Chris Craft Launch

Boat is in great original condition. Interior very good (both vinyl and carpets), gelcoat in nice condition, includes (barely used) bimini top. Less than 10 hours on brand-new rebuilt long block by Mercruiser; full 2 year warranty from this last summer (when it was done) with all warranty paperwork. Boat runs like brand new. Always kept covered on boatlift and regularly serviced. Has fridge, head, sink, CD player, tons of storage, 2 batteries with switch and plug in 110 charger, etc. Too much to list. Even includes the forward and aft flags. The only 2 real issues with this boat: 1: the bow canvas is missing (still have the pole to prop it up in the center) and 2) the running lights work sometimes and not others (may need to have the panel for this one circuit repaired). Everything else A-OK. A really great boat for the $ (and a fraction of new, even though it retains the same body style as the new ones. The newer 25's and 28's don't have fridges like this one, just an ice bucket. I much prefer the fridge.

CLEAN TITLE; DOES NOT INCLUDE TRAILER (Boat has been kept on a lift, so never had the need for one). If item is shipped outside of Seattle area, the shipper will need to provide a trailer for shipment.

• Model year: 2001

• Make: Chris Craft

• Model: 25 Launch

• Category: Bowrider

• Length: 25ft / 7.62 m

• Beam: 8ft. 6in.

• Price As Tested: $ 74,900

• Fuel Capacity: 333 L

  If you had to name one pleasure-boat builder that embodies the history of modern recreational boating, it would be Chris-Craft, with roots reaching back into the 19th century. This year, five new Chris-Crafts three runabouts and two cruisers draw on that design heritage for inspiration. The results are impressive. I caught up with the Launch 25 during on-water trials at Floridas Lake Bryan last fall. With a running surface designed by Michael Peters Yacht Design, it has top performance to go along with its classic good looks. The boats also a pas-senger-pleaser, though, with dock-level boarding from atop lockers on each side of the cockpit and walk-though to the swim platform. A modern open-bow design, the Launch has curving forward side-decks that reflect the tumblehome in the aft deck sections. Combined with the boats deep topsides, it conjures up designs such as the barrel-back runabouts of the 1940s. For all its backwards-looking appearance, the boat includes up-to-the-minute engineering and materials -- vinyl seats with flip-up bottoms for increased visibility, a perforated stainless-steel instrument panel with pressure-sensitive waterproof switches and a steering wheel that looks like brushed aluminum but is actually cool, comfortable polypropylene. The boats modern sterndrive powerplant, a 350-cid 5.7 GSi, is linked to a DuoProp sterndrive; the compact installation allows spacious L-shaped cockpit seating aft to port. Spacious storage areas, including a locker big enough for wakeboards and water skis in the aft port quarter and an in-floor locker big enough for a portable cooler, are other advantages of modern fibreglass construction. Small details, such as the burgee-staff forward, the teak-covered swim platform and fold-down armrests add to the boat's overall appeal. The chemical head in the in-floor locker forward is convenient and usable, but the framed privacy curtain would only fit a small child; it needs a re-design. On the water, the boat has great acceleration, tight handling (the DuoProp helps) and more than respectable speeds. With a test crew of two, the through-transom exhaust option open and 80 gallons of fuel onboard, driving an F-6 prop set (average pitch of about 25 inches), the Launch tops out at 53.6 mph on radar at 5,000 rpm. The boat still exceeds 50 mph with seven people aboard, with the exhaust routed through the hub. Power options up to a 420-hp 8.1-litre Volvo-Penta are available. I see little need for more power, although the boat could easily handle it. The Launch cruises nicely at just under 40 mph at 4,000 rpm, at 33.1 mph at 3,500 rpm and 28.3 mph at 3,000 rpm. Quiet at top speed (88 dbA at the helm and 93 dbA in the aft cockpit area), the boat is even quieter at 3,500-rpm cruising speed, with readings of 79 dbA at the helm and 94 dbA in the back seat. If you choose the optional exhaust switch system, you can let the boat growl But one way or the other, the Launchs timeless styling speaks for itself.