If you are interested in finding more information about a specific Chris-Craft barrelback, you will need the single-most important piece of hull information —the hull ID number.

What is a hull number?

Chris-Craft was a very production-minded boat builder—the first among pleasure boat manufacturers to utilize automotive industry inspired assembly lines for efficient throughput. When most manufacturers were building dozens of boats per year, Chris-Craft was building hundreds.

As well, Chris-Craft kept fastidious records on everything. As a “pre-computer” database, Chris-Craft generated “hull cards” for every hull produced—up to the sale of the company to NAFI on April 5, 1960.

Fortunately, for all interested in these old Chris-Crafts, all factory records—including engineering drawings, memos, photographs and hull cards—were donated to The Mariners’ Museum in Newport New, Virginia. The Mariners’ Museum houses those records to this date.

As part of this record, every hull produced was given a unique hull identification number. The hull ID number can be typically found in several locations:

On a metal plate attached to the underside of the engine hatch cover or engine box on single engine models, and on a metal plate attached to the underside of the starboard engine hatch cover or engine box on twin engine models.

Stamped into the aft surface of the forward header of the engine hatch on single engine models, and stamped into the aft surface of the forward header of the port engine hatch on twin engine models.

Stamped into the top edge of the engine stringer starboard adjacent to engine coupling on single engine models, and stamped into the top edge of the inboard stringer, port engine, adjacent to engine coupling on twin engine models.

Either on top of wood towing bitt, aft face of bow block, extreme forward inboard surface of port toe rail, or aft face of stem midway between chine and sheer.

SPORT BOATS AND RUNABOUTS—Stamped into the forward surface of aft deck beam if seat back is removable.

Upon finding and submitting your hull ID number to The Mariners’ Museum, a research package can be requested for your specific boat. The package will include a copy of the actual hull card from your hull.

Typical Hull Card

The hull card will give specifics about how your boat was ordered including where it was delivered.

Unfortunately, the information compiled by The Mariners’ Museum is only current to the date that the hull was delivered from the factory. Until recently there has been little known about these barrelbacks after their delivery date. How many still exist? Where do they currently reside? And what is their condition? Our Hull Registry is bridging that gap.

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