Boating: American Beauties
June 1, 2005
Stan-Craft’s vessels range from 18
to 40 feet in length
and cost from $85,000 to $550,000. A Fastback
Viper V10 Speedster with trailer
and mooring cover is
$196,000.
Another luxury wooden boat gracing the waters
is
the Grand-Craft 27-foot Custom Classic Runabout, a nod to the nostalgic
Chris-Craft boats of the 1930s. Made from solid Philippine mahogany and
accented
with heavy hand-cast brass or bronze hardware plated in
nickel, copper, or
chrome, the triple-cockpit boat seats nine. A
banjo-style steering wheel and
Grand-Craft’s traditional etched
instrument cluster are at the heart of the
streamlined dashboard. The
boat’s top-notch gas marine engine delivers 425
hp.
Trained craftsmen mill and match the mahogany, which
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renowned for its
strength as well as its sound and shock absorption.
The wood pieces are bonded
together with a special wood epoxy
saturation process that makes each vessel
impervious to the damaging
effects of salt water and freshwater. (Click image to
enlarge)
Grand-Craft, a
family-owned company in Holland, Mich., is headed by Richard
Sligh, who
started working on boats at age 10 while he was living on the shores
of
Lake Michigan. The family, which includes Richard’s father, Charles Sligh
Jr., a former nationally prominent water-skier, was also known in the
furniture
industry for handcrafted furniture, desks, and clocks. The
27-foot Custom
Classic Runabout starts at about $150,000.
Grand-Craft Corp., 616.396.5450, www.grandcraft.com
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