobras with Paragon Transmissions) as my liveaboard choice here in SWFL. Definitely one to watch sunsets from. So in love with how gorgeous the 50s and 60s Chris-Crafts look...

[@RB-jv6un]

Sweet. I used to clean one of these every week when I was a teenager. Good to see one alive.

[@jeffreysokal7264]

Wow, what a beauty. That evokes memories of a different time. Very classy.

[@chrisambrose8838]

What a beautiful boat! They will never make a fiberglass boat as beautiful as that ! Never! 🙋‍♂️👍🖖🏻

[@goaskmymom1350]

She's a beautiful classic yacht! Sold mine years ago and I look at pics of her often. Its like breaking up with your first love. I miss that CC so much! 😢 🚢

[@larrybaker5316]

thanks for sharing, grampa had a 1955 42 foot Chris Craft in so. california, we had a lot of fun growing up on it. Thanks for the memories, your boat is a beautiful old classic. Grampas Sea Cloud now resides in Seattle area.

[@bjbiggs722]

Absolutely gorgeous

[@bettermost]

Chris Craft really had there MoJo on in the 1950s and 1960s They couldn’t make an ugly boat if they tried. Beautiful Boat.

[@fredjones7705]

Beautiful. Right up there with "At Last". My grandfather had a 55 Constellation. Best memories of my life was sailing her on the Great Lakes. He was a VP at Skelly Oil and nothing was to good for "Sarabeth". Unfortunatly she was lost to a fire in 1987 while on the hard awaiting refit. And no it was NOT Jewish lightning. We took a major loss on her but the emotional cost was even heavier. I'm convinced it killed my Grandmother because she said his soul was in the boat. She died one week after the fire.

[@crowdog56]

Sad story! Sorry to hear about your grandmother and the boat- tragic both! Those Connies were beauties and I would buy a mid to late 50''s in a heartbeat. If I was in the market, that is. Too old now and live too far from good water'.

[@askikr79]

jewish lightning, haha.

[@wmason1961]

​@@askikr79yeah, because antisemitism is just so funny. Haha.

[@jkoysza1]

Despite a history of intense frugality, there is no aphorism of Presbyterian lightning. No one grins over Bhuddist lightning. Could there be a kernel of truth in that most common expression?

[@stephenacs]

When I was growing up, this was the ultimate status symbol at the yacht club. I loved these boats, perfect size for family extended cruising. They had a lot of teak as I recall that required major upkeep. My family had a 45 ft. Richardson which was of a similar style and quality, we ended up building a trawler yacht designed by William Garden (Garten?) that was more appropriate for NW and BC weather.

[@crowdog56]

We must have grown up on the same pond: Puget Sound and PNW. My family had a 36' Richardson and then my dad sold it and built a 47' BILL GARDEN designed trawler type. Twin GM diesels, alaska cedar on oak, etc. T'was a beautiful cruiser the family took every summer waaaaaaaaaaaaay faaar North in BC. Golden summers! Bill Garden was the premier boat designer for the NW and lived on Toad Island in Sydney, BC. after starting out in Seattle. He is considered one of the best navel architects of his time. And our boat, and no doubt your's, proved it. "Sea-kindly" was his description for his trawlers and they certainly were. Smooth sailing to you!

[@stephenacs]

@@crowdog56 Wow....now that's a coincidence! Our Garden ship was built at the old Tacoma Shipyards. We belonged to the Tacoma Yacht Club. Like you, we went pretty far north which to this day is some of the best memories of my life. I've rented places in the Gulf Islands for vacays over the years and loved the memories of all that. We would keep our boat at the Old Scott's Point Marina on Salt Spring (now part of Vancouver Yacht Club) for a month every summer while dad went back to Tacoma to see patients. What a dream.

[@crowdog56]

@@stephenacs Hah- also TYC! Dad Bud Banfield, Commodore in '67. Boat was built at Starlet who also built two 42' at TYC owned by Burns Brown and Gordy Stevens. Ours launched in '64, dad died in '78 and boat was sold in '82- to a Canadian couple. Spent a month at camp on Thetis Island and learned to sail. Learned to waterski in Shell Beach. You and I were very fortunate to have such wonderful experiences heading Up North in the Summers! Halcyon days...

[@stephenacs]

@@crowdog56 I’m dying here my dad was (Dr) Bob Browning. We were great friends of the Burns Brown family. I had a silly crush on their daughter Nancy. We lived at Stevens and 45th and I attended Charles Wright, my sister graduated from Wilson. Our summers land based were at my grandparents on Mission Beach near Marysville. Also spent a lot of time on Ketron Island as our friends the Morris Family owned and developed here (and I think went broke as a result…). BTW, the Tacoma Lion’s Club used our boat for the Daffodil boat parade. My sister and I always had to dress in costume and wave from the deck…ha,

[@stephenacs]

@@crowdog56 BTW, I remember Bud Banfield. He and my dad were friends. My dad was fleet surgeon around ‘64 I think.

[@matthewherman5980]

I love the hula girl The teak & holly flooring in the salon And the Captain chairs at the helm instead of a bench like on At Last However if I had to pick one, it would be At Last Th 1957 is best because of the windows in the front of the salon and the center walk around berth BOTH ARE STUNNING

[@anthonycalleja2620]

Splendid boat to live in !

[@thomascraig7230]

A finely kept craft.

[@haddon57]

Don't try this at home.🙂

[@gregoryp2859]

You don't really ever own a boat like that. You're merely her caretaker as she travels from one adventure to the next.

[@haddon57]

Looks good to me !

[@rockets4kids]

Can I get a three hour tour?

[@dandersonjr]

Pleasing to the eyes. I can honestly say they sure don't make them like that anymore.

[@michaeleavenson6880]

Absolutely Love it

[@stephaneruffatti4606]

Juste splendide ❤

[@BruiserFL]

Thanks for sharing

[@randomthoughts1001]

She is a beauty 😊

[@olddiver]

Two words come to mind…. dated and maintenance.

[@guglielmodicarlo4139]

thats my bucket list boat, omg , I would LOVE that boat

[@Farmer-bh3cg]

I skippered a 55 foot Constellation very much like this. I had two 671 DDA's for power so this engine room doesn't look too familiar to me. From the 1/2 second glance at the instrument panel I'd guess twin Diesels of some make. The rest of the video is dead on. The jazzy musak is nice but listing LOA, LWL, Beam, and Draft (both light and full load) would be helpful. Also fuel/ water capacity, engineering specs, a GPH-RPM chart, lube oil burn rate, and comments on handling characteristics (especially in adverse conditions) would be useful.