Restoring a 1941 Custom Chris-Craft, Model 108

By Rob Wilkinson, Pacific Northwest Chapter

Photos by Colleen Chartier

Several decades ago, while sitting on the banks of the Montlake Cut near the University of Washington where the Boys in the Boat practiced and raced in the 1930s, my friend Elizabeth and I spotted a beautiful mahogany speedboat cruising through the canal. We swooned. In that moment we agreed to partner on the restoration of a classic speedboat. By that afternoon I made a phone call to a nearby marina and was given the name of a guy with an old wood speedboat for sale who had called the marina only minutes before. I gave him a call.

He lived in a small town north of Seattle. He told me he stored his old boat in a machine shop/barn and needed the space. He said it was an old Chris-Craft speedboat. Good enough.

The next day I jumped into our lime green pinto station wagon (dangerous at any speed) and headed north. Hidden behind much clutter in his barn was indeed a Chris-Craft. I had no idea the year or model. It just looked great. The price was right too (think Antique Road Show here) and so we bought it. I returned a few days later with a friend and a trailer. The owner lifted it onto our trailer with his rickety old crane as we stood back hoping we would not bear witness to its sudden transformation from boat to firewood, but he gently placed the runabout on our trailer and off we went. 

It wasn’t until the boat was safely in my carport that I learned it was a 1941, 19-foot Custom Chris-Craft, Model 108. My ignorance about classic wooden speedboats was on full display. With more sleuthing I found the original hull card. It was delivered to Portland, Oregon in 1941 and from there made a mysterious journey through several owners that eventually landed in Sedro Woolley, Washington. It was a model 108 and I’ve been told only 22 were built before the onset of WWII. 

The boat looked in decent shape, though upon closer inspection there were some ominous signs. The bottom had been fiberglassed and the exhaust manifold on the Model M Hercules was cracked from freezing. It had been used hard as ski boat. The cracked manifold raised the specter of a cracked engine block. I fell asleep that night counting dollar signs.

I called a knowledgeable friend of a friend who was active in the Northwest Chapter of ACBS. He talked me back from the edge. He suggested I attend a meeting of the local chapter of the ACBS to learn more about our boat. When I entered the room It felt like an AA meeting with a circle of people sitting on folding chairs. They introduced themselves by first name and the type of boat they were addicted er.. owned. Eyebrows rose when I mentioned my find. After many helpful suggestions I was left with two clear take-aways, One, I have a highly collectible boat and two, don’t screw it up! They immediately put me in touch with some excellent local resources. I shall forever thank them for their help. I took a big step back from the edge that day.

The restoration was a family affair, with grandkids Max and Abbi thrilled to receive a penny for every screw they removed. Thirty-some years later, after a rebuild on the Hercules, new 5200 bottom, keel, bottom frames, upholstery, wiring, chrome, many new planks and a new name, Eclipse, the boat is now officially restored. I did most of the work myself in my carport, one plank at a time, reminding myself that love of the journey is as important as reaching my final destination. But, after a few thousand hours on the journey I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever reach the destination. I’ve built a few boats before on an amateur basis, but this was a challenge. More so because I felt a responsibility to save an important piece of maritime history. 

The restoration was an exercise in triage, saving the healthy wood and discarding the rest. The bottom was the first to go, but most of the top side was saved. My first bottom replacement involved removing the fiberglass and bottom planks while retaining most of the bottom frames, wincing at my decision in a number of cases. I restored the bottom in the original way, except for a more advanced synthetic membrane instead of canvas between the double planking. But after several decades of seasonal shrinking and swelling, longer wait times were required before the hull tightened up and the leaks subsided-but never entirely. It seemed leaks around the stern were there to stay.

I finally decided in 2018 to replace everything below the water line including keel, frames and planking using the 3M 5200 method–think very messy here. I’m glad I did. I found rot and oil soaked frames that had long since held screws securely. Today, no more bailing!

Critical to this successful restoration was a very understanding wife, Carol, and a friendship with Peter Orton, a master of all antique engine repairs and restorations from 12-cylinder WWII Allison aircraft engine conversion for use in vintage unlimited hydroplanes to my humble six-cylinder Hercules and everything in between. Peter keeps old Herc happy.

Eclipse stays in the water in a covered moorage in the summer only a few steps down the street from our home and lives in my carport in the winter. She often makes fast early coffee runs across Lake Washington to a Starbucks on a Kirkland pier and evening cruises in the Lake Washington Ship Canal with family and friends. She now belongs to the Wilkinson family including my son and his family. 

With its spectacular tear drop shape, beautiful mahogany planking and the Art Deco instruments, steering wheel, vents and cleats, I still swoon when I see her. And I never tire of the roar of old Herc as it pushes Eclipse onto a plane and up to speed only to get passed by a jet ski like I’m standing still.

I wouldn’t trade places for a second!