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Casino Royale
Casino Royale is a 1938 Chris Craft which has had a chequered history, but a new lease of life.
Having been found in Norfolk in 2012, sinking and rotting, no trace could be found of the Hull number, despite
stripping her down to a bare skeleton. The cabin, transom and engine mounts had all undergone repairs and
replacement, so all of the likely sites for final confirmation of her number were lost. Even the fully exposed keel had
no evidence of numbers.
Casino Royale as she was as a wreck in Norfolk
Her size is actually the best guide to tracking down her history, as very few boats were built of 29 feet in length.
Similarly, the smooth topline of the gunwales is limited to very few boats, mainly Express Cruisers and Sportsmen, it
certainly eliminated Enclosed Cruisers. Her beam is wider than a Sportsman.
There were a total of only 13 Custom Sportsman, about 100 Express Cruisers, 100 Enclosed Cruisers and another 100
De Luxe Cruisers ever built, only a total of 330 boats or so in all. However, of these, only three boats of this length
(Enclosed Cruisers) were shipped to UK, plus one Express Cruiser for onward shipment to Poland. It is this latter build
sheet that fits the remains of the boat as found. Adolf Hitler, however, intervened. He decided it was more
important he got into Poland before the boat so she remained in England and it is she that we had found.
She was built as an Enclosed Cruiser and imported by Arthur Bray of Baker Street for onward shipping to Poland. Her
Hull Card, number29131, shows that she was completed in September 1938 and passed for shipping on September
15th. She was originally a white boat with a light blue underside and had a fixed half cabin.
There is a bit of a gap in her history, from that point until 2012. Her engine was replaced with a Birmingham
manufactured petrol engine and she had undergone many modifications. These included a full “cabin” over the stern
section, which resembled more a garden shed than a quality boat. This enabled her to be used as a houseboat in
Norfolk for some years, but then she was left abandoned and sinking slowly. Her Environment Agency license had
lapsed and she was sentenced to be cut up for scrap.
Stephen Dennett of Michael Dennett Boatbuilders found her and saw the potential in her for recovery to her former
glory, so he saved her from the early grave and took her to his yard in Laleham.
Casino Royale as we found her in Summer of 2013. The bay window could not mask her beauty.
During the Summer of 2013, we saw her in Dennett’s boatyard and fell in love immediately. Her bows on view and
the fantastically elegant topline were to die for. The “cabin” and the windscreen had been removed, so the topline
was on full view, as were all her ribs and the inside of the hull. There was even a large hole through the stern (the
bay window) to allow easy inspection. This had been made during the initial inspection to see how bad the rotting
was. We also began the task of tracking down exactly what she was. There were no original chrome fittings, no
cleats, no lights, no steering wheel, in fact, the only original metalwork was the drive shaft, propeller and rudder.
Within a week, we had seen enough, agreed the sale and work began.
Stephen wanted to combine the best of the American boat with the best of English boatbuilding. Sadly, much of the
hull was rotted through, so needed replacing completely. Stephen used the English method of hull building, using
single heavier boards instead of thinner boards with each joint covered by a fillet.
He had a working title for the job as Casino Royale. Of course, this was bound to have been used on other boats and
we were welcome to think of a new name. The more new names we tried, the better became the name Casino
Royale, but the name of a boat has to be registered with the Environment Agency. As a precaution, we made contact
with them and discovered that no boat had been registered with that name. So, Casio Royale was registered.
Casino Royale enters the workshop and is stripped to her bare bones
The winter of 2013/2014 was memorable for many things. It was cold, then it was wet, then it was very wet, then it
was wetter. Laleham is just downstream of the junction of the Thames and the Jubilee Cut, the flood defence for
Maidenhead and Eton. Consequently, the worst flooding ever known was accompanied by no knowledge of what
was likely, as the river had changed in nature. During this Dennett’s Boatyard was under 20” of fast moving flood
water. Luckily, the keel was 22” above the floor. Stephen was not to be deterred. He parked his vehicle on the
nearest high ground and waded through the waters in the yard to get to the Boathouse. Wearing waders, he
continued to work on Casino Royale
Casino Royale was stripped out completely, in fact, the whole of the hull had to be replaced, as did many ribs. New
Iroko boards were cut and bent to form the hull and the design of the interior was developed. All exposed deck work
was built of Mahogany planks. Casino Royale was going to be the best party boat on the river, with a large open
space in the stern cockpit and a couple of swivel seats for the pilot and co-pilot. The bow cabin included a good sized
bed in the bows, a galley and a small head.
The power train had a significant impact on this too. A large new diesel engine would give Casino Royale a top speed
of 20-30 knots, but with an electric motor, there would be no need for the engine box to block the space in the
middle. The electric motor could be powered by standard batteries, lithium batteries or fuel cells. The pros and cons
were considered including top speed, noise, exhaust fumes, manoeuvreability, refuelling and even the boat safety
certificate.
After investigation, our preferred option was that electric power was the best with absolute quiet and fume free
cruising. But following months of investigation trying to marry all the battery and drive options, we were back on the
cusp of going for the simplicity of a diesel engine, when Stephen found us a company who would take on the supply
of electric motor, batteries and gear train at a reasonable cost, so electric won the day.
When the waters receded from the workshop, we could get back to see what had changed over winter. We were
confronted by a boat that was almost complete except for fitting out. It was amazing to see how much Stephen had
achieved under such difficult circumstances in the floods.
At last the great day came to slip her into the water. She looked enormous on a trolley way above our heads, with
sleek shiny black hull as she was manoeuvred to the top of the slipway and allowed to roll down on the winch.
Casino Royale slipped gently into the water without a murmur. She floated and lifted the trolley off the ramp, so
some effort was required to remove straps and wedges that held the trolley in place. After dignity was resumed, she
had to checked for ballast and balance and taken for a quick spin on the fast running waters of the Thames in the
end of its worst floods in years.
The big day…
Now, the Maiden Voyage. Will the electric motor be strong enough? Will it be silent? Will the boat handle well? The
river was still on Red Boards (When these red boards are displayed on lock gates, the Environment Agency advise
users of all boats not to navigate because the strong flows make it difficult and dangerous.) but the answer to all
these was “Yes!”. The power from the engine is really easy to apply at low speed, making slow manoeuvres easy.
Casino Royale can turn almost in her own length at half speed. At full power, she can cut a dash, able easily to make
headway upstream in the spate or to exceed the speed limit on the Thames of 5mph. The main thing we wanted was
to be able to stop quickly, so that mistakes by others would not cause us a problem, this was also true.
Every lock was a learning curve, as we found how she handled in current, wind and calm. The lock keepers were so
helpful and patient, until at Cookham we were asked about her licence. We had a “Red licence” which is for boats
undergoing refurbishment, but the full “Brown Licence “ for 2014 had not arrived, but we had emails confirming its
dispatch some days earlier. When stepping out to explain this and show all the papers, sadly, the Red licence
fluttered gently into the lock, only to sink to the bottom… Deep joy took on a new meaning.
Maiden voyage
Casino Royale has her permanent mooring at Henley bridge, so the voyage upstream was going to be one of
discovery about handling and range. The river was still running on a mix of Red and Yellow Boards, but checking with
the insurance company, they were happy that an experienced crew with knowledge of the river would be safe to
travel.
We travelled upstream and discovered how helpful folk on the river could be. Kris Cruisers at Datchet let us moor up
at lunchtime for an hour of battery charging without charge. A favour owed. That night was the last night of hard
frost, with temperatures falling as low as -4oC. A great test for us, especially in the morning, when trying to operate
Bray Lock without being able to stand on the icy bow deck.
The sun shone on us. In fact, from that day onwards, the sun shone throughout the Summer and there was no rain in
the sky for the whole of the Summer.
Casino Royale resides on her regular mooring at the Parrot’s Moorings on Watersdie in Henley, immediately
upstream of Henley Bridge and the Angel on the Bridge.
In 2015 we investigated chartering Casino Royale for special occasions so that others can share in her beautiful quiet
elegance.
If anyone can fill in a few blanks between arriving in UK just before the Second World War and being found in Norfol,
we would be very pleased to hear.
After not a lot of thought, I figured she was worth the time and money that would be required and once
again said, “get on with it” , so between early 2008 and December 2011, Robin entirely rebuilt her in teak
and mahogany. Other than the stem, some sections of the chine, a number of frames and part of the
centreline (all of which we kept in order that she could be considered to be an original 1938 boat), and of
course the original bronze fittings such as the original 1938 Chis-Craft searchlight - although many were
missing and were replaced via Ebay - all of which were re-chromed. Literally everything else was replaced,
so she is now effectively a brand new wooden boat, and a testimony to Norfolk craftsmanship (and I hope I
will look as good as CHRIS does when I’m 76 years old).
10. Chris-Craft 29′ Express Cruiser: 1939-1942
Many purists will scoff at this boat making the top-ten,
but they can write their own lists. Chris-Craft was ahead
of it’s time with this little express cruiser, which had
fairly modern looks for a pre-war boat. Painted
hullsides, wood deck, navy top, open cockpit, what more
could someone ask for in a little cruiser?
http://www.yachtforums.com/index.php?threads/rebuild-of-1938-26ft-chris-craft-enclosed-cruiser-chris.22699/
david_japp
From modern classics to past classics, we catch up with David Japp, the music industry executive and
fanatical boat restorer, who returned from a brush with death to complete the immaculate rebuild of a 1938
Chris-Craft.
Read more at http://www.mby.com/news/june-issue-of-motor-boat-yachting-on-salenow/#ID4pSy4yJuytt7tZ.99
1.
Many reading this will doubt my sanity but while I was rebuilding my 1961 62ft Feadship TIKY, I
was also rebuilding a 26ft wooden Chris-Craft that was built in 1938
I first saw CHRIS - a "26ft Enclosed Cruiser" - in 2006 as a totally rotted and barely afloat wreck, for sale on
the lower Thames in the East End of London (see last photo attached). I fell instantly in love with her and
being blinded to the all too obvious amount of work required to keep her afloat, let alone restore her, I was
desperate to buy her. Naïvely thinking that no one else would want her, I stupidly haggled about the price,
trying to get £100 off the £600 the seller was asking just to cover the cost of the timber he'd bought in order
to restore her- but to my total shock and great disappointment she was sold to a chap in West Country. This
fella eventually realised that she was too big a project for him and a year later I bought her from him (for
the £600 he had paid plus cost of delivery to Norfolk wher i have a house , which ironically, was several
hundred quid more than it originally would have cost me to get her delivered from the Thames).
In any event, I took her to a local boatyard in Norfolk, the historic Woods Dyke Boatyard in Horning , and
without any fixed plan or spec – always a mistake – I basically said, “get on with it”. The yard got a couple of
retired local shipwrights working on her part-time and during the course of 2006/07 they replanked the
topsides and tried to fix up the rest of the boat.
In late 2007 Woods Dyke Yard was sold to be redeveloped as waterfront houses so we moved the now halfcompleted CHRIS to the Phoenix Fleet Boatyard at Potter Heigham. There, the owner of the yard, Robin
Richardson, gave me the unwelcome news that although the planking of the topsides had been done well,
much if not all of the rest of the work that had been done previously wasn’t satisfactory and that if I wanted
her to look even half-way decent, and to stay looking that way, we’d basically have to start again.
After not a lot of thought, I figured she was worth the time and money that would be required and once
again said, “get on with it” , so between early 2008 and December 2011, Robin entirely rebuilt her in teak
and mahogany. Other than the stem, some sections of the chine, a number of frames and part of the
centreline (all of which we kept in order that she could be considered to be an original 1938 boat), and of
course the original bronze fittings such as the original 1938 Chis-Craft searchlight - although many were
missing and were replaced via Ebay - all of which were re-chromed. Literally everything else was replaced,
so she is now effectively a brand new wooden boat, and a testimony to Norfolk craftsmanship (and I hope I
will look as good as CHRIS does when I’m 76 years old).
As anyone reading this probably knows, the Chris-Craft Company was founded by Chris Smith in 1922 as
the Smith and Sons Boat Company and soon became well-known for building successful racing boats, which
was becoming a popular pastime for the wealthy. In the late 1920s, the company expanded its market into
the growing American middle class and mass-producing pleasure boats on an assembly line at their Algonac
Michigan plant, thus dramatically lowering production cost. A clever advertising campaign promised a
piece of "the good life” and the company made it available via an affordable installment payment plan. In
1930, the company changed its name to Chris-Craft and is still going strong, albeit having faced bankruptcy
and having changed hands many times.
164 "26ft Enclosed Cruisers” such as CHRIS were built in 1937-38 but between 1934 and the 1950s (when
Chris-Craft started to go "modern" with its designs), over 3000 of the “Enclosed Cruisers” were built with
various modifications and in various sizes from 25ft to 40ft, (and even a few at 50ft, which in those days
was considered very large indeed). Despite so many having been built only a relatively small number of
them have survived and in fact only a handful of the smaller “Enclosed Cruisers “ such as CHRIS still exist.
That is hardly surprising though, as Chris-Craft were very lightly built by unskilled, or at best semi-skilled
and often ex-automotive workers who in any event were not trained shipwrights - presumably with built-in
obsolescence in mind that would make for repeat orders. In fact, in the 1930s, the life expectancy of a CC
bottom was only 7-10 years!
Unfortunately I have no idea of CHRIS's history except that the UK car dealer Arthur Bray of Dorset
originally imported her in to the UK in 1938. When I bought her she was called CHARLESTON and I was
told that she had spent part of her life on the Norfolk Broads before being moved to the Thames, but that
may be hearsay. However, from the hull number on the original builder's plate, the Mariners Museum in
Newport Virginia, who now hold the Chris-Craft archive, were able to send me copies of the original
shipping manifest which showed her exact original spec, down to the colour of the anti-foul and upholstery
and even the type of cooker that was fitted.
I wanted to keep her as original as possible but she had to be a practical and useable day-boat so we slightly
changed the interior layout, doing away with the stbd Pullman berth and the fixed helm seat in order to
create more space. I wanted to keep the original chromed bronze engine, gearbox and steering controls
which worked via a series of heavy and cumbersome bronze linkages but Robin adapted modern Morse and
Vetus control units to work with them and the original chrome instrument panel was also retained but fitted
with modern instruments. We fitted H&C pressurised water (heated via a calorifier using engine cooling
water) and a diesel-fired galley hob/heater, so there is no gas to worry about! We lined the hull with sound
insulation hidden behind a slatted teak lining and fitted a Halyard Aqua-Drive thrust bearing to keep engine
vibration and noise to a minimum. The original opening side-windows - which had automobile wind
up/down mechanisms – were impossible to keep watertight (and were a major contribution to her poor
condition) so we replaced them with fixed windows in s/s frames. We also decided against replacing the
bottom with double-diagonal planking with calico in between, as per original, but instead fitted a double
layer of marine ply, skinned with scrim and epoxy. I was aware that if not done correctly, this method can
cause long-term problems if water gets in between the layers but in fact she has just been surveyed after 3
years being constantly afloat and she is bone-dry with absolutely no signs of water ingress into the skins.
We fitted a 38 HP Nanni 4 cyl. diesel instead of the long-since lost 6 cyl. Chris-Craft 150HP petrol engine
that she would originally have had (which would have propelled her +/- 25knts). This new diesel gives us
only 8kts at full revs but seeing as the speed limit on the Broads is 5MPH, that's no loss. In fact with the
knowledge of hindsight I should have fitted an even smaller engine. Because she now runs at a far slower
speed than original she was a pig to steer but we've just replaced the original small bronze rudder with a
larger semi-balanced s/s rudder, which makes handling so much easier than before.
A further point of interest is that we coated her cabin sides and cockpit brightwork with Epiphanes but the
decks were coated in Coelan, the latter having held up brilliantly for 4 years now, whereas significant areas
of the Epiphanes coatings had to be entirely revarnished after only 2 years. I defy anyone to tell the
difference between the Coelan and the Epiphanes brightwork, and in fact I now wish I had done all the
brightwork in Coelan.
I hadn't in fact been out on CHRIS since taking her home from the Phoenix yard after she was finished
because in May 2012 I fell seriously ill with some unspecified infection that landed me in ITU for 9 weeks so
the little excursion I had on her last week with my 2 Border Terriers Rufus & Puppy was only my 2nd time
aboard in the 8 years that I've owned her!
She is an ideal boat for our purposes – basically, apart from being a true “Classic”, she is a handsome, easily
handled, family dayboat with a large cockpit. With her 8ft 8inch beam and narrow side decks, and having
no separate sleeping cabin in the bow - only a small compartment up fwd for a head if required - the saloon
is much larger than on an average 26 footer so she will be very spacious and comfortable when we cruise the
Norfolk Broads on a chilly winter's day (which is definitely the best time of year to be out on the Broads).
David