Who owns chris craft

Our heritage of building beautiful boats started in a small town in Algonac, Michigan. It was here that 13 year-old Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat in To keep up with the demand, Chris joined forces with his brother, Hank, and began producing boats full-time.

In , the Smith Ryan Boat Company was formed. The company builds quality motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth-wheel products and boats. Options for the company's common stock are traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Chris-Craft, "America's Boat Builder Since ," leads the industry in craftsmanship and quality which represents the company's enduring devotion to its proud past. Christopher Columbus Smith built his first boat in in Algonac at the age of 13 and soon acquired a reputation as a master boat builder.

The company is renowned for its classic designs, craftsmanship and use of premium materials. While Chris-Craft Industries focused on its broadcast division, the industrial division carried on. With a series of improvements, including the upgrading of manufacturing equipment, the introduction of new processing control systems, and strategic capital investments, the industrial division flourished in the late s. Operating income increased 77 percent over and , and the division enjoyed record earnings in Increased earnings were also attributed to the streamlining of the division, as unprofitable product lines were discontinued, increasing numbers of international alliances were established, and products with lower margins were de-emphasized.

UPN's declines were somewhat offset by earnings from television stations, and Chris-Craft continued to acquire additional stations. In the company completed the acquisition of WRBW in Orlando, bringing the total number of Chris-Craft's television stations to ten.

In Viacom and Chris-Craft's original agreement, two options for exiting the partnership had been determined--buying out the other partner or paying for what the partner had invested up to that date and providing funds for the future operation of UPN. Either option would cost Viacom substantial sums of money.

Industry analysts agreed that Chris-Craft could emerge the winner and offered other possible scenarios--that Viacom might offer Chris-Craft some of its stations in exchange for severing the partnership or that Chris-Craft might sell Viacom's share to another company. The decline was due in large part to increased UPN losses. Undeterred, Chris-Craft continued to back UPN, expanding its prime-time schedule and developing new programs geared toward young males. A week and a half into the new season, UPN's ratings were up 20 percent from ratings, a promising start, and the network was reaching 95 percent of all U.

Viacom unsuccessfully tried to buy Chris-Craft in the fall of to complement its pending acquisition of CBS Corporation. Chris-Craft had sunk hundreds of millions of dollars in the network in the few years since it had been launched, noted the Wall Street Journal. The addition of Chris-Craft's ten stations made News Corp. The buy attracted a great deal of regulatory scrutiny but was ultimately approved by antitrust regulators.

The acquisition closed in July after News Corp. Chris-Craft Industries was then merged into News Corp. John Keim, Chris-Craft president from to , was credited with leading a turnaround at the boatyard. In OMC installed yet another new management team at Chris-Craft while investing in new computer-controlled cutting equipment for the upholstery shop, noted the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Its collapse notoriously put more than people at Chris-Craft out of work before Christmas. Genmar Holdings Inc. Genmar also owned a number of other boat makers. Stephen M.

Julius and his former Harvard business school colleague Stephen F. Heese acquired Chris-Craft's boatyard from Genmar in March Julius was chairman of the new Chris-Craft Corporation, while Heese served as president. It also has a strong international presence, with 25 percent of sales coming from overseas.

Chris-Craft dates back to , when year-old Christopher Smith built his first boat. After the family-owned business was sold and resold to Outboard Marine Corp. Through , it had posted 11 consecutive years of financial losses, and damaged its reputation with years of mass-produced boats.

OMC spent half a million dollars a year to use it. It was hard-hit during the recession, as most builders were, but stayed focused and bounced back. More millennials and Gen Xers are participating in both the RV and the marine industries, says Happe.

The company also has a new specialty vehicle that could eventually become one of the first electrical recreational vehicles brought to market. Beyond its new products, Winnebago will continue its expansion in the towable sector of the RV industry since towables account for 85 percent of total market share.

The company is projecting 10 percent of its revenues by will come from segments it had not previously participated in, says Happe.

That could mean new RV segments or brand-new ventures like Chris-Craft. The hydraulic lift manufacturer will relocate operations to the larger plant, located in SeaTac, Wash. The Brunswick Corp. MRAA releases the educational lineup for Dealer Week in December, with a focus on tackling the most common issues facing dealers today. The S. Legislation to advocate for these important fisheries needs our support. Boston Whaler dealer Chesapeake Whalertowne said the acquisition of the full-service facility in Grasonville, Md.

Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show that boating and fishing had the highest economic growth in the outdoor-recreation sector in Real Estate. Digital Boat Show. Boater's University. Marine Services. Industry News. Acquisitions and Investments. America's Cup Industry News. Bankruptcies and Restructuring. Brokerage Sales. Coast Guard. Discover Boating. Earnings and Analysts. Fuel Issues and Ethanol. International News. Marinas and AMI. NMDA and Distributors. NMEA and Electronics.