1976 Chris Craft Convertible
In one form or another, the Chris 42 Convertible enjoyed the longest production run of any modern Chris Craft design. She was introduced as the 42 Tournament Fisherman in 1974 and critics were impressed with her comfortably dry ride at 24-knot cruising speed with the new 425 hp GM 8V/1TI engines. She was built on a shallow dead-rise hull with a wide beam and a big fishing cockpit to go with her roomy two-state-room interior. The revised 421 model (1983-84) however, is mostly remembered for it's gaudy hull graphics and cheap interiors. Chris Craft redesigned the boat in 1985 (new house, enlarged flybridge, glassed-over windshield, teak interior, etc.) with the introduction of the final 422 model, Throughout all the design changes, the basic two state-room layout was retained in one fashion or another. Retained too were the excellent seakeeping qualities that made her such a good performer. With either the original 425-hp 8V71's or the later 485-hp 6-71's, the Chris 42 is a reasonably quick boat for her size with a cruising speed of 24 knots and a top speed of 27 knots.
