by Steven Dahlgren member of the Blackhawk chapter
I recently acquired my dream boat, a 1959 Chris-Craft ski boat. I began waterskiing at the age of 5 at my cousins lake house in Whitewater Wisconsin and continued to enjoy boating on the Fox Waterway in Illinois, my family owned a Yamaha Waverunner and later a Ski Centurion boat on the Lower Fox River. Growing up I had only come across a handful of wooden boats on the river and was always intrigued. My love for being on the water continued through my teens and twenties as I got more interested in wakeboarding. I took lessons on the river and attended camps in Wisconsin learning new tricks and making friends along the way.
I continued to take any opportunity to be on the water that I could. My long-term goal was to live on the water so I could be on the boat as much as possible. When I began searching for a house I looked at several lakes in both Illinois and Wisconsin. I purchased a condominium in a harbor community on the Chain O’ Lakes with water rights. I now had a place on the water and it was time to begin the search for a boat.
In September of 2018 my best friend introduced me to the Lake Geneva Boat show, where I fell in love with wooden boats. Prior to the show I was planning on purchasing a wakeboard specific boat. At the show I was quickly reminded of my appreciation for vintage design and craftsmanship . I decided that one day I would be the proud owner of a classic boat. I attended the show again in 2019 where I met Jamie, the owner of Delevan Lake Boat Shed. I had narrowed my search to a Chris Craft Ski Boat because I wanted something that I could still ski behind.
Chris-Craft began engineering ski specific boats with the popularity of waterskiing in the late 50’s and early 60’s. On Christmas Eve the boat was officially mine. For me boating is a feeling of freedom whether you’re cruising, skiing, chasing the sunset or just anchored and listening to music with friends. I look forwarded to decades of memories on my boat.
