(owned by Harry & Marion Sherry)

Built by Chris Craft Corporation at the Holland, Michigan Plant as Hull # 52. Canadian Registry; also listed in Wooden Boat Registry.

Powered by Twin Chris Craft 210 H.P.

The preparation of this boat for sailing to Canada was overseen by Chris Smith. She was captained by Lloyd Crate of Crate Marine, and sailed to Keswick, Ontario, Canada. This boat was sold to W. Mathews, Director of G.M.A.C. Corp. of Canada.

This boat has always been stored under cover, and never exposed to salt water.

The Sherrys purchased the boat in 1979 from Lloyd Crate. The condition was good - original. Extensive restoration started in 1981 that included virtually everything. The theme was to retain originality and make boat as long lasting as possible. The hull was stripped including deck and cabin top vinyl. Entire outside of boat epoxy resin coated. All plank hull seams detailed. Decks and cabin tops done in patterned non-slip surface. Custom designed upper deck seating and cabinets to compliment. All machinery was removed and rebuilt to original specs, then balanced. All work was done to the highest standards, consuming many years to complete.

Classicist's cruising areas include Georgian Bay, the Trent-Severn System, The Thousand Islands and Lake Ontario. This boat has been displayed at numerous boat shows and events, including Peterborough Lift Lock's 90th Anniversary in 1994, Peterborough's Millennium Antique & Classic Boat Show in 2000, and Clayton, N.Y., where it was presented the award, "Best Cruiser Classic."

A great honour was given when Chris Smith and family came on board, and Chris's comment was, "Most beautiful Chris Craft Cruiser in existence!"

Canadian Yachting Magazine - July 2005 Edition

The following article, by writer Andy Adams appeared in CYM ...

A Radical Classic

While strolling the docks at one of my favourite summer events, the Classic Boat Show in Clayton, N.Y., I was stopped dead in my tracks by what looked like a brand new 1966 Chris-Craft.
The styling told me it had to be a wooden boat, but the finish was so perfect I actually had to ask if it was fiberglass.
“ Mahogany plank,” said Harry Sherry, the boat’s owner. I introduced myself to the tall, soft spoken man who was swabbing off the swim platform. We began a fascinating discussion and he agreed to get together later after the boat show, to let me share his magnificent Chris-Craft with our CY readers.
Sherry, also a restorer of classic cars, has an impressive track record when it comes to restoring boats to their former glory. His most recent major project, a 1931 Marmon V-16, was already a two-time prize winner, while the Chris-Craft took the award for “Best Cruiser Classic” at the Clayton show last summer. In fact, the boat won “Best Cruiser Classic” when it was first shown in 1994.
Award-winning restorations are his stock in trade. The boat’s name, Classicist, reflects this passion. But it’s when you hear the story of its upgrades and restoration that you realize “classic” doesn’t have to be conservative. Maybe the best way to describe Sherry is as a “Radical Classicist.”
Assuming he’d just completed this project I was stunned to learn that the restoration work on the Chris-Craft had been completed 15 years earlier!
Harry freely admits that the boat was complete and in good shape when he purchased the 1966 Chris-Craft 40’ Salon model in 1978. The Sherry family enjoyed three years of cruising on board the boat but eventually a loudly vibrating generator became too much for Harry to bear. He brought the Chris-Craft into his shop. Out came the noisy generator, followed soon after by the 17 year old Chris-Craft engines. One thing led to another, the boat was in pieces and with his classic car restoration business booming, seven years whizzed by while Classicist lay dismantled in the shop.
Harry eventually “scheduled” the work and got going. “My goal was to make it last as long as I could. It’s been an exceptionally serviceable boat,” he said matter of factly.
That was my first clue about the unusual materials and techniques he employed to both restore and safeguard Classicist against the ravages of time. First the bilges were cleaned repeatedly. Each side plank was carefully grooved with a router to eliminate the “oozing” of plank caulking. Now the planks expand and contract without cracking the finish. That’s important because the hull was given three coats of epoxy, hand-sanded to perfection and then three coats of Imron paint. Fifteen years later, the boat still looks brand new.
Another departure from classic materials started with the decks. Off came all the lovely mahogany trim and rails. The plywood decks were stripped of their original Nautilux vinyl. Working with Fiberglass Canada to obtain a modified glass cloth, Harry thoroughly saturated the decks section by section with epoxy resin. He then laid out the design of the sections he wanted and masked these off with three layers of tape. The “lines” between the sections were applied with a thickened epoxy, resulting in a very attractive and original looking pattern. All decks were sanded and given three coats of Imron. Those lovely varnished mahogany side rails were also epoxy-saturated before being varnished and then Harry “clear-coated” all the re-assembled pieces in acrylic urethane the way they do on new car paint jobs. Fifteen years later, they’re still glossy and perfect. – no water staining either.
Looking to reduce periodic maintenance, Sherry had his late father, an expert machinist, reproduce the original white metal fittings in polished stainless steel.
“ Labor of Love” is the phrase that comes to mind when you see these pieces.
She is a true classic that dramatically demonstrates how you can use thoroughly modern solutions to preserve a boat’s strength and beauty.
She is a classic radical, a testament to the power of hard work, love and patience over the power of the pocketbook.